2021/04/22 by David J. A. Clines
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Historical and Linguistic Studies #Linguistics and Cultural Studies #Medieval and Classical Philosophy
paper · doi:10.1163/15685330-00001149
openalex publication_date 2021/04/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Abstract Most Hebraists are familiar with the claim that the “basic meaning” of the Hebrew verb qdš is “to separate.” It was adopted by BDB , and is referred to by HALOT . This paper argues that the claim is unlikely to be correct. In searching for the origins and rationale for this claim, which goes back at least to Reuchlin (1505), I encountered some other views propounded by Hebrew lexica of the past 500 years about the “basic meaning” of the root, including “be clean” (e.g., Gesenius, 1833), “begin” (e.g., Buxtorf, 1615) and (surprisingly) “be unclean” (e.g., Pagninus, 1529). These proposals also will be shown to lack adequate support. I will argue that the verb qdš “be holy” and its derivatives have no underlying meaning apart from their denotation of the deity personally and of what belongs to the deity, such as his temple, his priests, his sabbaths, etc.