To be holy means to be cut off, or separate, from everything
else. It means to be in a class of your own, distinct from anything that has ever existed or will ever exist. QADOWSH means a second
thing: to be holy means to be entirely morally pure, all the time and in every
way possible.
When you put these two elements of holiness together, you're
left with only one conclusion: that the Lord of hosts is the sum and definition of what it means to be holy. He occupies a moral space that no one has ever occupied before, and as such, we have no experience or frame of reference to understand what he is like because there's nothing like him.
There's even more to be said. God's holiness is not an
aspect of who he is or what he does; no, God's holiness is the
essence of who he is. If you were to ask, "How is the
holiness of God revealed?" the only right answer would be, "In
everything he does." Everything God thinks, desires, speaks, and does is utterly holy in
every way.
God is holy in every attribute and every action: He is holy
in justice. He is holy in love. He is holy in mercy. He is holy in power. He is holy in sovereignty. He is holy in wisdom. He is holy in patience. He is holy in anger. He is holy in grace. He is holy in faithfulness. He is holy in compassion.
He is even holy in his holiness!
