Hebrew Alignment(Vox): "Ad-mat Ko-desh" (Holy Ground)

Keyword:  אַדְמַת־קֹדֶשׁ (Ad-mat Ko-desh)
Holy Ground

“Do not come near here; (שַׁל־נְעָלֶיךָ) remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is (אַדְמַת־קֹדֶשׁ) holy ground .” (Exodus 3 v5)

Taking off one’s shoes is a way of admitting that the land you stand upon is not yours. In the East, shoes convey a very symbolic meaning.

For example, if an Israelite refused to fulfill his obligations of levirate marriage, “…wife shall come to him in the sight of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face; and she shall declare, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’” (Deut. 25:9). The man who relinquished his obligation to the widow of his close relative was publicly shamed.

The idea of אַדְמַת־קֹדֶשׁ (Ad-mat Ko-desh) “Holy Ground” points to the fact that this אֲדָמָה (A-da-mah) “ground”, “soil” or “land” is God’s domain. The adjective קֹדֶשׁ (ko-desh) means “holy” or “consecrated” and refers to something that requires special treatment. In ancient Israel, setting your shoe on a property was seen as a symbolic proclamation of ownership. Removing one’s shoe signifies the opposite – relinquishing a right or admitting that you do not own this property.

\CH-Vox
Adapted from:
PROF. PINCHAS SHIR
Date: APRIL 17, 2018