קָדַשׁ
𐤒𐤃𐤔
qâdash
H6942 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
Primarily, to be set apart, to be consecrated, or to be regarded as holy; also, to make or declare holy, to dedicate something or someone for a special purpose, particularly in a cultic or ritual sense. The verb extends to denote the act of consecration, separation from common use to sacred use, and the recognition or treatment of a person, object, time, or place as holy. In causative stems (Piel, Hiphil), it can mean to sanctify, to declare holy, to consecrate (priests, objects, times), or to prepare for sacred use. It can also reflect entrance into a state of holiness or separation, and in some contexts, can mean to observe or treat as sacred, or to regard with highest respect and set apart from profane use.
Semantic Range
to be holy, to become holy, to be consecrated, to dedicate for sacred use, to declare holy, to sanctify, to set apart, to treat as sacred, to observe as holy (e.g., the Sabbath), to prepare for sacred function
Root / Etymology
From the root קדש meaning 'to be set apart, to be holy.' The verbal form develops from the sense of marked separation or distinction, culminating in the concept of holiness or sacredness. The stem occurs widely in Semitic languages with the sense of separation to or for the divine.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The verb קָדַשׁ is central to biblical conceptions of holiness, as it describes both the intrinsic status ('to be holy') and the ritual process ('to make holy'). Originally, the core idea is separation for a special or divine purpose, not moral perfection. The term marks off Israelites, priests, objects, or times dedicated to YHWH from what is common (חָל). In the Priestly tradition and Levitical texts (e.g., Leviticus, Numbers), it denotes strictly ritual categories—the act of dedication or setting apart (as in the consecration of Aaron and his sons, or the sanctification of festival days). In prophetic or Deuteronomistic contexts, it may acquire a broader ethical dimension, but always rests on the foundation of distinctiveness for YHWH. Later, in Second Temple and post-exilic periods, 'holiness' is increasingly associated both with ritual purity and moral behavior. English translations sometimes obscure the technical, covenantal, communal, or cultic connotations with generic terms 'holy' or 'sanctify.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally); appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy(-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify(-ied one, self), [idiom] wholly.
Bantu Hebrew
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קדש (q-d-sh) — to be set apart, to be holy, to consecrate, to dedicate, to sanctify
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6918 | קָדוֹשׁ | in a set-apart one |
| H6922 | קַדִּישׁ | to holy ones of |
| H6943 | קֶדֶשׁ | from Qedesh |
| H6944 | קֹדֶשׁ | in the sacred things |
| H6948 | קְדֵשָׁה | the consecrated woman |
Word Forms
79 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6942-35 |
קָדֵֽשׁוּ | qadeshu | HVqp3cp |
Prepare | they were set apart | 10 |
H6942-67 |
וְ/קִדַּשְׁתָּ֥ | veqidasheta | HC/Vpq2ms |
and you shall consecrate | and you consecrated | 9 |
H6942-47 |
וַ/יְקַדֵּ֖שׁ | vayeqadesh | HC/Vpw3ms |
and he consecrated | and he consecrated | 8 |
H6942-13 |
הִקְדִּ֛ישׁ | hiqedish | HVhp3ms |
dedicated | he consecrated | 7 |
H6942-17 |
הִתְקַדְּשׁ֣וּ | hiteqadeshu | HVtv2mp |
consecrate yourselves | Set yourselves apart | 6 |
H6942-11 |
הִקְדַּ֨שְׁתִּי | hiqedasheti | HVhp1cs |
I have consecrated | I set apart as holy | 6 |
H6942-74 |
יַקְדִּ֨שׁ | yaqedish | HVhi3ms |
he dedicates | he will consecrate | 6 |
H6942-22 |
לְ/קַדֵּ֥שׁ | leqadesh | HR/Vpc |
to sanctify | to set apart as holy | 6 |
H6942-62 |
וְ/נִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י | veniqedasheti | HC/VNq1cs |
and-I-shall-be-sanctified | and I will be set apart as holy | 5 |
H6942-24 |
לְ/קַדְּשֽׁ/וֹ | leqadesho | HR/Vpc/Sp3ms |
to consecrate him | to consecrate him | 5 |
Occurrences in Scripture
173 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6942-47 |
Genesis 2:3 | וַ/יְקַדֵּ֖שׁ | vayeqadesh | HC/Vpw3ms |
and sanctified | and he consecrated |
H6942-34 |
Exodus 13:2 | קַדֶּשׁ | qadesh | HVpv2ms |
Sanctify | Holy-Place |
H6942-68 |
Exodus 19:10 | וְ/קִדַּשְׁתָּ֥/ם | veqidashetam | HC/Vpq2ms/Sp3mp |
and consecrate them | and you consecrated them |
H6942-47 |
Exodus 19:14 | וַ/יְקַדֵּשׁ֙ | vayeqadesh | HC/Vpw3ms |
and consecrated | and he consecrated |
H6942-78 |
Exodus 19:22 | יִתְקַדָּ֑שׁוּ | yiteqadashu | HVti3mp |
consecrate themselves | they will set themselves apart |
H6942-71 |
Exodus 19:23 | וְ/קִדַּשְׁתּֽ/וֹ | veqidasheto | HC/Vpq2ms/Sp3ms |
and consecrate it | and you shall consecrate him |
H6942-24 |
Exodus 20:8 | לְ/קַדְּשֽׁ/וֹ | leqadesho | HR/Vpc/Sp3ms |
to keep it holy | to consecrate him |
H6942-48 |
Exodus 20:11 | וַֽ/יְקַדְּשֵֽׁ/הוּ | vayeqadeshehu | HC/Vpw3ms/Sp3ms |
and sanctified it | and he set him apart as holy |
H6942-24 |
Exodus 28:3 | לְ/קַדְּשׁ֖/וֹ | leqadesho | HR/Vpc/Sp3ms |
to-consecrate-him | to consecrate him |
H6942-75 |
Exodus 28:38 | יַקְדִּ֨ישׁוּ֙ | yaqedishu | HVhi3mp |
the sons of Israel consecrate | they will consecrate |