◄ 2417. hierosulos ►
Lexicon hierosulos: Temple robber, sacrilegious person Original Word: ἱερόσυλος Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: hierosulos Pronunciation: hee-er-os'-oo-los Phonetic Spelling: (hee-er-os'-oo-los) Definition: Temple robber, sacrilegious person Meaning: robbing temples, but possibly simply: sacrilegious. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance robber of temples From hieron and sulao; a temple-despoiler -- robber of churches. see GREEK hieron see GREEK sulao NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin from hieros and sulaó Definition robbing temples NASB Translation robbers of temples (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2417: ἱερόσυλος ἱερόσυλος, ἱερόσυλον (from ἱερόν and συλάω), guilty of sacrilege: Acts 19:37 (A. V. robbers of temples; cf. Lightfoot in The Contemp. Rev. for 1878, p. 294f). (2 Macc. 4:42; Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato, Polybius, Diodorus, others.) Topical Lexicon Word Origin: Derived from ἱερός (hieros, meaning "sacred" or "holy") and σύλη (sylē, meaning "robbery" or "plunder"). Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἱερόσυλος, the concept of sacrilege or desecration of sacred spaces can be related to Hebrew terms such as חָרַם (charam, Strong's Hebrew 2763), which means to devote to destruction, often in the context of things that are set apart for God and then misused or defiled. Another related term is גָּזַל (gazal, Strong's Hebrew 1497), meaning to rob or plunder, which can be applied in contexts involving theft or desecration of sacred items. Usage: The term ἱερόσυλος is used in the New Testament to describe individuals who commit acts of sacrilege, specifically by stealing from temples or sacred places. It is a term that denotes a serious offense against religious sanctity. Context: The term ἱερόσυλος appears in the New Testament in the context of accusations against individuals who are perceived to have violated the sanctity of religious sites. In Acts 19:37, the term is used during the uproar in Ephesus, where the town clerk defends Paul and his companions by stating, "For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess." Here, ἱερόσυλος is used to clarify that Paul and his companions were not guilty of the crime of temple robbery, which was a serious accusation in the ancient world, often punishable by severe penalties. The act of temple robbery was not only a crime against property but also an affront to the deity worshiped at the temple, thus considered a grave religious offense. The use of ἱερόσυλος underscores the importance of respecting sacred spaces and the severe implications of violating them. Forms and Transliterations ιεροσυλους ιεροσύλους ἱεροσύλους hierosylous hierosýlous ierosulous Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts Englishman's Concordance Acts 19:37 Adj-AMP GRK: τούτους οὔτε ἱεροσύλους οὔτε βλασφημοῦντας NAS: [here] who are neither robbers of temples nor KJV: which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet INT: these neither temple plunderers nor are defaming Strong's Greek 2417 1 Occurrence ἱεροσύλους — 1 Occ.