G39 — ἅγιον (hagion)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G39
Original: ἅγιον
Transliteration: hagion
Pronunciation: hag'-ee-on
Part of Speech: Neuter noun (substantivized neuter of G40 ἅγιος)
Root: ἅγος (hagos) — an awful/sacred thing
Occurrences: 10 unique verses (10 tokens) in NT
Books: 1 (Hebrews only)
First Occurrence: Heb 8:2 — "A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Neuter of ἅγιος (hagios); a sacred thing (i.e. spot) — holiest (of all), holy place, sanctuary.

Note: G39 is assigned as a distinct Strong's number for the substantivized neuter use of G40 ἅγιος when it denotes a sacred place or sanctuary, as opposed to the adjective's broader range ("holy," "saints," etc.). All 10 KJV occurrences appear in Hebrews and refer to the tabernacle/temple sanctuary.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

G39 is not independently listed in Louw-Nida. The parent form G40 ἅγιος covers the relevant domains:

007.002 — Buildings (sacred buildings)
007.003 — Parts and Areas of Buildings (sacred spaces within structures)
088.003 — Holy, Pure
053.006 — Dedicate, Consecrate

Domain Neighbors (007.002 — Buildings):

Strong's	Lemma	Glosses	Relevance
G3485	ναός (naos)	temple, sanctuary, replica temple	Inner temple/shrine; overlaps with hagion as sacred interior space
G2413	ἱερός (hieros)	holy, temple	Broader temple complex
G3624	οἶκος (oikos)	house, temple, sanctuary	"House of God" usage
G4633	σκηνή (skēnē)	tent, tabernacle	The tabernacle structure that contains the hagion
G3925	παρεμβολή (parembolē)	camp, barracks	Military/cultic camp surrounding the tabernacle

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
sanctuary	3	30%
holy place	2	20%
holiest of all	1	10%
the Holiest of all	1	10%
holiest	1	10%
the holy places	1	10%
the sanctuary	1	10%

All translations refer to the tabernacle/temple sanctuary. KJV distinguishes between the first compartment ("sanctuary," "holy place") and the second compartment ("holiest of all," "holiest") based on context, but the same Greek word is used throughout.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Book Verses	Per 100
Hebrews	10	303	3.3

Pattern: Exclusively a Hebrews word. All 10 occurrences cluster in the sanctuary-theology section (chapters 8–10, 13). The author of Hebrews uses this substantivized neuter form as a technical term for the tabernacle compartments — a usage not found elsewhere in the NT. Other NT writers use G40 ἅγιος adjectivally with an explicit noun (e.g., τόπος ἅγιος "holy place" in Mat 24:15).

Morphological Notes¶

The Greek parser shows G39/G40 appearing in Hebrews in these neuter substantive forms:

Reference	Form	Parsing	KJV Translation
Heb 8:2	ἁγίων	Gen Pl N	"the sanctuary"
Heb 9:1	ἅγιον	Acc Sg N	"a worldly sanctuary"
Heb 9:2	Ἅγια	Nom Pl N	"the sanctuary"
Heb 9:3	Ἅγια ἁγίων	Nom Pl N + Gen Pl N	"the Holiest of all"
Heb 9:8	ἁγίων	Gen Pl N	"the holiest of all"
Heb 9:12	ἅγια	Acc Pl N	"the holy place"
Heb 9:24	ἅγια	Acc Pl N	"the holy places"
Heb 9:25	ἅγια	Acc Pl N	"the holy place"
Heb 10:19	ἁγίων	Gen Pl N	"the holiest"
Heb 13:11	ἅγια	Acc Pl N	"the sanctuary"

The plural τὰ ἅγια (ta hagia) is the dominant form (8 of 10 uses), following LXX convention where the Hebrew plural קֹדֶשׁ/קָדְשִׁים is rendered with a Greek neuter plural. The superlative construction Ἅγια ἁγίων (Heb 9:3) mirrors the Hebrew קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים "Holy of Holies."

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Sanctuary as a Whole (the entire sacred complex)¶

Heb 8:2 — "A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man."
Heb 9:1 — "Then verily the first [covenant] had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary."
Heb 9:24 — "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."

2. The First Compartment (Holy Place)¶

Heb 9:2 — "For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein [was] the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary."
Heb 9:6 (contextual) — The first compartment where priests continually serve, containing the candlestick, table, and shewbread.

3. The Second Compartment (Most Holy Place / Holy of Holies)¶

Heb 9:3 — "And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all."
Heb 9:8 — "The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing."
Heb 10:19 — "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."

4. Christ's Entrance into the Heavenly Sanctuary¶

Heb 9:12 — "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]."
Heb 9:25 — "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others."
Heb 13:11 — "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
αἷμα (haima)	G129	4x (40%)	Blood brought into the sanctuary; entrance "by his own blood"
σκηνή (skēnē)	G4633	4x (40%)	The tabernacle that contains/constitutes the sanctuary
εἰσέρχομαι (eiserchomai)	G1525	3x (30%)	"Entered into" the holy place — priestly/Christological access
πρῶτος (prōtos)	G4413	3x (30%)	"The first" tabernacle/compartment vs. the second
ἀρχιερεύς (archiereus)	G749	2x (20%)	The high priest who enters the sanctuary
ἀληθινός (alēthinos)	G228	2x (20%)	"The true" tabernacle/sanctuary (heavenly vs. earthly copy)

Word Family / Cognates¶

G40 ἅγιος (hagios) — the parent adjective: "holy, sacred, saint" (229 tokens, 219v across 23 books)
G37 ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) — to consecrate, make holy, sanctify
G38 ἁγιασμός (hagiasmos) — consecration, sanctification
G41 ἁγιότης (hagiotēs) — holiness (abstract quality)
G42 ἁγιωσύνη (hagiōsynē) — holiness (personal attribute)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash)	H4720	"sanctuary"	Hebrew noun from qadash; broad OT term for any sanctuary or sacred place (75x); G39 is its Greek counterpart in Hebrews' sanctuary theology
ναός (naos)	G3485	"temple" / "sanctuary"	Inner temple/shrine in general NT usage (45v); hagion is specific to Hebrews' tabernacle-sanctuary argument
ἱερόν (hieron)	G2411	"temple"	The entire temple complex (sacred precinct); hagion refers to the interior sacred compartments
σκηνή (skēnē)	G4633	"tabernacle"	The tent structure itself; hagion is the sacred space within the tent

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

No direct LXX mapping data found for G39 in the database. However, the Hebrews author's usage of τὰ ἅγια / Ἅγια ἁγίων draws on LXX rendering of: - H6944 קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh) — holiness, sacred thing, holy place (primary LXX equivalent for the parent word G40; see TR-qodesh-hagios.md) - The construction Ἅγια ἁγίων (Heb 9:3) mirrors Hebrew קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים (qodesh haqqodashim) — "Holy of Holies" (Ex 26:33-34, 1 Ki 6:16, etc.)