What does קָדוֹשׁ (qādôš) mean in the Bible?
קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh) means holy, sacred, or set apart and can function as a title, the Holy One. Isaiah 6:3 declares the LORD holy before describing creation filled with his glory.
Hebrew · H6918
קָדוֹשׁ
Sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel , a saint , a sanctuary
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קָדוֹשׁ H6918
Pronunciation qādôš
What does קָדוֹשׁ (qādôš) mean in the Bible?
קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh) means holy, sacred, or set apart and can function as a title, the Holy One. Isaiah 6:3 declares the LORD holy before describing creation filled with his glory.
Reader summary
Full entry for קָדוֹשׁ (H6918) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6918?
The BSB source-word alignment has 116 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include holy (20), the Holy (20), is holy (11), in a holy (6), am holy (5).
Where does קָדוֹשׁ (qādôš) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 19:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (38), Leviticus (20), Psalms (15), Deuteronomy (7).
What This Word Actually Means
קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh) means holy, sacred, or set apart and can function as a title, the Holy One. Isaiah 6:3 declares the Lord holy before describing creation filled with his glory. Isaiah also calls God the Holy One of Israel while joining holiness to justice, redemption, judgment, and mercy. God's holiness is not mere distance or ceremonial status; it names his incomparable identity and the moral faithfulness of his rule.
People and communities are also called holy. Exodus 19:6 names Israel a holy nation within its covenant vocation, Leviticus 19:2 summons the whole congregation to holiness because the Lord is holy, and Numbers 15:40 joins holiness to remembering and doing God's commands. Priests, Nazirites, food, and sacred service receive the adjective in particular settings. Being set apart assigns responsibility; it does not make a person sinless, omniscient, or exempt from correction.
Holiness claims can be contested or misused. In Numbers 16:3 Korah's group appeals to the holiness of the congregation while challenging Moses and Aaron; the narrative requires more than repeating the adjective to decide the dispute. Joshua 24:19 warns that the holy God will not be domesticated by casual covenant promises, while Hosea 11:9 places divine holiness within restrained compassion. Teaching should preserve awe, obedience, mercy, and accountability without turning holiness into elitism, isolation, purity culture, or institutional immunity.
Canonical synthesis
How the Bible Uses It
Qadosh describes God's incomparable holiness, covenant people and servants, sacred places or portions, and a communal vocation. Holiness can signal identity, relation, moral responsibility, or cultic status.
- Exod.19.6
Israel is called a kingdom of priests and a holy nation within the covenant summons.
- Lev.19.2
The whole congregation is called to holiness in a chapter of worship, family, economic, sexual, judicial, and neighbor obligations.
- Num.16.3
Korah's company invokes communal holiness in a leadership conflict, showing that a true term can be used inside a disputed claim.
- Isa.5.16
The holy God is shown holy in righteousness as proud injustice is judged.
- Isa.6.3
The seraphim proclaim the Lord's threefold holiness while the temple vision exposes the prophet's uncleanness and commissions him.
- Isa.41.14
The Holy One of Israel is named as Redeemer while addressing a fearful and vulnerable people.
- Isa.57.15
The high and holy God also dwells with the contrite and lowly to revive them.
- Hos.11.9
God's holiness appears within a declaration that restrains consuming anger and preserves compassionate presence.
- Ps.99.5
Worshipers exalt the Lord and bow before him because he is holy.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It holy 20× Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7
the Holy 20× Psalms 78:41, Isaiah 1:4, Isaiah 10:20, Isaiah 17:7
is holy 11× Leviticus 21:7, Numbers 6:8, Numbers 16:3, Nehemiah 8:9
in a holy 6× Exodus 29:31, Leviticus 6:16, Leviticus 6:26, Leviticus 6:27
am holy 5× Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:26
the Holy One 5× 2 Kings 19:22, Psalms 106:16, Isaiah 37:23, Isaiah 40:25
of the Holy One 4× Job 6:10, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 30:3, Isaiah 60:14
of the holy 3× Ecclesiastes 8:10, Isaiah 5:19, Isaiah 5:24
of the holy ones 3× Job 5:1, Psalms 89:5, Psalms 89:7
and the holy 2× Isaiah 5:16, Isaiah 41:20
is a holy 2× Joshua 24:19, 2 Kings 4:9
it in a holy 2× Leviticus 10:13, Leviticus 24:9
who is holy 2× Numbers 16:5, Numbers 16:7
[and] Holy One 1× Isaiah 49:7
[is] the Holy 1× Isaiah 12:6
[is] the Holy One 1× Isaiah 47:4
[some] holy 1× Numbers 5:17
a holy 1× Deuteronomy 26:19
along with the holy 1× Daniel 8:24
and a holy 1× Exodus 19:6
and holy place 1× Isaiah 57:15
and its Holy One 1× Isaiah 10:17
and the Holy One 1× Habakkuk 3:3
and were holy 1× 2 Chronicles 35:3
are a holy 1× Deuteronomy 14:21
are holy 1× Psalms 22:3
As for the saints 1× Psalms 16:3
as His holy 1× Deuteronomy 28:9
before the Holy 1× Jeremiah 51:5
holy [day] 1× Isaiah 58:13
holy one 1× Daniel 8:13
in His holy ones 1× Job 15:15
in the Holy 1× Isaiah 41:16
in the Holy One 1× Isaiah 29:19
is the Holy 1× Isaiah 41:14
my Holy One 1× Habakkuk 1:12
O Holy One 1× Psalms 71:22
the holiness 1× Psalms 65:4
the holy [place where] 1× Psalms 46:4
the holy ones 1× Zechariah 14:5
the holy ones [are] 1× Deuteronomy 33:3
to the Holy 1× Psalms 89:18
you His saints 1× Psalms 34:9
your Holy One 1× Isaiah 43:15
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 19:6 קָד֑וֹשׁ to and a holy Adjective - masculine singular Exodus 29:31 קָדֹֽשׁ׃ to in a holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 6:16 קָדֹ֔שׁ to in a holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 6:26 קָדֹשׁ֙ to in a holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 6:27 קָדֹֽשׁ׃ to in a holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 7:6 קָדוֹשׁ֙ to in a holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 10:13 קָדֹ֔שׁ to it in a holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 11:44 קְדֹשִׁ֔ים to holy Adjective - masculine plural Leviticus 11:44 קָד֖וֹשׁ to am holy Adjective - masculine singular Leviticus 11:45 קְדֹשִׁ֔ים to holy Adjective - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 19:6
Aligned rows 116
Books represented 20
Exodus 2 Leviticus 20 Numbers 7 Deuteronomy 7 Joshua 1 1 Samuel 2 2 Kings 2 2 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 3 Job 3 Psalms 15 Proverbs 2 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 38 Jeremiah 2 Ezekiel 2 Daniel 3 Hosea 2 Habakkuk 2 Zechariah 1
Source forms
קְד֥וֹשׁ 13x qə·ḏō·wōš 2 Kings 19:22, Isaiah 1:4, Isaiah 5:19, Isaiah 10:20
קְד֣וֹשׁ 8x qə·ḏō·wōš Psalms 106:16, Isaiah 29:23, Isaiah 30:12, Isaiah 30:15
קָד֖וֹשׁ 8x qā·ḏō·wōš Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 20:26, Psalms 111:9
קָדוֹשׁ֙ 5x qā·ḏō·wōš Leviticus 7:6, Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 14:2, Deuteronomy 14:21
קָד֔וֹשׁ 5x qā·ḏō·wōš Leviticus 16:24, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 21:8, Deuteronomy 28:9
קָד֥וֹשׁ 4x qā·ḏō·wōš 1 Samuel 2:2, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalms 99:3, Psalms 99:5
קְדֹשִׁ֔ים 4x qə·ḏō·šîm Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 20:26, Numbers 16:3
קְדֹשִׁ֣ים 4x qə·ḏō·šîm Leviticus 19:2, Psalms 89:7, Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 30:3
Parsing patterns
Adjective - masculine singular 46x Exodus 19:6, Exodus 29:31, Leviticus 6:16, Leviticus 6:26
Adjective - masculine singular construct 27x 2 Kings 19:22, Psalms 46:4, Psalms 65:4, Psalms 71:22
Adjective - masculine plural 17x Leviticus 11:44, Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7
Article | Adjective - masculine singular 4x Numbers 16:5, Numbers 16:7, 1 Samuel 6:20, Isaiah 5:16
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular 3x Isaiah 57:15, Habakkuk 3:3
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine singular construct 3x Psalms 89:18, Isaiah 55:5, Isaiah 60:9
Adjective - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular 2x Deuteronomy 33:3, Psalms 34:9
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular construct 2x Psalms 78:41, Isaiah 41:20
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Holiness should increase truthfulness, justice, humility, compassion, and safeguarding rather than social superiority.
- Sacred office or service never removes a person from ordinary moral, legal, and communal accountability.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that a holy person, leader, nation, or institution is sinless or beyond correction.
- Do not use holiness to justify racial, caste, gender, disability, or class hierarchy.
- Do not label reporting harm, seeking medical care, or setting protective boundaries as unholy.
- Do not reduce God's holiness to anger or distance while ignoring redemption, compassion, and presence with the contrite.
Hebrew word. Set apart for God's exclusive use; moral purity and ceremonial separation converge in one concept.
Source Gloss
sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel , a saint , a sanctuary
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Set apart for God's exclusive use; moral purity and ceremonial separation converge in one concept.
sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary BDB: sacred Usage: holy (One), saint.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
holy
Set apart, holy, distinct.
Set apart, holy.
Set apart or sacred.
Set apart, holy.
Set apart, consecrated, belonging uniquely to God.
Set apart, utterly pure and morally perfect.
Set apart for God’s purpose and possession.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 119 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
קָדוֹשׁ is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Declaring the day holy reframes sorrow within covenant celebration under God’s sanctifying presence. Hosea 11:8-11
Restoration centers on reverence for God’s holiness. Isaiah 29:17-24
Affirms God’s distinct power and covenant authority. Isaiah 31:1-9
Defines the character of the redeemed path. Isaiah 35:1-10
Highlights the offense of Assyria’s arrogance against God’s character. Isaiah 37:21-35
Holiness defines the restored remnant, emphasizing transformation rather than mere survival. Isaiah 4:2-6
The thrice-repeated declaration magnifies God’s absolute purity and sets the stage for Isaiah’s confession. Isaiah 6:1-8
The remnant’s holiness reflects divine preservation and covenant faithfulness. Isaiah 6:9-13
Ground of merciful restraint.
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
Qadosh joins awe before God to accountable life with neighbors. Leviticus 19 calls the congregation holy in a chapter that regulates wages, partiality, sexuality, speech, disability, immigrants, and love of neighbor. Isaiah's Holy One judges arrogance, redeems the fearful, and dwells with the contrite. Holiness is therefore not a costume of superiority or an escape from ordinary responsibilities.
A holy church should tell the truth, protect vulnerable people, correct leaders, practice justice, welcome repentance, and refuse to baptize secrecy as sacredness. Set-apart service can be beautiful, but office does not confer sinlessness or ownership over another person's body, conscience, labor, or access to care.
Anchor passage
Isa.6.3
Doctrinal connections
- Exod.19.6: holy covenant vocation
- Lev.19.2: holiness in whole-community ethics
- Num.16.3: holiness language inside a dispute
- Isa.5.16: holiness and righteousness
- Isa.6.3: divine holiness and prophetic commissioning
- Isa.41.14: the Holy One as Redeemer
- Isa.57.15: holiness with the contrite
- Hos.11.9: holiness and restrained compassion
H6918 is adjectival but can function substantivally for holy persons or the Holy One. The referent may be God, people, food, place, or service. Holiness is contextual and relational, not a single detachable definition of separation.
From Old to New Testament
The New Testament calls God holy, identifies Christ as the Holy One, and summons communities to holy conduct. Those uses deepen the trajectory while retaining accountability, love, justice, and creaturely dependence.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain