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If you have been to church or read the Bible recently, chances are you have encountered the word "holy" quite a lot. The Holy Spirit, the Holy Land, the Holy Book, even the Holy Grail. "Holy" is used so frequently in religious settings that we have lost touch with its true meaning. To understand what "holy" really means, we need to go back to the original language of holiness: Hebrew. 
 
Holy – the Hebrew meaning
The word for “holy” in Hebrew is kadosh (קדוש), from the root קדש meaning “separate.” The central idea of holiness in the Hebrew Bible is setting something aside for a special, sacred purpose. If something is holy, it must be protected so that it will not be mishandled. 
According to Judaism, the most sacred place in the world is the site of the Temple, in Jerusalem. The Temple was the ultimate expression of setting something aside, to protect it. Located on a tall hill in the center of the holiest city in the holiest land, it contained the holy of holies: the inner chamber where the presence of the Lord resides. It should therefore come as no surprise that the Hebrew word for “temple” is mikdash (מקדש), from the same root as kadosh. Hebrew shows us the true meaning of the Word of God. Enroll in our live online courses and learn to read Scripture in Hebrew - the original language of holiness!     

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