To dedicate something is to set it apart or to install it, usually for God and his service. According to the book of Leviticus, the Israelites could dedicate (KJV: “sanctify”; NRSV: “consecrate”) animals (27:9–13), houses (27:14–15), and fields (27:16–24), which could be redeemed in most cases; people could be dedicated as well (27:2–8). Additionally, individuals could dedicate themselves by making a Nazirite vow (Num. 6:2–21). Spoils of war could be dedicated to God (e.g., 2 Sam. 8:11–12; 1 Chron. 26:27). However, the kings of Judah dedicated (some versions: “gave”) horses to the sun (2 Kings 23:11).

The word khanukkah, translated “dedication,” and a related verb denote the ceremonial dedication of the tabernacle’s sacrificial altar (e.g., Num. 7:10), of the first and the second temple (e.g., 1 Kings 8:63; Ezra 6:16–17), of Nehemiah’s wall (Neh. 12:27), and of Nebuchadnezzar’s image (Dan. 3:2–3). The Jewish holiday Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22), commemorates the purification of the temple during the intertestamental period.