holy of holies

holy of holies ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. a place of special sacredness.
2. the innermost chamber of the Biblical tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, in which the ark of the covenant was kept.
3. Eastern Church. the bema.

Origin of holy of holies 1350–1400; Middle English, translation of Late Latin sanctum sanctōrum (Vulgate), translation of Greek tò hágion tôn hagíōn, itself translation of Hebrew qōdesh haqqodāshīm Examples from the Web for holy of holies Historical Examples of holy of holies

If you know your business, you are struck with awe on being in this holy-of-holies.

The Church of St. Bunco

Gordon Clark

Englishmen had been to Lhassa and to Tashi-lunpo; therefore, both of their holy-of-holies had been profaned.

Caravans By Night

Harry Hervey

Only a chosen few had ever set foot within the holy-of-holies; this young man was not one of them.

Warrior of the Dawn

Howard Carleton Browne

I made no reply, for I feared that she would live to regret having created that scene in the monk’s holy-of-holies.

The Minister of Evil

William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for holy of holies holy of holies noun

1. any place of special sanctity
2. (capitals) the innermost compartment of the Jewish tabernacle, and later of the Temple, where the Ark was enshrined

Idioms and Phrases with holy of holies holy of holies

A place of awe or sacredness, as in The corporate board room is the holy of holies here. This expression is a translation of the Hebrew term for the sanctuary inside the tabernacle of the Temple of Jerusalem, where the sacred Ark of the Covenant was kept (Exodus 26:34). Its figurative use dates from the second half of the 1800s.