What does χρύσεος (chrýseos) mean in the Bible?
The Greek adjective chrýseos means golden, made of gold, or overlaid with gold. Its New Testament settings prevent gold from carrying one moral value.
Greek · G5552
χρύσεος
Made of gold
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χρύσεοςG5552
Pronunciationchrýseos
What does χρύσεος (chrýseos) mean in the Bible?
The Greek adjective chrýseos means golden, made of gold, or overlaid with gold. Its New Testament settings prevent gold from carrying one moral value.
Reader summary
Full entry for χρύσεος (G5552) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5552?
The BSB source-word alignment has 18 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include golden (9), a golden (4), [the] golden (1), [were the] gold (1), gold (1).
Where does χρύσεος (chrýseos) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 2 Timothy 2:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Revelation (15), Hebrews (2), 2 Timothy (1).
What This Word Actually Means
The Greek adjective chrýseos means golden, made of gold, or overlaid with gold. Its New Testament settings prevent gold from carrying one moral value. Second Timothy contrasts gold and silver vessels with wood and clay inside a large-house metaphor, but usefulness depends on cleansing and readiness rather than social wealth. Hebrews describes golden sanctuary objects while explaining the earlier covenant arrangement.
Revelation portrays golden lampstands, crowns, bowls, censers, altars, sashes, and a measuring rod within worship and apocalyptic vision. Yet the same book condemns idols of gold and shows a corrupt woman holding a golden cup full of abominations. Material splendor can therefore serve holy imagery, created objects, idolatry, or deceptive luxury. The adjective does not promise wealth, make a church pure, authorize expensive décor, or turn golden objects into channels of prayer and power.
Responsible teaching identifies the object, genre, and explicit interpretation, especially where Revelation explains the lampstands as churches and bowls as prayers. It also protects poor worshipers from status rankings, requires financial transparency, and refuses to use heavenly gold imagery to justify exploitative fundraising or shame communities with modest buildings.
How the Bible Uses It
Chrýseos describes household vessels, sanctuary objects, churches represented as lampstands, bowls of prayer, idols, corrupt luxury, and a measuring rod for the holy city. Gold can mark value or splendor without guaranteeing holiness.
- 2Tim.2.20
A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use.
Paul begins a household-vessel metaphor whose following verse emphasizes cleansing, consecration, and readiness for good work.
- Heb.9.4
Containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
Hebrews recalls golden sanctuary furnishings and covenant witnesses while describing the earlier worship arrangement.
- Rev.1.12
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
John first sees golden lampstands within the opening vision before Christ supplies their ecclesial interpretation.
- Rev.1.20
This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
The vision explicitly identifies the golden lampstands as the seven churches rather than leaving the symbol unrestricted.
- Rev.5.8
When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
The text interprets the incense-filled golden bowls as the saints' prayers within worship before the Lamb.
- Rev.9.20
Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
Gold joins other materials in powerless idols, exposing worship of human workmanship despite severe warning.
- Rev.17.4
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
Luxurious appearance and a golden cup conceal abomination within Revelation's indictment of corrupt imperial seduction.
- Rev.21.15
The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls.
The golden rod belongs to the visionary measurement of the holy city's immense and ordered dimensions.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itgolden9×Revelation 1:12, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 2:1, Revelation 4:4
a golden4×Revelation 8:3, Revelation 14:14, Revelation 17:4, Revelation 21:15
[the] golden1×Hebrews 9:4
[were the] gold1×Hebrews 9:4
gold1×Revelation 9:20
of gold1×2 Timothy 2:20
with a golden1×Revelation 1:13
Show sample aligned rows
2 Timothy 2:20χρυσᾶtoof goldAdjective - Nominative Neuter PluralHebrews 9:4χρυσοῦνto[the] goldenAdjective - Accusative Neuter SingularHebrews 9:4χρυσῆto[were the] goldAdjective - Nominative Feminine SingularRevelation 1:12χρυσᾶςtogoldenAdjective - Accusative Feminine PluralRevelation 1:13χρυσᾶνtowith a goldenAdjective - Accusative Feminine SingularRevelation 1:20χρυσᾶςtogoldenAdjective - Accusative Feminine PluralRevelation 2:1χρυσῶνtogoldenAdjective - Genitive Feminine PluralRevelation 4:4χρυσοῦςtogoldenAdjective - Accusative Masculine PluralRevelation 5:8χρυσᾶςtogoldenAdjective - Accusative Feminine PluralRevelation 8:3χρυσοῦνtoa goldenAdjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row2 Timothy 2:20
Aligned rows18
Books represented3
2 Timothy1Hebrews2Revelation15
Source forms
χρυσοῦν6xchrysounHebrews 9:4, Revelation 8:3, Revelation 14:14, Revelation 17:4
χρυσᾶς5xchrysasRevelation 1:12, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 15:6
χρυσᾶ2xchrysa2 Timothy 2:20, Revelation 9:20
χρυσᾶν1xchrysanRevelation 1:13
χρυσῆ1xchrysēHebrews 9:4
χρυσοῦ1xchrysouRevelation 9:13
χρυσοῦς1xchrysousRevelation 4:4
χρυσῶν1xchrysōnRevelation 2:1
Parsing patterns
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural5xRevelation 1:12, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 15:6
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular4xHebrews 9:4, Revelation 8:3, Revelation 17:4, Revelation 21:15
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular2xRevelation 8:3, Revelation 14:14
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular1xRevelation 1:13
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural1xRevelation 4:4
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural1xRevelation 9:20
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Plural1xRevelation 2:1
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Singular1xRevelation 9:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Evaluate worship spaces and ministries by truth, stewardship, justice, accessibility, and service rather than by cost or visual splendor.
- Let Revelation's contrast between worship and idolatry expose what receives allegiance, including wealth that conceals exploitation or corruption.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that gold objects, jewelry, décor, offerings, or replicas guarantee favor, healing, answered prayer, or spiritual authority.
- Do not claim that wealthy believers are honorable vessels by status or that modest churches lack the presence and approval of God.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. made of gold
Strong'sG5552
Lexical occurrences1 verseGreek text appearances18 times16 shown belowWord forms1 form1 referenceVerse guides0 guides
Source Gloss
made of gold
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 18 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
2 Timothy 2:20Adjective Nominative Plural Neuter
χρυσᾶcrusa
golden
Read verseHebrews 9:4Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
χρυσοῦνcrusoun
golden
Read verseHebrews 9:4Adjective Nominative Singular Feminine
χρυσῆcrush
golden
Read verseRevelation 1:12Adjective Accusative Plural Feminine
χρυσᾶς,crusav
golden
Read verseRevelation 1:13Adjective Accusative Singular Feminine
χρυσῆν.crushn
golden
Read verseRevelation 1:20Adjective Accusative Plural Feminine
χρυσᾶς.crusav
golden
Read verseRevelation 2:1Adjective Genitive Plural Feminine
χρυσῶν·cruswn
golden
Read verseRevelation 4:4Adjective Accusative Plural Masculine
χρυσοῦς.crusouv
golden
Read verseRevelation 5:8Adjective Accusative Plural Feminine
χρυσᾶςcrusav
golden
Read verseRevelation 8:3Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
χρυσοῦν·crusoun
golden
Read verseRevelation 8:3Adjective Accusative Singular Neuter
χρυσοῦνcrusoun
golden
Read verseRevelation 9:13Adjective Genitive Singular Neuter
χρυσοῦcrusou
golden
Read verseRevelation 9:20Adjective Accusative Plural Neuter
χρυσᾶcrusa
golden
Read verseRevelation 14:14Adjective Accusative Singular Masculine
χρυσοῦν,crusoun
golden
Read verseRevelation 15:6Adjective Accusative Plural Feminine
χρυσᾶς.crusav
golden
Read verseRevelation 15:7Adjective Accusative Plural Feminine
χρυσᾶςcrusav
golden
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns1Aligned forms1Case patternNominative (1)Number patternPlural (1)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Plural · Neuter2 Tim 2:201×
Word Origins
χρύσεος is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Chrýseos describes gold but does not decide whether the object is holy. Second Timothy's large-house metaphor names vessels made from different materials, then directs attention to cleansing and readiness for every good work. It cannot support ranking wealthy believers as more honorable. Hebrews recalls golden sanctuary objects within an earlier covenant arrangement that pointed beyond itself.
Revelation fills its visions with golden lampstands, bowls, altars, crowns, sashes, and measuring instruments, yet it also condemns golden idols and a golden cup full of corruption. The contrast is decisive: costly material can participate in faithful symbolism or conceal rebellion. Revelation sometimes interprets its own images, identifying lampstands with churches and incense-filled bowls with saints' prayers.
Teachers should honor those explanations before inventing new codes. A church may use beautiful and durable materials, but heavenly imagery never licenses opaque budgets, donor manipulation, debt pressure, or contempt for modest congregations. Faithful service is measured by cleansing, truth, worship of God and the Lamb, perseverance, justice, and good work, not by metallic splendor.
Gold is a created material, not a sacrament of success.
Anchor passage
2Tim.2.20
Doctrinal connections
- Second Timothy 2 makes cleansing and readiness for good work decisive within the vessel metaphor, not material wealth.
- Hebrews 9 locates golden sanctuary objects within the earlier covenant's ordered worship and limitations.
- Revelation 1 identifies golden lampstands with churches that remain answerable to the risen Christ.
- Revelation 5 places golden bowls within worship and explicitly interprets their incense as the saints' prayers.
- Revelation 9 and 17 show gold serving powerless idolatry and corrupt luxury rather than divine approval.
- Revelation 21 uses a golden measuring rod within the ordered vision of the holy city and God's dwelling.
Chrýseos is a Greek adjective derived from the noun for gold and agrees with the object it describes. Contracted forms appear across the New Testament, which helps explain why the governed word-table denominator exceeds the selected public artifact's current occurrence count.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's tabernacle and temple used gold under detailed covenant instructions, and Hebrews recalls those objects while explaining their place in the earlier arrangement. Revelation reuses sanctuary and royal gold imagery while also exposing golden idols and corrupt luxury.