Topical Bible: Holy of Holies

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The Holy of Holies, also known as the Most Holy Place, is the innermost and most sacred area of the ancient Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a central concept in the religious practices and theology of ancient Israel, as described in the Hebrew Bible. The Holy of Holies is where the presence of God was believed to dwell, and it played a crucial role in the sacrificial system and the Day of Atonement.

Biblical Description and Significance

The Holy of Holies is first described in the Book of Exodus as part of the instructions given to Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle. It was a perfect cube, measuring ten cubits on each side in the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:33-34). The Holy of Holies housed the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded, and a jar of manna (Hebrews 9:4). The Ark was considered the earthly throne of God, and the mercy seat atop the Ark was where God would meet with the high priest.

In Solomon's Temple, the dimensions of the Holy of Holies were expanded to twenty cubits on each side (1 Kings 6:20). The room was separated from the Holy Place by a veil, a thick curtain that symbolized the separation between God and humanity due to sin. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), to offer blood sacrifices for the atonement of the sins of Israel (Leviticus 16:2-34).

Theological Implications

The Holy of Holies represents the ultimate sanctity and holiness of God. It underscores the concept of God's transcendence and the need for atonement and purification before approaching Him. The veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple symbolized the barrier between a holy God and sinful humanity.

The New Testament provides further theological insight into the significance of the Holy of Holies. At the moment of Jesus Christ's death, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45), signifying the removal of the barrier between God and humanity. This event is interpreted as symbolizing the new access to God made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the ultimate High Priest (Hebrews 9:11-12).

Historical Context

The Holy of Holies was central to the religious life of ancient Israel. Its construction and the rituals associated with it were meticulously detailed in the Mosaic Law. The destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC and the subsequent destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in AD 70 marked significant turning points in Jewish worship, as the sacrificial system centered around the Holy of Holies could no longer be practiced.

Cultural and Religious Legacy

The concept of the Holy of Holies has had a lasting impact on both Jewish and Christian theology. In Judaism, the absence of the Temple has led to a focus on prayer, study, and ethical living as means of drawing near to God. In Christianity, the tearing of the veil is seen as a pivotal moment that emphasizes the new covenant and the believer's direct access to God through Jesus Christ.

The Holy of Holies remains a profound symbol of God's holiness, the seriousness of sin, and the grace made available through divine atonement.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Holy of Holies

HOLY OF HOLIES

ho'-liz (qodhesh ha-qodhashim, Exodus 26:33, debhir, 1 Kings 6:16, etc.; in the New Testament, hagia hagion, Hebrews 9:3): The name given to the innermost shrine, or adytum of the sanctuary of Yahweh.

1. In the Tabernacle:

The most holy place of the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 26:31-33) was a small cube of 10 cubits (15 ft.) every way. It was divided from the holy Ceiled by curtains which bore cherubic figures embroidered in blue and purple and scarlet (Exodus 26:1), it contained no furniture but the Ark of the Covenant, covered by a slab of gold called the MERCY-SEAT (which see), and having within it only the two stone tables of the Law (see TABERNACLE; ARK OF THE COVENANT). Only the high priest, and he but once a year, on the great clothed in penitential garments, amid a cloud of incense, and with blood of sacrifice (Leviticus 16; compare Hebrews 9:7).

2. In the Temple of Solomon:

The proportions of the most holy place in the first temple were the same as in the tabernacle, but the dimensions were doubled. The sacred chamber was enlarged to 20 cubits (30 ft.) each way. We now meet with the word debhir, "oracle" (1 Kings 6:16, etc.), which with the exception of Psalm 28:2, belonging perhaps to the same age, is met with in Scripture only in the period of Solomon's reign. This sanctum, like its predecessor, contained but one piece of furniture-the Ark of the Covenant. It had, however, one new conspicuous feature in the two large figures of cherubim of olive wood, covered with gold, with wings stretching from wall to wall, beneath which the ark was now placed (1 Kings 6:23-28 2 Chronicles 3:10-13; see TEMPLE).

3. In Later Times:

In Ezekiel's temple plans, which in many things may have been those of the temple of Zerubbabel, the prophet gives 20 cubits as the length and breadth of the most holy place, showing that these figures were regarded as too sacred to undergo change (Ezekiel 41:4). There was then no Ark of the Covenant, but Jewish tradition relates that the blood of the great Day of Atonement was sprinkled on an unhewn stone that stood in its place. In Herod's temple, the dimensions of the two holy chambers remained the same-at least in length and breadth (see TEMPLE, HEROD'S). The holiest place continued empty. In the spoils of the temple depicted on the Arch of Titus there is no representation of the Ark of the Covenant; only of the furniture of the outer chamber or holy place.

4. Figurative:

In the Epistle to the Hebrews we are taught that the true holy of holies is the heaven into which Jesus has now entered to appear in virtue of His own sacrifice in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:11). Restriction is now removed, and the way into the holiest is made open for all His people (Hebrews 10:19, 20).

W. Shaw Caldecott

Greek

40. hagios -- sacred, holy
... Usage Holy (92), holy (62), Holy of Holies (1), holy one (5), holy ones (1), holy
place (7), most holy (1), saint (1), saints (59), saints' (1), sanctuary (2). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/40.htm - 8k

2665. katapetasma -- a curtain (the inner veil of the temple)
... curtain Definition: (lit: that which is spread out downwards, that which hangs down),
a curtain, veil, of that which separated the Holy of Holies from the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2665.htm - 6k

2369. thumiaterion -- altar of incense, a censer
... ordinarily: censer, but) either the altar of incense, or the shovel, on which the
high-priest poured the coals, when he entered the Holy of Holies on the Day ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2369.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

6944. qodesh -- apartness, sacredness
... consecrated thing (1), consecrated things (2), dedicated (1), dedicated gifts (2),
dedicated things (5), holiness (9), Holy (6), holy (263), holies (6), holy ...
/hebrew/6944.htm - 6k

Library

In the Holy of Holies.
... 24. IN THE HOLY OF HOLIES. [Illustration: Chapter header.] The subject of the sanctuary
was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /24 in the holy of.htm

In the Holy of Holies
... Chapter 24 In the Holy of Holies. The subject of the sanctuary was the key
which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 24 in the holy.htm

Concerning Holy of Holies, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God of ...
... DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE, ON DIVINE NAMES. CAPUT XII. Concerning Holy of Holies,
King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God of Gods. SECTION I. ...
/.../dionysius/dionysis on divine names/caput xii concerning holy of.htm

Concerning "Holy of Holies," "King of Kings," "Lord of Lords ...
... THE DIVINE NAMES CHAPTER XII Concerning "Holy of holies," "King of kings,"
"Lord of lords," "God of gods.". 1. Forasmuch as the things ...
/.../rolt/dionysius the areopagite/chapter xii concerning holy of.htm

How Pompey had the City of Jerusalem Delivered up to Him but Took ...
... Delivered Up To Him But Took The Temple By Force. How He Went Into The Holy
Of Holies; As Also What Were His Other Exploits In Judea. ...
/.../chapter 7 how pompey had.htm

Phenomena Accompanying the Death of Christ: the Earthquake the ...
... [790] The veil of the Holy of Holies in the Temple was rent asunder, [791] signifying
that the Holy of Holies in heaven is opened to all men through the ...
/.../section 293 phenomena accompanying the.htm

Do You Look for Another? but Daniel Foretells the Exact Time. ...
... and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring everlasting righteousness, and
to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies; and thou shalt ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/section 39 do you look.htm

Whether the Priesthood of Christ Endures for Ever?
... this consummation of Christ's sacrifice was foreshadowed in this, that the
high-priest of the Old Law, once a year, entered into the Holy of Holies with the ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the priesthood of christ.htm

The Double Altar, Widows and virgins; Gold the Symbol of virginity ...
... to which they bring calves and tithes, and free-will offerings, as a sacrifice to
the Lord; but the golden altar within the [2659] Holy of holies, before the ...
/.../chapter viii the double altar widows.htm

Now it came to Pass, when She was Fourteen Years Old...
... And the Lord said to him: Put all their rods into the holy of holies of God, and
let them remain there, and order them to come to thee on the morrow to get ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of pseudo-matthew/chapter 8 now it came.htm