March 5 - The Meaning of "Holy" 

Hebrews 7:26 – "Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens."

There are several words traditionally translated in several different translations of the Bible, whose meanings have always been elusive to me.  They are words that are only used in a religious sense, and have been bandied about, as if all commonsense folk surely knew what they meant.  The word "holy" is one of them, and there are several more that are covered in a different discussion.  Words can be argued about, but meanings carry weight.  So I want to know the full meaning of a word when I read it.  If we don't know the meaning of an English word, we find it in the dictionary to get its definition.  The word "redundant" is a good example of a common word, whose meaning is not what many people believe.  It does not mean "simply repetitive", as it even sounds (even though it can imply repetition).  It's meaning connotes something being not necessary, excessive (which is why repetition is included, since repetition is not always necessary to get one's point across).     

When I found out many years ago, that the Greek word for holy (hagios) meant "different" or "set apart, (for special use)", I started reading that definition into the scriptures as I would read the word "holy".  That definition made perfect sense to me.  In general, one could say that fine china is holy; it is only used on special dining occasions.  Or perhaps that antique tea set.  Or those dress shoes that one only wears to weddings and funerals.  Or those rubber boots one needs for working muddy jobs on the farm.  The list could go on and on.  "Hagios" connotes being "different for God's purposes".  

However, in the title verse above,  the former definition doesn't fit.  If it did, one would be saying "set apart" twice in this verse.  The Greek word here is "hosios", which means "in agreement with divine truth, and therefore deserving respect".  Jesus, our high priest, always walked in agreement with God's truth.  He even said that he IS truth (John 14:6).  Since he never sinned, he is worthy of the highest respect.  Another way of putting it might be that Jesus is the ultimate example of human godliness.  A short definition might be "pious", but then again, that word is also vague and rarely used in modern-day English.  

Strong's Greek concordance records the usage of "hosios" only eight times in the New Testament.  If there are short words or phrases, for which I could substitute for "holy", and understand their meanings properly, I will try it.  And whatever works for you in understanding God, and us, as "holy", please employ it in your reading and thinking.