A common practice in the days of the writing of the Old and New Testaments was the use of repetition to emphasize the importance of what was being said. For example, Jesus sometimes prefaced His teachings with the phrase, “Truly, truly, I say unto you….” This was His way of emphasizing that what He was getting ready to say was truth and worthy of His listeners’ utmost attention. It is similar to our putting an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. It emphasizes the importance of what is being said. A few times in the Bible, instead of being repeated, a word is written three times in a row to elevate what is being said to the highest level of importance. It was the ultimate emphasis, like multiple exclamation points running across the page. Of the few times this is done in the Bible, only twice is it done in reference to God’s character. Isaiah 6:3 says, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,” and Revelation 4:8 says, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty.” Both times the Scriptures’ “three-peat” raises the emphasis of His holiness to the highest level of all His attributes. It is important to note that these verses do not say, “Mercy, mercy, mercy is the Lord of hosts” or “Love, love, love is the Lord of hosts.” He is full of mercy and He is full of love, but He is first and foremost holy.
Psalm 89:35 says, “Once I have sworn by My holiness.” In commenting on this verse, Arthur Pink says, “God swears by His holiness because that is a fuller expression of Himself than anything else”. He goes on to quote John Howe (writer from the 1600s) who described the holiness of God as the “attribute of attributes…that runs through the rest of God’s attributes…and casts a glow upon them”. His justice is a holy justice. His righteousness is a holy righteousness. His love is a holy love. “His name, which signifies all of His attributes together, is holy”. “Holy is His name.” “All that is within me, bless His holy name.”