קָדוֹשׁ Leviticus 19:2
Posted: Thu May 09, 2019 6:16 pm
We read there
דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יהוה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
KJV: “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy"
קָדוֹשׁ = קד-הוּא-ש (where הוּא, 'he', is the bearer of the quality) QADO$ is translated into the English 'holy'. But what is QADO$, we want to know, in terms of its original "primitive" material embodiments? The quality is derived from the root קדש QD$, which is kin to the roots
גדש, חדש
with גדש having a clear reference to the physical manifestation of 'pack, replete'. From this rood we have the name גָּדִיש = גד-היא-ש (where היא, 'he', is the object) GADIY$, 'rick, pile', of Job 21:32
וְהוּא לִקְבָרוֹת יוּבָל וְעַל גָּדִישׁ יִשְׁקוֹד
KJV: "Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb (a packed pile of earth)"
where יִשְׁקוֹט = יִשְׁקוֹד, 'rest, quiet, stationary, immovable.'
Hence the inherent meaning of קָדוֹשׁ is 'being full of high, meaningful, and, awe inspiring qualities'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יהוה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
KJV: “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy"
קָדוֹשׁ = קד-הוּא-ש (where הוּא, 'he', is the bearer of the quality) QADO$ is translated into the English 'holy'. But what is QADO$, we want to know, in terms of its original "primitive" material embodiments? The quality is derived from the root קדש QD$, which is kin to the roots
גדש, חדש
with גדש having a clear reference to the physical manifestation of 'pack, replete'. From this rood we have the name גָּדִיש = גד-היא-ש (where היא, 'he', is the object) GADIY$, 'rick, pile', of Job 21:32
וְהוּא לִקְבָרוֹת יוּבָל וְעַל גָּדִישׁ יִשְׁקוֹד
KJV: "Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb (a packed pile of earth)"
where יִשְׁקוֹט = יִשְׁקוֹד, 'rest, quiet, stationary, immovable.'
Hence the inherent meaning of קָדוֹשׁ is 'being full of high, meaningful, and, awe inspiring qualities'.
Isaac Fried, Boston University