Bible Lexicons

Girdlestone's Synonyms of the Old TestamentGirdlestone's OT Synonyms

Sanctify, Sacred, Holy

Few religious words are more prominent in the Hebrew Scriptures than those which spring from the root Kadash (קדשׁ , Ass. qadasu), which is used in some form or other to represent the being set apart for the work of God. It generally answers to the Greek ἁγιάζω and ἅγιος. Perhaps the English word sacred represents the idea more nearly than holy, which is the general rendering in the A. V. The terms sanctification and holiness are now used so frequently to represent moral and spiritual qualities, that they hardly convey to the reader the idea of position or relationship as existing between God and some person or thing consecrated to Him; yet this appears to be the real meaning of the word. [ in accordance with the above view, Dr. Henders on renders Jeremiah 1:5 thus: 'Before thou camest forth from the womb I separated thee;' and in his note he says, 'When Jehovah declares that He had sanctified the prophet before his birth, the meaning is not that He had cleansed him from the pollution of original sin, or that He had regenerated him by his Spirit, but that He had separated him in his eternal counsel to the work in which He was to be engaged.' The Apostle Paul, he adds, uses language very nearly parallel when he says of God that He separated him (ἀφορίσας) from his mother's womb. See Galatians 1:15; Romans 1:1; Acts 13:2.]

(a.) The word Kadash is applied to places, e.g. to the camp of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:14); to the hill of Zion (Psalms 2:6, &c.); to the ground where God manifested Himself to Moses (Exodus 3:5); to the city of Jerusalem [Jerusalem is still called El Khuds, i.e. The Holy.] (Nehemiah 11:1; compare Matthew 4:5); to heaven (Psalms 20:6); to the 'Holy Land' (Zechariah 2:12); to the tabernacle (Exodus 29:43); to the temple (1 Kings 9:3); to the inner part of the temple or tabernacle, commonly called the sanctuary or the Holy of Holies (Exodus 25:8); to the king's 'chapel' (Amos 7:13); to the altar (Exodus 29:36); and consequently, as our Lord reminded the Jews, [Matthew 23:17.] to the gifts (Exodus 28:38) and offerings (Exodus 29:27) which were placed thereon; also to a house or field set apart for God (Leviticus 27:14; Leviticus 27:16).

(b.) The word is applied to times, e.g. to the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:8; Exodus 20:11); to a day set apart as a fast (Joel 1:14); to the fiftieth year (Leviticus 25:10).

(c.) It is applied to persons, e.g. to the first-born (Exodus 13:2; to the priests (Exodus 28:41); to the people (Deuteronomy 7:6); to the assembly of the people (Psalms 89:7, Joel 2:16); to a man of God (2 Kings 4:9); to Jeremiah 'sanctified' in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5); to the guests at a sacrificial feast (Zephaniah 1:7, margin); and to the saints or people dedicated to God, whether angels or men (Job 5:1; Job 15:15; Psalms 16:3; Psalms 34:9; Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 4:13; Daniel 7:18; Daniel 7:21-22; Daniel 7:25; Daniel 7:27; Daniel 8:13; Daniel 8:24; Zechariah 14:5).

The point involved in every case is relation or contact with God. Thus the Sabbath day was holy because God rested thereon, and it was to be set apart by Israel as a pledge that He had sanctified or set apart the people to Himself (Exodus 31:13); the mountain of the Lord was to be called holy because He would dwell there (Zechariah 8:3); the 'sanctuary' was to be made that the Lord might dwell among the people (Exodus 25:8); the first-born, by being hallowed or set apart, were regarded by God as his own (Numbers 3:13); and even the censers in which sinful men offered incense to God became hallowed by that very act (Numbers 16:38)

God Himself was regarded as holy, i.e. as a Being who from his nature, position, and attributes is to be set apart and revered as distinct from all others; and Israel was to separate itself from the world and the things of the world because God was thus separated; they were to be holy, for He was holy (Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7; Leviticus 20:26; Leviticus 21:8). Joshua says, 'Ye cannot serve the Lord, for he is an holy God (i.e. a God set apart and distinct from all other beings); he is a jealous God, he will not forgive (or put up with) your transgressions nor your sins' (Joshua 24:19) in accordance with this teaching, the Lord was to be 'sanctified,' i.e. regarded as occupying a unique position both morally and as regards his essential nature. Thus we read in Leviticus 10:3, 'I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me;' 1 Samuel 6:20, 'Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?' Psalms 111:9, 'Holy and reverend is his name;' Isaiah 6:3, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts ;' Isaiah 8:13-14, 'Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, [This passage is quoted in 1 Peter 3:15. Compare also the words of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9), 'Hallowed (or sanctified) be thy Name.'] and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he shall be for a sanctuary;' Isaiah 29:23, 'They shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,' i.e. the Being whom Jacob sanctified or set apart as his God in harmony with these passages, we find the Lord several times described as 'the Holy One of Israel,' i.e. the Being to whom alone Israel gave special and peculiar honour (2 Kings 19:22; Psalms 71:22; Isaiah 10:17; Isaiah 49:7) in Ezekiel 11:16 the Lord says, 'Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be unto them as a sanctuary for a little time (A. V. as a little sanctuary) in the countries whither they shall come;' that is to say, 'Although they will have no temple for a little while, yet I will be with them, and they shall learn to reverence me ;' thus God Himself took the place of the 'sanctuary' built by Solom on (1 Chronicles 22:18-19). The holy temple of the Lord represented his Presence, but that Presence could go with the people into captivity even though the temple were to be destroyed.

The Spirit of God is called Holy in Psalms 51:11, 'Take not thy holy Spirit from me;' Isaiah 63:10-11, 'They rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit . Where is he that put his holy Spirit with in him?' Compare the expression 'The spirit of the holy gods' (Daniel 4:8-9).

In all these passages it is implied that He whom Israel was to worship was to be regarded as entirely separate from all other beings, and also as pure from every thought and deed of evil. What a contrast with the theology of heathendom!

The process of setting apart for sacred uses which is described by the words dedication and consecration is also represented by Kadash. See, for example, Judges 17:3; 2 Samuel 8:11; 2 Kings 10:20; 1 Chronicles 18:11; 2 Chronicles 31:6. It was also used to denote the setting apart of certain people for warfare, as in Jeremiah 51:27, 'Prepare the nations against her;' Joel 3:9, 'Prepare war;' Micah 3:5, 'They even prepare war against him.'

In 2 Samuel 11:4 Kadash is rendered purify, to signify the doing away with ceremonial defilement. But the same word is also used in Deuteronomy 22:9, where we read, 'Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled;' and in Job 36:14, 'Their life is among the unclean.' in these passages we have samples of the use of the word Kadash in an opposite sense to the true one.

The familiar expression 'beauty of holiness' is found in 1 Chronicles 16:29; 2 Chronicles 20:21; Psalms 29:2; Psalms 96:9; Psalms 110:3. Other suggested renderings are 'the glorious sanctuary' and 'holy array.' The word rendered 'beauty' frequently means majesty or excellency, and probably points to the glory of God rather than to the garments of man.

In Exodus 28:36, Jeremiah 31:40, and other passages, we meet with the expression 'Holiness to the Lord,' or as it is sometimes rendered, 'Holiness of the Lord,' or 'Holy to the Lord.' this expression indicates that the object thus inscribed is dedicated to God.

The word holy is sometimes opposed to the unholy or profane (חל , βέβηλος), as in Leviticus 10:10, and Ezekiel 44:23, where the latter word signifies that which is devoted to ordinary uses. It also occurs in connection with the separation of the Nazarite in Numbers 6:5; Numbers 6:8; and of the 'holy seed' of Israel as compared with the Canaanites (Ezra 9:2). It was set fort has of the greatest importance that Israel should regard themselves as a separate people in this respect the Nazarite from the days of Joseph onwards (Genesis 49:26) was a type of the whole nation. They were 'a peculiar treasure' (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 26:18; Psalms 135:4), redeemed by God for his own purposes (Exodus 33:15-16); ordained to keep his law (Leviticus 20:7-8), and to live to his praise and glory (Leviticus 20:24-26).

With regard to the mode in which ceremonial sanctification [The technical act of consecration was a different process. It was literally the filling of the hand, part of the sacrifice being put into the h and and waved and then borne to the altar.] was accomplished, we find it varying according to the circumstances of the case. When Aar on and his sons were hallowed or sanctified for the priesthood, 'Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was up on the altar, and sprinkled up on Aar on and up on his garments, and up on his son's garments with him.' The A. V. has unfortunately rendered Kadash 'consecrate' instead of 'hallow' in Exodus 28:3; Exodus 30:30; Joshua 6:19; 2 Chronicles 26:18; 2 Chronicles 29:33; 2 Chronicles 31:6; Ezra 3:5.

The word used for consecration in Numbers 6:9; Numbers 6:12, is Nazar (נזר ), to separate, and is rightly used of the Nazarite or separated person. Another form of this word is rendered crown in several passages, perhaps because the wearing a crown was a special mark of distinction or separation. It is used of the golden crown on the High Priest's mitre, on which the words 'Holiness to the Lord' were written (Exodus 39:30); and of the 'crown of the anointing oil' which separated him for the work of God (Leviticus 21:12); it was the mark of the anointed king (Psalms 89:38-39; Psalms 132:17-18); and in Zechariah 9:16 we are told that the Lord's people shall be ' as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign on his land.' in most of the passages in which this word occurs, the LXX renders it ἁγίασμα.

Chanac (חנך ), to initiate or inaugurate, is used in Numbers 7:10-11; Numbers 7:84; Numbers 7:88, of the dedication of the altar; in 1 Kings 8:63, 2 Chronicles 7:5; 2 Chronicles 7:9, of the dedicating of the house of the Lord; in Ezra 6:16-17, with reference to the rebuilt temple; in Nehemiah 12:27, of the wall of Jerusalem; and in Daniel 3:2-3, of the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up. this word is applied to the training or dedication of children in Proverbs 22:6; see also Genesis 14:14.

The word ordain occurs seventeen times in the O.T., and represents eleven different Hebrew words in some of these passages there is a reference to the appointment of rites, and of religious or secular officers, but nothing in the words used indicates any peculiarities in the mode of appointment.

Teaching of the NT on Sanctification

We now turn to the N.T in order to trace the usage of the word ἁγιάζω, the Greek representative of Kadash. First, it is applied to the sanctification and consecration of the son by the Father in John 10:36; compare John 17:19, ' in their behalf I sanctify myself,' i.e. set myself apart for the special work of God. The Lord was 'set apart' from the foundation of the world for the work of redemption, and his incarnation, temptations, and sufferings were the processes whereby his atoning death was prepared for and rendered valid.

Secondly, the sanctification of Christians is referred to as the work of the Father in John 17:17, 'Sanctify them in (or try) the truth;' see also 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Judges 1:1. But whilst the Father is the source, the son is the agent, for his object in sanctifying Himself was that they also might be sanctified by the truth. Compare 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 5:26 in Hebrews 2:11 we read of Christ and Christians, that 'Both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one' (i.e. from one source): ' for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.'

The means whereby the Christian is sanctified is the blood, i.e. the offering of the life-blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:10; Hebrews 10:14).

In Romans 15:16, the agency of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in connection with sanctification. Here reference is made to the power whereby St. Paul's ministrations were effective in preaching to the Gentiles, and presenting them as an offering to God.

In 2 Timothy 2:21, the man who is purged from iniquity is compared to a sanctified vessel. The sanctification of food, i.e. its being regarded as free from ceremonial pollution, is referred to in 1 Timothy 4:5, as accomplished by means of the word of God and prayer in 1 Corinthians 7:14, we are told that 'The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else were your children unclean, but now are they holy.' According to this passage, we are to understand that the marriage tie extends sanctity or sacredness from the husband to the wife, or from the wife to the husband, and so to the children in these passages we have the idea of sacredness, affecting the position and use rather than the nature of that to which it refers. The preposition which is generally the connecting link between the object sanctified and that which sanctifies it, is not by or with, but in. this seems to imply that sanctification takes place through the contact of one object with another. The gift by being placed on the altar becomes in a ceremonial sense one with it. The Christian is sanctified by becoming one with Christ, faith in his blood being that which makes both one; and Christ is sanctified in that He is one with the Father. We find the preposition ἐν with ἁγιάζω in the following passages of the LXX: Exodus 29:43; Leviticus 10:3; Numbers 20:13; Deuteronomy 32:51; Ezekiel 20:41; Ezekiel 28:22; Ezekiel 28:25; Ezekiel 36:23; Ezekiel 38:16; Ezekiel 39:27; Ezekiel 44:19.

The noun ἁγιασμός occurs ten times in the N.T., and would best be rendered sanctification. The passages are as follows: - Romans 6:19, 'Yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness,' i.e. with a view to sanctification; so verse 22. 1 Corinthians 1:30, 'Christ Jesus is made unto us . sanctification,' i.e. a means or ground of it. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:7, 'This is the will of God, even your sanctification, . that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour . for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but in sanctification.' The A. V., by rendering this last expression 'unto holiness,' obscures the connection of the verses. 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 'God hath chosen you to salvation in sanctification of (the) spirit.' [There is no article here in the Greek, so that the expression possibly signifies the sanctification of a man's own spirit, or, in a general sense, spiritual sanctification, as opposed to that which is external or ceremonial. R. V, retains the article.] 1 Timothy 2:15, 'If they continue in faith and charity and sanctification with sobriety.' Hebrews 12:14, 'Follow after sanctification, without which no man shall see God.' 1 Peter 1:2, ' in sanctification of (the) spirit.' [There is no article here in the Greek, so that the expression possibly signifies the sanctification of a man's own spirit, or, in a general sense, spiritual sanctification, as opposed to that which is external or ceremonial. R. V, retains the article.] Thus, true sanctification involves the separation of the spirit from all that is impure and polluting, and a renunciation of the sins towards which the desires of the flesh and of the mind lead us.

Whilst ἁγιασμός; may be regarded as the process of sanctification, ἁγιότης and ἁγιωσύνηare rather the result of the process. The former occurs in 1 Corinthians 1:30, and Hebrews 12:10, the latter in Romans 1:4, 2 Corinthians 7:1, and 1 Thessalonians 3:13. These passages if examined, will show that the quality of holiness, or perfect freedom from pollution and impurity, is essential to the nature of God, was exhibited by his son Jesus Christ, and is imparted to the Christian in proportion to his faith.

The adjective ἅγιος, holy, is used nearly a hundred times with reference to the Holy Spirit of God - that Spirit which was in Christ without measure, and which is now imparted to all that trust Him. Again, both in consequence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or because of their professed separation from evil and dedication to God, all Christians are regarded as ἅγιοι, holy or saints. The word is also applied to Christ, who was the holy one of God, and our Lord applies it to his 'holy Father,' and to the 'holy angels.' We find it used in a more ceremonial sense of the holy city Jerusalem (Matthew 27:53), and the holy place (Matthew 24:15); of the Covenant with Abraham (Luke 1:72); of the Scriptures (Romans 1:2); of the law end commandment (Romans 7:12); of a kiss (Romans 16:16); and of food which was separated from ordinary uses, and was therefore not to be cast to the dogs (Matthew 7:6).

The word ἁγνεία, which is found in Galatians 5:22 (in some mss.), also in 1 Timothy 4:12, and 1 Timothy 5:2, answers very well to our word purity, in its double sense of chastity and freedom from Wrong motives.

The verb ἁγνίζειν is used with reference to ceremonial purifications in John 11:55, Acts 21:24; Acts 21:26; Acts 24:18. It is also used in a spiritual sense in three passages, namely: James 4:8, 'Purify your hearts, ye double-minded;' 1 Peter 1:22, 'Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another with a pure heart fervently;' 1 John 3:3, 'He that hath this hope in Him (i.e. not in himself, but in Christ) purifieth himself, even as He is pure.'

The adjective ἁγνός occurs eight times in the N.T in the sense of moral chastity and purity; and ἁγνότης, which is derived from it, and which is peculiar to the N.T., is found in 2 Corinthians 6:6, and, according to some mss., in 2 Corinthians 11:2; whilst the adverb ἁγνω̂ς occurs in Philippians 1:16.