Holy of Holies

See also: holy of holies

English

Etymology

Calque of Biblical Hebrew קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Proper noun

Holy of Holies

1. The inner sanctum of the Temple in Jerusalem.
   • 1882, . Franz von Reber, Joseph Thacher Clarke, History of Ancient Art, page 146:

     The holy of holies, a cubical space of ten cubits on the side, was separated from the larger antechamber by four columns, which were also covered with gold and stood upon silver sockets; they bore a second curtain of four colors.

2. (by extension) The most sacred place within a sacred building.
3. (informal, humorous) One's private retreat, inner sanctum.
4. that which is holiest among holy things
   • 1996, Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer, page 305:

     Rabbi Akiba declared that if the other books of the Bible are holy, Shir Hashirim is the "holy of holies."

Translations

the most sacred place within a sacred building

• Aghwan: 𐕌𐕒𐕡𐕟𐕒𐕡𐕙𐕒𐕡𐕎 𐕌𐕒𐕡𐕟𐕒𐕡𐕙𐕒𐕡𐕎𐕒𐕡𐕘𐕒𐔺 (muc̣'urun muc̣'urunuġoy)
• Bulgarian: светая светих (svetaja svetih)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 至聖所／至圣所 (zi³ sing³ so²)

  Mandarin: 至聖所／至圣所 (Zhìshèngsuǒ)

• Classical Nahuatl: teōpam māhuizzōcan
• Dutch: heilige der heiligen n, allerheiligste (nl) n
• Finnish: kaikkein pyhin
• French: saint des saints (fr) m
• German: Allerheiligstes (de) n
• Greek: άδυτο (el) n (ádyto), ιερό (el) n (ieró)
• Hebrew: קודש הקודשים m (kodesh hakodashim)
• Latin: adytum n, sanctum sanctorum n
• Macedonian: светиња над светињите f (svetinja nad svetinjite)
• Portuguese: ádito (pt) m
• Romanian: sfânta sfintelor (ro) f
• Russian: свята́я святы́х (ru) f (svjatája svjatýx)
• Spanish: sanctasanctórum m
• Swedish: allra heligaste n, allraheligaste n
• Tagalog: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: קדשי־קדשים (kodshe-kedoshem)

inner sanctum

• German: Allerheiligstes (de) n
• Greek: τα άδυτα των αδύτων n or pl (ta ádyta ton adýton)