ει 1487 COND τις 5100 X-NSM τον 3588 T-ASM ναον 3485 N-ASM του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM φθειρει 5351 5719 V-PAI-3S φθερει 5351 5692 V-FAI-3S τουτον 5126 D-ASM ο 3588 T-NSM θεος 2316 N-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM γαρ 1063 CONJ ναος 3485 N-NSM του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM αγιος 40 A-NSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S οιτινες 3748 R-NPM εστε 2075 5748 V-PXI-2P υμεις 5210 P-2NP
Vincent's NT Word Studies
17. Defile (fqeirei). Rev., more correctly, destroy. This is the primary and almost universal meaning in classical Greek. In a fragment of Euripides it occurs of dishonoring a female. Sophocles uses it of women pining away in barrenness, and Plutarch of mixing pure colors. The phrase seems to be used here according to the Jewish idea that the temple was destroyed or corrupted by the slightest defilement or damage, or by neglect on the part of its guardians. Ignatius says: "oiJ oijkofqoroi; violators of the house (of God) shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (To the Ephesians, 16.).Which temple (oitinev). Temple is not in the Greek. The double relative which refers to the epithet holy; "of which holy character or class ye are."
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:17 {Destroyeth} (fqeirei). The outward temple is merely the symbol of God's presence, the Shechinah (the Glory). God makes his home in the hearts of his people or the church in any given place like Corinth. It is a terrible thing to tear down ruthlessly a church or temple of God like an earthquake that shatters a building in ruins. this old verb fqeirw means to corrupt, to deprave, to destroy. It is a gross sin to be a church-wrecker. There are actually a few preachers who leave behind them ruin like a tornado in their path. {Him shall God destroy} (fqerei touton ho qeos). There is a solemn repetition of the same verb in the future active indicative. The condition is the first class and is assumed to be true. qen the punishment is certain and equally effective. The church-wrecker God will wreck. What does Paul mean by "will destroy"? Does he mean punishment here or hereafter? May it not be both? Certainly he does not mean annihilation of the man's soul, though it may well include eternal punishment. There is warning enough here to make every pastor pause before he tears a church to pieces in order to vindicate himself. {Holy} (hagios). Hence deserves reverential treatment. It is not the building or house of which Paul speaks as "the sanctuary of God" (ton naon tou qeou), but the spiritual organization or organism of God's people in whom God dwells, "which temple ye are" (hoitines este humeis). The qualitative relative pronoun hoitines is plural to agree with humeis (ye) and refers to the holy temple just mentioned. The Corinthians themselves in their angry disputes had forgotten their holy heritage and calling, though this failing was no excuse for the ringleaders who had led them on. In #6:19 Paul reminds the Corinthians again that the body is the temple (naos, sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit, which fact they had forgotten in their immoralities.
