מִקְדָּשׁ

From the study of Ezekiel 47:12

Range of meaning

A holy place or sanctuary, from qadosh 'holy'. It means the place set apart where God is present: the tabernacle, the temple, or its inner area.

Against the English

Modern 'sanctuary' can suggest a church auditorium or a place of refuge or protection, such as a wildlife sanctuary. In Ezekiel it means God's own house, the place of his presence.

How it drifted

English 'sanctuary' moved from 'holy place' to 'refuge' (from the medieval right of asylum in churches) and then to 'worship hall'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel uses miqdash for the temple that was defiled (5:11; 8:6) and abandoned by the glory (chapters 10–11), and for the restored house where God says 'I will set my sanctuary in their midst forever' (37:26–28).

From the study of Isaiah 8:14

Range of meaning

A place or thing made holy, set apart for God. It is used chiefly of the tabernacle or temple (Exodus 25:8, 'let them make me a miqdash, that I may dwell among them'), of shrines in general (Amos 7:13), and of the holy objects or holy areas within them (Numbers 18:29; Leviticus 21:12). It comes from the root q-d-sh, 'holy, set apart'.

Against the English

'Sanctuary' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) is the traditional rendering and is accurate. 'Holy place' (NIV) brings out the root more plainly. Paraphrases that turn it into 'he will keep you safe' keep only the protective side and lose the holiness.

How it drifted

In modern English 'sanctuary' mostly means a refuge (a wildlife sanctuary, 'seeking sanctuary'). That meaning grew out of the medieval church's right of asylum. Ancient Israel did have something like it: someone fleeing could grasp the altar (Exodus 21:13–14; 1 Kings 1:50). But the Hebrew word is about holiness first and safety second.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is very common for the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 25:8; Leviticus 19:30; Ezekiel 37:26–28). Ezekiel 11:16 is the closest parallel to this verse: there God himself becomes 'a miqdash for a little while' to the exiles, God's own presence standing in for the building. The Septuagint here uses hagiasma ('holy thing, sanctuary'), and the Vulgate uses sanctificatio.

From the study of Ezekiel 21:2

Range of meaning

Miqdash comes from the root q-d-sh ('set apart, holy') and means 'holy place, sanctuary': the tabernacle or temple (Exodus 25:8), a sacred area within it, or any shrine, legitimate or not (Amos 7:9, 13). In the plural it can refer to the several holy zones of one temple complex (Leviticus 21:23; Jeremiah 51:51 'the sanctuaries of the LORD's house'; Ezekiel 7:24).

Against the English

KJV and YLT say 'holy places'. BSB, WEB and NASB say 'sanctuaries'. Some versions have the singular 'sanctuary' or 'their sanctuaries'. 'Sanctuary' can suggest 'refuge' or a church auditorium to modern readers.

How it drifted

From the Middle Ages the English 'sanctuary' came to mean a place of legal refuge, and later a church's worship room. The Hebrew word is about holiness, meaning set apart for God.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lamentations 1:10 and Psalm 74:7 mourn the profaning of the miqdash at the fall of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 9:6 ('begin at my sanctuary') and chapters 8–11 show the temple's courts defiled and the divine glory leaving it. The Septuagint here has ta hagia autōn, 'their holy things/places'.