H6918 — קָדוֹשׁ (qadowsh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H6918
Original: קָדוֹשׁ
Transliteration: qadowsh
Pronunciation: kaw-doshe'
Part of Speech: Adjective (adj)
Root: H6942 קָדַשׁ (qadash) — to be set apart, consecrate
Occurrences: 108 unique verses (119 tokens) across 20 books
First Occurrence: Exo 19:6 — "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); used as noun for God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary. KJV renderings: holy (One), saint.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
holy	45	41.7%
the Holy One	23	21.3%
of the Holy One	4	3.7%
and the Holy One	3	2.8%
of the holy	3	2.8%
of the saints	3	2.8%
the holy	3	2.8%
Holy	2	1.9%
in the Holy One	2	1.9%
the saints	2	1.9%
saint (various forms)	5	4.6%
Other minor renderings	13	12.0%

Two dominant translation clusters: "holy" as an adjective (about 55% combined) and "Holy One / saints" as a substantive noun (about 40% combined).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Habakkuk	2	3.6
Isaiah	34	2.6
Leviticus	15	1.7
Hosea	2	1.0
Numbers	9	0.7
Deuteronomy	7	0.7
Nehemiah	3	0.7
Psalms	15	0.6
Daniel	2	0.6
Ecclesiastes	1	0.5
Zechariah	1	0.5
2 Kings	2	0.3
Job	3	0.3
Exodus	2	0.2
Joshua	1	0.2
1 Samuel	2	0.2
Ezekiel	2	0.2
Proverbs	2	0.2
2 Chronicles	1	0.1
Jeremiah	2	0.1

Isaiah dominates with 34 occurrences (31% of all uses). The phrase "the Holy One of Israel" is nearly exclusive to Isaiah. Leviticus accounts for nearly all the cultic/ritual uses describing sacred places and objects. The word is absent from Genesis, the wisdom books (except Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), and most of the Minor Prophets.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Divine Title — "The Holy One" (of Israel)¶

The most distinctive use of qadowsh: a substantive title for God, emphasizing his absolute otherness and moral purity. Concentrated in Isaiah. - Isa 6:3 — "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." - Isa 43:3 — "For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." - Isa 57:15 — "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy." - Hab 1:12 — "Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One?"

2. God's Intrinsic Holiness¶

Declarations that God himself is holy — the ground of all other holiness. Not a title but a predicate describing his nature. - 1 Sam 2:2 — "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee." - Josh 24:19 — "Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God." - Ps 99:9 — "Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy." - Isa 5:16 — "God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness."

3. Commanded Holiness of God's People¶

Israel called to be holy because God is holy — the ethical/covenantal demand for separation and moral purity. - Lev 11:44 — "Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy." - Lev 19:2 — "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." - Lev 20:26 — "Ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people." - Deut 7:6 — "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God."

4. Sacred Place / Cultic Space¶

The adjective modifying a location where offerings must be handled, priests must eat sacrificial portions, or sacred rites occur. - Exo 29:31 — "Take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place." - Lev 6:16 — "The remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat... in the holy place." - Lev 6:26 — "The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle." - Lev 7:6 — "Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place."

5. Holy Persons (Saints / Consecrated Individuals)¶

Persons set apart — whether heavenly beings, the Nazirite, or the covenant community collectively called "saints." - Num 6:5 — "Until the days be fulfilled... he is holy unto the LORD." - Num 16:5 — "The LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy." - Ps 16:3 — "But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight." - Ps 34:9 — "O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him." - Dan 8:13 — "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint."

6. Holy Time / Holy Day¶

The adjective applied to sacred days, particularly sabbaths and feast days. - Neh 8:9 — "This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep." - Neh 8:10 — "For this day is holy unto our LORD." - Isa 58:13 — "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath... and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD."

7. Contagious / Transferable Holiness¶

Holiness as a quality that transmits to whatever contacts a holy object — a distinctly ritual concept. - Lev 6:27 — "Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy." - Num 18:8 — "I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings... the hallowed things."

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yehovah)	H3068	62x	"the Holy One of the LORD" / "holy unto the LORD"
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el)	H3478	42x	"the Holy One of Israel" — Isaiah's signature phrase
אֱלֹהִים ('elohiym)	H430	33x	"an holy God" / "holy unto your God"
עַם ('am)	H5971	16x	"an holy people" — Deut's description of Israel
אָכַל ('akal)	H398	10x	"eat it in the holy place" — Levitical ritual law
מָקוֹם (maqowm)	H4725	10x	"the holy place" — location of sacrificial eating
שֵׁם (shem)	H8034	10x	"his holy name" / "whose name is Holy"
קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh)	H6944	9x	qadowsh and qodesh together — double emphasis on holiness

Word Family / Cognates¶

H6942 קָדַשׁ (qadash) — root verb: to be holy, set apart, consecrate
H6944 קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh) — noun: holiness, sacred thing, sanctuary
H6922 קַדִּישׁ (qaddiysh) — Aramaic cognate: holy (one), saint (Dan 4:13, 7:18)

Synonyms¶

No curated synonyms in SDBH database.

Antonyms¶

H2490 חָלַל (chalal) — to profane, defile, pollute (the opposite action to being holy)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh)	H6944	"holy" (93v)	qodesh is a noun (holiness, holy thing/place); qadowsh is an adjective/substantive describing character
חָסִיד (chaciyd)	H2623	"holy" (1v), "saint(s)"	chaciyd = faithful, loyal, pious (from chesed); qadowsh = set apart, sacred
קַדִּישׁ (qaddiysh)	H6922	"holy" (4v), "saints" (4v)	Aramaic cognate used exclusively in Daniel; same root meaning

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
ἅγιος (hagios) G40	100	24.60	Primary equivalent — overwhelming dominance
ἁγιάζω (hagiazo) G37	10	9.25	When qadowsh occurs with sanctification context
φοβερός (phoberos) G5398	3	6.23	"fearful" — rendering "holy" as awe-inspiring

The LXX maps qadowsh to hagios with near-total consistency (100 out of ~108 verses). This is one of the strongest Hebrew-Greek lexical bridges in the OT.