Latin: Dominus Deus Sabaoth
Hebrew: sabaoth yhwhṣ ebā’ôt ~ Greek: Kyrios sabaoth
The Holy, Holy, Holy or the Sanctus has been a part of the Mass from the first century AD and its Jewish roots go back even farther. The first part of that chant is based upon Isaiah 6:3 and Daniel 7:10. The second part is based on Mt 21:9. The Sanctus unites our voices with those of the angels and saints in heaven into one song of praise to God.
After the opening declaration known as the Tersanctus or Thrice holy comes the English expression “Lord God of Hosts” which in Latin original is Dominus Deus Sabaoth. It is an expression which is a bit tricky to properly understand. The word Sabaoth is preserved in the Latin phrase as a word directly adopted from the Hebrew. As an expressed notion, it almost always has military overtones and, so, Lord God of the armies would be a possible translation. The acclamation, then, is an affirmation that God has royal power over the universe, over the hosts of stars and reigning over all creation.
The compound expression Yahweh Sabaoth (Heb. Adonai Tzva’ot) is one of the most widely used names for God in the Old Testament, occurring nearly three-hundred times. The majority of those usages can be found in the prophetic writings. The name Sabaoth comes from the Hebrew word meaning “that which goes forth” and, hence, it implies armies or hosts. Identifying the Lord as Yahweh Sabaoth declares that God reigns over heaven and earth and Yahweh rules above all armies, both earthly and spiritual. Its first appearance in the Old Testament is in connection with the sanctuary at Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was housed. Shiloh was the central Israelite sanctuary during the time of judges. The ark, the symbol of Yahweh’s presence, was carried into battle as a sacred palladium.
The title Yahweh Sabaoth would describe Israel’s God as the supreme commander of its armies, a warrior who led the armies or hosts of Israel into battle. The title, however, was later used by the Prophets in a more universal sense to designate the Lord of the universe. Sabaoth is sometimes taken to refer to the angels who serve at the throne of the Almighty. Sabaoth could also possibly refer to the stars, which in their orderly sweep across the night sky suggest the movement of an army on the march.
Given the variety of meanings associated with the term, sabaoth is often left untranslated, which is the case with the Latin version of the Holy, Holy, Holy (Lat. Dominus Deus Sabaoth) or in the traditional English Book of Common Prayer translation of the hymn Te Deum (Lat. Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth) or in the ICEL translation of that prayer translated as Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew (or LXX), the Hebrew term is rendered as kyrios sabaoth which is quoted in the New Testament in the Letter to the Romans (Rom 9:29) by the Greek expression Κύριος Σαβαὼθ. Traditionally that title is rendered, in English, as Lord of the Sabaoth or, elsewhere, as kyrios pantokrator. The latter expression kurios pantokrator is often rendered in English as “Deus omnipotens” or “Almighty God”. The recognized holiness of God’s name and some of the compound names that demonstrate the character and attributes of God. In the Hebrew and Greek, these are proper names, although many English translations use them as descriptions in order to more fully capture the meaning.
Nature and dignity 