Sanctify, Sacred, Holy
Few religious words are more prominent in the Hebrew Scriptures than those which spring from the root Kadash (, 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 and . 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 Jer 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 () from his mother’s womb. See Gal 1:15; Rom 1:1; Act 13:2.]
(a.) The word Kadash is applied to places, e.g. to the camp of Israel (Deu 23:14); to the hill of Zion (Psa 2:6, &c.); to the ground where God manifested Himself to Moses (Exo 3:5); to the city of Jerusalem [Jerusalem is still called El Khuds, i.e. The Holy.] (Neh 11:1; compare Mat 4:5); to heaven (Psa 20:6); to the ‘Holy Land’ (Zec 2:12); to the tabernacle (Exo 29:43); to the temple (1Ki 9:3); to the inner part of the temple or tabernacle, commonly called the sanctuary or the Holy of Holies (Exo 25:8); to the king’s ‘chapel’ (Amo 7:13); to the altar (Exo 29:36); and consequently, as our Lord reminded the Jews, [Mat 23:17.] to the gifts (Exo 28:38) and offerings (Exo 29:27) which were placed thereon; also to a house or field set apart for God (Lev 27:14; Lev 27:16).
(b.) The word is applied to times, e.g. to the Sabbath (Gen 2:3, Exo 20:8; Exo 20:11); to a day set apart as a fast (Joe 1:14); to the fiftieth year (Lev 25:10).
(c.) It is applied to persons, e.g. to the first-born (Exo 13:2; to the priests (Exo 28:41); to the people (Deu 7:6); to the assembly of the people (Psa 89:7, Joe 2:16); to a man of God (2Ki 4:9); to Jeremiah ‘sanctified’ in the womb (Jer 1:5); to the guests at a sacrificial feast (Zep 1:7, margin); and to the saints or people dedicated to God, whether angels or men (Job 5:1; Job 15:15; Psa 16:3; Psa 34:9; Isa 4:3; Dan 4:13; Dan 7:18; Dan 7:21-22; Dan 7:25; Dan 7:27; Dan 8:13; Dan 8:24; Zec 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 (Exo 31:13); the mountain of the Lord was to be called holy because He would dwell there (Zec 8:3); the ‘sanctuary’ was to be made that the Lord might dwell among the people (Exo 25:8); the first-born, by being hallowed or set apart, were regarded by God as his own (Num 3:13); and even the censers in which sinful men offered incense to God became hallowed by that very act (Num 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 (Lev 11:44; Lev 19:2; Lev 20:7; Lev 20:26; Lev 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’ (Jos 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 Lev 10:3, ‘I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me;’ 1Sa 6:20, ‘Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?’ Psa 111:9, ‘Holy and reverend is his name;’ Isa 6:3, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts ;’ Isa 8:13-14, ‘Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, [This passage is quoted in 1Pe 3:15. Compare also the words of the Lord’s Prayer (Mat 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;’ Isa 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 (2Ki 19:22; Psa 71:22; Isa 10:17; Isa 49:7) in Eze 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 (1Ch 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 Psa 51:11, ‘Take not thy holy Spirit from me;’ Isa 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’ (Dan 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, Jdg 17:3; 2Sa 8:11; 2Ki 10:20; 1Ch 18:11; 2Ch 31:6. It was also used to denote the setting apart of certain people for warfare, as in Jer 51:27, ‘Prepare the nations against her;’ Joe 3:9, ‘Prepare war;’ Mic 3:5, ‘They even prepare war against him.’
In 2Sa 11:4 Kadash is rendered purify, to signify the doing away with ceremonial defilement. But the same word is also used in Deu 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 1Ch 16:29; 2Ch 20:21; Psa 29:2; Psa 96:9; Psa 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 Exo 28:36, Jer 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 (, ), as in Lev 10:10, and Eze 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 Num 6:5; Num 6:8; and of the ‘holy seed’ of Israel as compared with the Canaanites (Ezr 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 (Gen 49:26) was a type of the whole nation. They were ‘a peculiar treasure’ (Exo 19:5; Deu 14:2; Deu 26:18; Psa 135:4), redeemed by God for his own purposes (Exo 33:15-16); ordained to keep his law (Lev 20:7-8), and to live to his praise and glory (Lev 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 Exo 28:3; Exo 30:30; Jos 6:19; 2Ch 26:18; 2Ch 29:33; 2Ch 31:6; Ezr 3:5.
The word used for consecration in Num 6:9; Num 6:12, is Nazar (), 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 (Exo 39:30); and of the ‘crown of the anointing oil’ which separated him for the work of God (Lev 21:12); it was the mark of the anointed king (Psa 89:38-39; Psa 132:17-18); and in Zec 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 .
Chanac (), to initiate or inaugurate, is used in Num 7:10-11; Num 7:84; Num 7:88, of the dedication of the altar; in 1Ki 8:63, 2Ch 7:5; 2Ch 7:9, of the dedicating of the house of the Lord; in Ezr 6:16-17, with reference to the rebuilt temple; in Neh 12:27, of the wall of Jerusalem; and in Dan 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 Pro 22:6; see also Gen 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 , the Greek representative of Kadash. First, it is applied to the sanctification and consecration of the son by the Father in Joh 10:36; compare Joh 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 Joh 17:17, ‘Sanctify them in (or try) the truth;’ see also 1Th 5:23 and Jud 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 1Co 1:2; Eph 5:26 in Heb 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 (Heb 9:14; Heb 10:10; Heb 10:14).
In Rom 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 2Ti 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 1Ti 4:5, as accomplished by means of the word of God and prayer in 1Co 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 with in the following passages of the LXX: Exo 29:43; Lev 10:3; Num 20:13; Deu 32:51; Eze 20:41; Eze 28:22; Eze 28:25; Eze 36:23; Eze 38:16; Eze 39:27; Eze 44:19.
The noun occurs ten times in the N.T., and would best be rendered sanctification. The passages are as follows:– Rom 6:19, ‘Yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness,’ i.e. with a view to sanctification; so verse 22. 1Co 1:30, ‘Christ Jesus is made unto us . sanctification,’ i.e. a means or ground of it. 1Th 4:3-4; 1Th 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. 2Th 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.] 1Ti 2:15, ‘If they continue in faith and charity and sanctification with sobriety.’ Heb 12:14, ‘Follow after sanctification, without which no man shall see God.’ 1Pe 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 ; may be regarded as the process of sanctification, and are rather the result of the process. The former occurs in 1Co 1:30, and Heb 12:10, the latter in Rom 1:4, 2Co 7:1, and 1Th 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 , 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 , 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 (Mat 27:53), and the holy place (Mat 24:15); of the Covenant with Abraham (Luk 1:72); of the Scriptures (Rom 1:2); of the law end commandment (Rom 7:12); of a kiss (Rom 16:16); and of food which was separated from ordinary uses, and was therefore not to be cast to the dogs (Mat 7:6).
The word , which is found in Gal 5:22 (in some mss.), also in 1Ti 4:12, and 1Ti 5:2, answers very well to our word purity, in its double sense of chastity and freedom from Wrong motives.
The verb is used with reference to ceremonial purifications in Joh 11:55, Act 21:24; Act 21:26; Act 24:18. It is also used in a spiritual sense in three passages, namely: Jam 4:8, ‘Purify your hearts, ye double-minded;’ 1Pe 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;’ 1Jn 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 occurs eight times in the N.T in the sense of moral chastity and purity; and , which is derived from it, and which is peculiar to the N.T., is found in 2Co 6:6, and, according to some mss., in 2Co 11:2; whilst the adverb occurs in Php 1:16.