What is the “Holy Kiss”?

 What is the “Holy Kiss”?

Q. Do the Scriptures require Christians to
“greet one another with a holy kiss?” And if
so, what does this mean? Should the men
kiss each other, should the men also kiss
the women? Is this commanded or just a
suggestion?
In the New Testament we have only 5
verses that talk about Christians and
“kissing.”

Rom. 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the
churches of Christ greet you.

1 Cor. 16:20
All the brethren greet you. Greet one
another with a holy kiss.

2 Cor. 13:12
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.

1 Pet. 5:14
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
The way the word “kiss” is used in the
Bible:
(qv”n: [nashaq]; [phileo], [kataphilo],
[philema]): The kiss is common in eastern
lands in salutation, etc., on the cheek, the
forehead, the beard, the hands, the feet,
but not the lips. In the Bible there is no
sure instance of the kiss in ordinary
salutation.

We have in the Old Testament naschaq,
“to kiss,” used

(1) of relatives (which seems the origin of
the practice of kissing; compare (Song of
Solomon 8:1), “Oh that thou wert as my
brother …. I would kiss thee; yea, and
none would despise me”); Genesis
27:26,27 (Isaac and Jacob); 29:11 (Jacob
and Rachel); 33:4 (Esau and Jacob); 45:15
(Joseph and his brethren); 48:10 (Jacob
and Joseph’s sons); 50:1 (Joseph and his
father); Exodus 4:27 (Aaron and Moses);
18:7 (Moses and Jethro, united with
obeisance); Ruth 1:9,14 (Naomi and her
daughters-in-law — a farewell); 2 Samuel
14:33 (David and Absalom); 1 Kings 19:20
(Elisha and his parents -a farewell); see
also Genesis 29:13; 31:28,55; 10:12.

(2) Of friendship and affection; compare 1
Samuel 20:41 (David and Jonathan);2
Samuel 15:5 (Absalom and those who
came to him);19:39 (David and Barzillai —
a farewell); 20:9 (Joab and Amasa);
Proverbs 27:6.

(3) Of love; compare Song of Solomon 1:2,
“Let him kiss me with the kisses
([neshiqah]) of his mouth”; Proverbs 7:13
(of the feigned love of “the strange
woman”).

(4) Of homage, perhaps; compare 1
Samuel 10:1 (Samuel after anointing David
king); Genesis 41:40, “Unto thy word shall
all my people be ruled,” the Revised
Version margin “order themselves,” or “do
homage,” the King James Version margin
“Hebrew be armed or kiss” ([nashaq]);
Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the son” (American
Standard Revised Version), the English
Revised Version margin “Some versions
render, `Lay hold of (or receive)
instruction’; others, `Worship in purity’ “;
some ancient versions give `Kiss (or, do
homage) purely.’

(5) Of idolatrous practices; compare 1
Kings 19:18; Hosea 13:2 (compare 8:5,6;
10:5); Job 31:27, probably, “kissing the
hand to the sun or moon” (compare
31:26,27).

(6) A figurative use may be seen in Psalm
85:10; Proverbs 24:26; Ezekiel 3:13, where
“touched” is [nashaq] (see the King James
Version margin).

(7) In Additions to Esther 13:13 we have “I
could have been content …. to kiss the
soles of his feet,” and in Ecclesiasticus
29:5, “Till he hath received, he will kiss a
man’s hands” — marks of self-humiliation
or abasement.

In the New Testament we have (phileo),
“to kiss,” “to be friendly,” and
[kataphileo], “to kiss thoroughly,” “to be
very friendly” — the first in Matthew
26:48; Mark 14:44; Luke 22:47, of the kiss
with which Judas betrayed his Master. This
was probably meant to be taken as an
expression of special regard, which is
expressed by the [kataphileo] of Matthew
26:49; Mark 14:45; the same word is used
of the woman who kissed the feet of Christ
( Luke 7:38,45); of the father’s greeting of
the returning prodigal (Luke 15:20); and of
the farewell to Paul of the Ephesian
Christians ( Acts 20:37);
[philema], “a kiss,” “a mark of friendship,”
is used by our Lord as that which Simon
omitted to give him (which may refer to
ordinary hospitality), but which the woman
had bestowed so impressively ( Luke 7:45);
of the kiss of Judas (Luke 22:48); and of
the “holy kiss” wherewith Christians
greeted each other, which, according to
the general usage we have seen, would be
as the members of one family in the Lord,
or as specially united in holy love ( Romans
16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians
13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14).

There is reason to believe that, as a rule,
men only thus greeted men, and women,
women. In the Apostolical Constitutions
(3rd century) it is so enjoined. W. L.
Walker (ISBE)

Questions regarding the “Holy Kiss”
1. Are Paul and Peter binding the kiss on
all Christians, in all cultures, and for all
ages?
2. If universally binding, how do we
determine how to administer the kiss
(neck, cheek, lips, etc., left to own
preference)?
3. If universally binding, is the kiss
generally practiced in gender segregation?
4. Is the holy kiss simply attempting to
require salutation without binding a
particular form and then regulating the
then prevailing form? (“Holy,” “kiss of
love.”)
According to Vine:
“There was to be an absence of formality
and hypocrisy, a freedom from prejudice
arising from social distinctions, from
discrimination against the poor, from
partiality towards the well-to-do. In the
churches masters and servants would thus
salute one another without any attitude of
condescension on the part of or disrespect
on the other. The kiss took place between
persons of the same sex” (Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W.
E.Vine).
From Manners & Customs of the Bible
Lands:
“Kissing. Guests in Holy Land homes
expect to be kissed as they enter. When
entertained by a Pharisee, Jesus
commented on his reception by saying to
him, ‘Thou gaveth me no kiss’ ( Luke 7: 45).
The difference between the Oriental and
the Occidental way of greeting each other
is made clear by one who lived in
Palestine many years.‘Here men shake
hands when they meet and greet, but in
Palestine, instead of doing this, they place
their right hand on their friend’s left
shoulder and kiss his right cheek, and then
reversing the action, place their left hand
on his right shoulder, and kiss his left
cheek…’”



credits: (Manners and Customs of Bible
www.scripturessay.com/).