holy of holies

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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of holy of holies¹

1350–1400; Middle English, translation of Late Latin sanctum sanctōrum (Vulgate), translation of Greek tò hágion tôn hagíōn, itself translation of Hebrew qōdesh haqqodāshīm

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

The country, he said, is facing “an attack on the holy of holies: the security of the State of Israel.”

From Washington Post

Traditionally, most Orthodox Jews avoided the mount itself for fear of treading on the spot where the temples’ holy of holies once stood.

From New York Times

But at the wonder in the boy’s eyes she collected herself and asked him who he was, so young and yet seemingly so dedicated to this high service in Greece’s holy of holies.

From Literature

The limestone altars are at the entrance to the shrine’s "holy of holies," according to researchers.

From Fox News

An appeal went out, a pious financier stepped up, and, holy of holies, both the Zurbaráns and the castle are now owned by a charitable trust.

From New York Times