The Hebrew word "kadosh" is translated as "holy" in the Scriptures. It is often used of God, of course, but the real meaning of "kadosh" is "set apart" or "consecrated". So we have "holy ground" (kadosh) in Exodus 3:5, "holy garments" in Exodus 28:2 and "holy things or objects" in Numbers 4:15. Protestants use "holy" only to mean "divine" or "God". They cannot say "holy Mary" because that would make Mary equal with God and she is not God but human. Catholics can say "holy Mary" because it means that Mary was "set apart" to be the mother of Jesus, who is God. Catholics can call water blessed by a priest "holy water" as it is water set apart or consecrated for special use by God. When we see that "kadosh" means set apart, we can use it to describe many ordinary things that have been consecrated or set apar
