Q-D-Š
Encyclopedia
Q-D-Š is a common triconsonantal Semitic root form used in various ancient and modern languages since at least the 3rd millennium BCE. The meanings expressed by this root are "Holy", "Sacred
", "Divine Power
", "To Set Apart", and "Sanctuary
". The root is Q-D-Š in Aramaic
, Hebrew
, Syriac
, and reconstructed Phoenician, and Q-D-S in Arabic
and Ge'ez
.
Semitic scripts are rendered from right-to-left
.
The root qdš was used frequently in West Semitic languages
as a verb
meaning "consecrate", whereas in Akkadian
texts, the verb conjugated from this root meant to "clean, purify." It could also be used as an adjective
meaning "holy", and a substantive referring to a "sanctuary, sacred object, sacred personnel." It was used this way in Ugaritic
, as for example, in the words qidšu (meaning "holy place" or "chapel") and qad(i)šu (meaning "consecrated gift" or "cultic personnel"). In some Ugaritic texts, qdš is used as a divine epithet
. For example, the gods are referred to as "the sons of holiness" or "the holy ones" (bn qdš), and in the 2nd millennium BCE epic poem the "Legend of Keret
", the hero is described as "the son of El and the offspring of the Benevolent One and qdš".
William Foxwell Albright
believed that Qudšu (meaning "holiness") was a common Canaanite
appellation for the goddess
Asherah
, and Albright's mentor Frank Moore Cross
claimed qdš was used as a divine epithet for both Asherah and the Ugaritic goddess, Athirat
. Johanna Stucky claims she may have been a deity in her own right.
Depictions of a goddess in inscriptions from Dynastic Egypt, thought to Canaanite since she is referred to as Qdš (often transliterated in English as Qedesha, Qudshu or Qetesh
), show a woman in the nude, with curly hair and raised arms carrying lilies
and serpent
s. Qdš is also depicted in the pantheon of gods at Memphis, Egypt
possibly indicating worship of her as independent deity there. The word qdš also appears in the Pyrgi Tablets
, a Phoenician text found in Italy
that dates back to 500 BCE.
to refer to God
, and Qudš is the proto-form of the Hebrew
word qadōš, meaning "holy". The triconsonantal root Q-D-Š appears some 830 times in the Hebrew Bible
, where it is used to express the notion of holiness, and when attributed to God, is used to refer to his unspeakable nature. Its use in the Hebrew Bible evokes ideas of separation from the profane, and proximity to the Otherness of God, while in nonbiblical Semitic texts, recent interpretations of its meaning link it to ideas of consecration
, belonging, and purification.
The Hebrew language
, sacred to Jews, is called "The Holy Tongue" ( "Lashon HaKodesh") since ancient times. In addition, the Hebrew term for the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
is Beit Hamikdash , and Ir Ha-Kodesh , the latter being one of the tens of Hebrew names for Jerusalem.
Three theological terms that come from this root are Kiddush
, which is sanctification of the Sabbath or a festival with a blessing over wine before the evening and noon meals, Kaddish
, which is the sanctification prayer, and mourner's prayer, and Kedushah which is the responsive section of the reader's repetition of the Amidah
.
Kedeshah, (קדשה), one of two different words for prostitute (see sacred prostitution) used in the Hebrew Bible, also derives from the Q-D-Š root. While the word zonah (זנה) simply meant an ordinary prostitute or loose woman, whereas the word kedeshah literally means "consecrated female". Whatever the cultic significance of a kedeshah
to the Canaanites, who used it to refer to a female deity whose identity is a matter of debate, the Hebrew Bible is quick to use the word for the common prostitute whenever the word kedeshah is used.
There are two different words describing places that use this root in the Hebrew Bible
. One is Kedesh
, which refers to a Canaan
ite village first documented in Joshua 20:7 and later in 2 Kings 15:29. The other is Kadesh, a place in the south of Ancient Israel
, mentioned in and . <--scripturetext is better than in that it provides multiple versions including the Hebrew source. -->
Names of Jerusalem
and derives from the Aramaean word for "temple" (qōdšā). The Turkish
word for Jerusalem, , derives from the Arabic name.
Two other names for Jerusalem also derive from the Q-D-S root: Bayt al-Muqqadas ("the holy house") and Bayt al-Maqdis. The wider area around Jerusalem, or the Holy Land
, is referred to in Arabic and in Islamic sources as al ard al-muqaddasa (also Bilād al-Muqaddasa), as it is full of shrines and connections to prophets and saints. The Christian Bible
is known in Arabic as al-Kitāb al-Muqaddas. Muqaddas in Arabic means not only "holy" and "sacred", but also "hallowed, sanctified, dedicated, consecrated."
Al-Quds also appears in Arabic as part of a phrase to refer to the Holy Spirit
, Rúḥu 'l-Quds (or Rūḥu 'l'Qudus), with Ruh
meaning "spirit". This phrase appears in the Qur'an
a number of times, where it is thought to refer in some cases to the angel Gabriel
.
The concept of Rúḥu 'l-Quds is also discussed at length by the Sufi
mystic, [[ʻAbd al-Karim al-Jili]], who further distinguishes between two other concepts derived from the Q-D-S root in Arabic: qudsi ("holy one") and aqdasi ("most holy one"). The qudsi is one who "unceasingly contemplates the Divine consciousness sirr ['secret'], which is his origin" and is "illuminated" by it, whereas the aqdasi ("most holy one") is one who is actually united with this Essence.
Qudsi is also used in Arabic to refer to a Jerusalemite, or a native/resident of Jerusalem. It and its derivatives, such as Maqdisi
and al-Muqaddasi are used in Arabic surname
s or as appellatives assigned to those who come from or live in Jerusalem.
The religious terms Hadith Qudsi ("holy hadith
") and Tafsir Qudsi ("sacred commentary") also incorporate qudsi, though in this case it is used as an adjective, rather than a noun or pronoun. Tafsir Qudsi is a form of Quranic commentary, while Hadith Qudsi refers to the "utterances of God through the Prophet", thus enjoying a status higher than that the hadith writings in general, though lower than that of the Qur'an
.
Other derivatives of Q-D-S in Arabic include qudus, which means "purity", "sanctity", "saint" or "holy", and qadas, which is used to refer to a "small cup or plate", often used to put forth offerings at holy sites. Taqdis means to "purify, sanctify, consecrate to God," taqqadus is to "be purified, sanctified, consecrated," and taqâdus means to "play the saint". Istiqdas means "to deem holy."
by way of the Greek language
has been analysed by Martin Bernal
as a loanword from the Semitic root Q-D-S.
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
", "Divine Power
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
", "To Set Apart", and "Sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
". The root is Q-D-Š in Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, and reconstructed Phoenician, and Q-D-S in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
.
Origins
| English | Proto-West-Semitic | Phoenician | Aramaic Aramaic language Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,... |
Syriac Syriac language Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from... |
Hebrew Hebrew language Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such... |
Arabic Arabic language Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book... |
Ge'ez Ge'ez language Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa... |
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| Transliteration | |
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Semitic scripts are rendered from right-to-left
Right-to-left
A language is described as right-to-left if writing starts from the right of the page, and continues to the left. Right to left scripts are:* Arabic alphabet - used for Arabic, Persian, Urdu and many other languages....
.
The root qdš was used frequently in West Semitic languages
West Semitic languages
The West Semitic languages are a proposed major sub-grouping of Semitic languages. One widely accepted analysis, supported by semiticists like Robert Hetzron and John Huehnergard, divides the Semitic language family into two branches: Eastern and Western. The former consists of the extinct Eblaite...
as a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
meaning "consecrate", whereas in Akkadian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
texts, the verb conjugated from this root meant to "clean, purify." It could also be used as an adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
meaning "holy", and a substantive referring to a "sanctuary, sacred object, sacred personnel." It was used this way in Ugaritic
Ugaritic language
The following table shows Proto-Semitic phonemes and their correspondences among Ugaritic, Arabic and Tiberian Hebrew:-Grammar:Ugaritic is an inflected language, and as a Semitic language its grammatical features are highly similar to those found in Classical Arabic and Akkadian...
, as for example, in the words qidšu (meaning "holy place" or "chapel") and qad(i)šu (meaning "consecrated gift" or "cultic personnel"). In some Ugaritic texts, qdš is used as a divine epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
. For example, the gods are referred to as "the sons of holiness" or "the holy ones" (bn qdš), and in the 2nd millennium BCE epic poem the "Legend of Keret
Legend of Keret
The Legend of Keret, also known as the Epic of King Keret, is an ancient Ugaritic epic poem, dated to Late Bronze Age, circa 1500 – 1200 BC. It recounts the myth of King Keret of Hubur.-History:...
", the hero is described as "the son of El and the offspring of the Benevolent One and qdš".
William Foxwell Albright
William F. Albright
William Foxwell Albright was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist and expert on ceramics. From the early twentieth century until his death, he was the dean of biblical archaeologists and the universally acknowledged founder of the Biblical archaeology movement...
believed that Qudšu (meaning "holiness") was a common Canaanite
Canaanite languages
The Canaanite languages are a subfamily of the Semitic languages, which were spoken by the ancient peoples of the Canaan region, including Canaanites, Israelites and Phoenicians...
appellation for the goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
Asherah
Asherah
Asherah , in Semitic mythology, is a Semitic mother goddess, who appears in a number of ancient sources including Akkadian writings by the name of Ashratum/Ashratu and in Hittite as Asherdu or Ashertu or Aserdu or Asertu...
, and Albright's mentor Frank Moore Cross
Frank Moore Cross
Frank Moore Cross, Jr. is Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages Emeritus at Harvard University, notable for his work in the interpretation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, his 1973 magnum opus Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic, and his work in Northwest Semitic epigraphy...
claimed qdš was used as a divine epithet for both Asherah and the Ugaritic goddess, Athirat
Asherah
Asherah , in Semitic mythology, is a Semitic mother goddess, who appears in a number of ancient sources including Akkadian writings by the name of Ashratum/Ashratu and in Hittite as Asherdu or Ashertu or Aserdu or Asertu...
. Johanna Stucky claims she may have been a deity in her own right.
Depictions of a goddess in inscriptions from Dynastic Egypt, thought to Canaanite since she is referred to as Qdš (often transliterated in English as Qedesha, Qudshu or Qetesh
Qetesh
Qetesh is a Sumerian goddess adopted into Egyptian mythology from the Canaanite religion, popular during the New Kingdom. She was a fertility goddess of sacred ecstasy and sexual pleasure....
), show a woman in the nude, with curly hair and raised arms carrying lilies
Lilium
Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though the range extends into the northern subtropics...
and serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
s. Qdš is also depicted in the pantheon of gods at Memphis, Egypt
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
possibly indicating worship of her as independent deity there. The word qdš also appears in the Pyrgi Tablets
Pyrgi Tablets
The Pyrgi Tablets, found in a 1964 excavation of a sanctuary of ancient Pyrgi on the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy , are three golden leaves that record a dedication made around 500 BC by Thefarie Velianas, king of Caere, to the Phoenician goddess ʻAshtaret. Pyrgi was the port of the southern Etruscan...
, a Phoenician text found in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
that dates back to 500 BCE.
Hebrew
Qudšu was later used in Jewish AramaicJudeo-Aramaic language
Judæo-Aramaic is a collective term used to describe several Hebrew-influenced Aramaic and Neo-Aramaic languages.-Early use:Aramaic, like Hebrew, is a Northwest Semitic language, and the two share many features. From the 7th century BCE, Aramaic became the lingua franca of the Middle East...
to refer to God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, and Qudš is the proto-form of the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
word qadōš, meaning "holy". The triconsonantal root Q-D-Š appears some 830 times in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, where it is used to express the notion of holiness, and when attributed to God, is used to refer to his unspeakable nature. Its use in the Hebrew Bible evokes ideas of separation from the profane, and proximity to the Otherness of God, while in nonbiblical Semitic texts, recent interpretations of its meaning link it to ideas of consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
, belonging, and purification.
The Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, sacred to Jews, is called "The Holy Tongue" ( "Lashon HaKodesh") since ancient times. In addition, the Hebrew term for the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
is Beit Hamikdash , and Ir Ha-Kodesh , the latter being one of the tens of Hebrew names for Jerusalem.
Three theological terms that come from this root are Kiddush
Kiddush
Kiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:...
, which is sanctification of the Sabbath or a festival with a blessing over wine before the evening and noon meals, Kaddish
Kaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
, which is the sanctification prayer, and mourner's prayer, and Kedushah which is the responsive section of the reader's repetition of the Amidah
Amidah
The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
.
Kedeshah, (קדשה), one of two different words for prostitute (see sacred prostitution) used in the Hebrew Bible, also derives from the Q-D-Š root. While the word zonah (זנה) simply meant an ordinary prostitute or loose woman, whereas the word kedeshah literally means "consecrated female". Whatever the cultic significance of a kedeshah
Qedesha
A qedesha , Hebrew spelling קדשה, is a temple or sacred prostitute, in several ancient Middle Eastern religions. They are particularly associated with the Goddess Asherah. The male equivalent of a qedesha is a qadesh....
to the Canaanites, who used it to refer to a female deity whose identity is a matter of debate, the Hebrew Bible is quick to use the word for the common prostitute whenever the word kedeshah is used.
There are two different words describing places that use this root in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. One is Kedesh
Kedesh
The ruins of the ancient Canaanite village of Kedesh are located within the modern Kibbutz Malkiya in Israel on the Israeli-Lebanese border....
, which refers to a Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ite village first documented in Joshua 20:7 and later in 2 Kings 15:29. The other is Kadesh, a place in the south of Ancient Israel
History of ancient Israel and Judah
Israel and Judah were related Iron Age kingdoms of ancient Palestine. The earliest known reference to the name Israel in archaeological records is in the Merneptah stele, an Egyptian record of c. 1209 BCE. By the 9th century BCE the Kingdom of Israel had emerged as an important local power before...
, mentioned in and . <--scripturetext is better than in that it provides multiple versions including the Hebrew source. -->
Arabic
The verb form of Q-D-S in Arabic (qadus) means "to be holy" or "to be pure, immaculate". Quds can be used as a noun to denote "paradise" or as an adjective meaning "purity" or "holiness". The definite noun form, al-Quds , is the most common of seventeen ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
Names of Jerusalem
Names of Jerusalem
This article explores the different names of Jerusalem and their linguistic natures, etc. For a discussion of the politics and history of Jerusalem itself, the Jerusalem and Timeline of Jerusalem articles are probably a better place to start....
and derives from the Aramaean word for "temple" (qōdšā). The Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
word for Jerusalem, , derives from the Arabic name.
Two other names for Jerusalem also derive from the Q-D-S root: Bayt al-Muqqadas ("the holy house") and Bayt al-Maqdis. The wider area around Jerusalem, or the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, is referred to in Arabic and in Islamic sources as al ard al-muqaddasa (also Bilād al-Muqaddasa), as it is full of shrines and connections to prophets and saints. The Christian Bible
Christian biblical canons
A Christian biblical canon is the set of books that a Christian denomination regards as divinely inspired and thus constituting the Christian Bible...
is known in Arabic as al-Kitāb al-Muqaddas. Muqaddas in Arabic means not only "holy" and "sacred", but also "hallowed, sanctified, dedicated, consecrated."
Al-Quds also appears in Arabic as part of a phrase to refer to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit (Islam)
The Holy Spirit in Islam is mentioned several times in the Quran, and is interpreted by many muslims as referring to the angel Gabriel.-The Holy Spirit, al-Ruh al-Quds, in the Quran:...
, Rúḥu 'l-Quds (or Rūḥu 'l'Qudus), with Ruh
Ruh
Rūḥ is an Arabic word meaning spirit. It is the third among the six purities or Lataif-e-sitta-Thirteen stages of taming ruh:To attend Tajalliy-e-Ruh, the Salik needs to achieve the following thirteen.#Iradah or Commitment with God...
meaning "spirit". This phrase appears in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
a number of times, where it is thought to refer in some cases to the angel Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
.
The concept of Rúḥu 'l-Quds is also discussed at length by the Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
mystic, [[ʻAbd al-Karim al-Jili]], who further distinguishes between two other concepts derived from the Q-D-S root in Arabic: qudsi ("holy one") and aqdasi ("most holy one"). The qudsi is one who "unceasingly contemplates the Divine consciousness sirr ['secret'], which is his origin" and is "illuminated" by it, whereas the aqdasi ("most holy one") is one who is actually united with this Essence.
Qudsi is also used in Arabic to refer to a Jerusalemite, or a native/resident of Jerusalem. It and its derivatives, such as Maqdisi
Maqdisi
Maqdisi or Muqaddasi is an Arabic nisbat implying origin in Jerusalem. The word is derived from the Semitic triliteral root Q-D-S to denote the Arabic name for Jerusalem, Al Quds....
and al-Muqaddasi are used in Arabic surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s or as appellatives assigned to those who come from or live in Jerusalem.
The religious terms Hadith Qudsi ("holy hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
") and Tafsir Qudsi ("sacred commentary") also incorporate qudsi, though in this case it is used as an adjective, rather than a noun or pronoun. Tafsir Qudsi is a form of Quranic commentary, while Hadith Qudsi refers to the "utterances of God through the Prophet", thus enjoying a status higher than that the hadith writings in general, though lower than that of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
.
Other derivatives of Q-D-S in Arabic include qudus, which means "purity", "sanctity", "saint" or "holy", and qadas, which is used to refer to a "small cup or plate", often used to put forth offerings at holy sites. Taqdis means to "purify, sanctify, consecrate to God," taqqadus is to "be purified, sanctified, consecrated," and taqâdus means to "play the saint". Istiqdas means "to deem holy."
| Transliteration | Lexical category | Gender | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qodesh | noun | masculine | holiness | |
| qiddesh | verb | to sanctify; to make kiddush Kiddush Kiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:... |
||
| nhitqadsh | (Talmudic) to be betrothed, to be married | |||
| miqdash | noun | masculine | temple Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of... |
|
| miqudash | adjective | holy, sacred, sanctified | ||
| muqdash | dedicated, devoted | |||
| qidush | noun | masculine | (Jewish ritual) Kiddush Kiddush Kiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:... |
|
| qadish | (Jewish ritual) Kaddish Kaddish Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service... |
|||
| q'dusha | feminine | sanctity, purity, holiness ; (Jewish ritual) Kedushah | ||
| qadesh | masculine | (pagan ritual) male prostitute | ||
| qdesha | feminine | (pagan ritual) female prostitute | ||
| qedesh | (Canaan Canaan Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan... ite village) Kedesh Kedesh The ruins of the ancient Canaanite village of Kedesh are located within the modern Kibbutz Malkiya in Israel on the Israeli-Lebanese border.... |
|||
| qadesh | (Place in the south of Ancient Israel) Kadesh |
Loanwords
The word "kudos", originally meaning 'the radiant power of the gods' or 'magical force', which entered EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by way of the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
has been analysed by Martin Bernal
Martin Bernal
Martin Gardiner Bernal is a Professor Emeritus of Government and Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University. He is a scholar of modern Chinese political history...
as a loanword from the Semitic root Q-D-S.
See also
- Al-Quds (disambiguation)Al-Quds (disambiguation)Al-Quds is the Arabic name for the city of Jerusalem. It comes from the verb قدس , which means "to be holy", "to be pure".Al-Quds may also refer to:* Al-Quds Index, the primary stock index of the Palestine Securities Exchange...
- Bris KodeshCovenant (biblical)A biblical covenant is an agreement found in the Bible between God and His people in which God makes specific promises and demands. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith. It it is used in the Tanakh 286 times . All Abrahamic religions consider the Biblical covenant...
- Kadesh CampaignSuez CrisisThe Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
- KadoshKadoshKadosh is a 1999 film by Israeli director Amos Gitai. It was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:Kadosh is a bleak drama about the plight of women in Haredi society. In the opening scene, Meir , a young Talmudic scholar, thanks God in his morning prayers for not being born a woman...
- Kitáb-i-AqdasKitáb-i-AqdasThe Kitáb-i-Aqdas is a central book of the Bahá'í Faith written by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion. The work was written in Arabic under the Arabic title , but it is commonly referred to by its Persian title, Kitáb-i-Aqdas , which was given to the work by Bahá'u'lláh himself...
- Kodesh Hakodashim
- QadasQadasQadas was a Lebanese village located 17 kilometers northeast of Safad that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. One of seven Shiite Muslim villages called Metawalis that fell within the boundaries of British Mandate Palestine, Qadas lay adjacent to Nebi Yusha, near the tel of the...
- Sifrei Kodesh