Holy One of Israel

Holy One of Israel

“Holy One of Israel” is one of the distinctive titles of the God of Israel. It is strongly associated with the book of Isaiah, appearing there twenty-five times out of a total thirty-one appearances in the Old Testament. This title appears to be an expression of the doctrine noted in Leviticus when Jehovah insists to Israel that they need to be holy because He is holy (see, for example, Leviticus 11:44). In the latter part of the book of Isaiah, “Holy One of Israel” often appears in lists of titles, as in Isaiah 45:11—“Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, its Former . . .” (translation mine)—or Isaiah 43:3—“For I am Jehovah, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

The title “Holy One” can appear by itself. In some cases, it functions as a shortened form of “Holy One of Israel,” as in Isaiah 40:25. In other cases, such as Psalm 16:10, it does not refer to Jehovah. In fact, in the case of Psalm 16:10 the word translated in the King James Version as “holy one” is a different word than the one used in the title “Holy One of Israel.” It is better translated as “pious one” or “covenant keeper.” The contrast is instructive in Psalm 89:18–19, where the distinctive title referring to Jehovah is used in verse  18 and the reference to the pious one in used in verse 19.

Related verses

1  Kings 19:22
Job 6:10
Psalm 16:10
Psalm 71:22
Psalm 78:41
Psalm 89:18–19
Isaiah 1:4
Isaiah 5:19, 24
Isaiah 10:17–20
Isaiah 12:6
Isaiah 17:7
Isaiah 29:19–23
Isaiah 30:11–15
Isaiah 31:1
Isaiah 37:23
Isaiah 40:25
Isaiah 41:14–20
Isaiah 43:3–15
Isaiah 45:11
Isaiah 47:4
Isaiah 48:17
Isaiah 49:7
Isaiah 54:5
Isaiah 55:5
Isaiah 60:9–14
Jeremiah 50:29
Jeremiah 51:5
Ezekiel 39:7
Hosea 11:9
Habakkuk 1:12
Habakkuk 3:3