The preparation of the Temple is described by two terms: ‘purify’ (ṭhr) and ‘sanctify’ (qdš). Notwithstanding some unclarity at the beginning of v. 17, ‘purify’ denotes the cleansing, the deliverance of the Temple from a state of ‘pollution’, the removal of an essentially negative condition; ‘sanctify’ or ‘hallow’ goes beyond ‘purity’ and brings the Temple to the elevated state of sanctity.
