ordained

Everyday

1. Ordained means made a priest, minister or religious leader in a special ceremony. tree →
2. (formal) Ordained means ordered or decided by someone with power, like a law or a king. tree →
3. Ordained can mean decided by fate or by God. tree →

In the lessons

It appears in religious education and history about priests, ministers and rabbis. In old stories it shows something was meant to happen or was commanded. Phrases: «be ordained a priest», «ordained minister», «divinely ordained».

Examples

• He was ordained a priest last year. tree →
• She is an ordained minister in her church. tree →
• The ordained leader blessed the children. tree →
• The king ordained that a feast be held. tree →
• In the story, it seemed ordained that they would meet. tree →
• Only ordained ministers could lead the service. tree →
• Our vicar was ordained in the cathedral. tree →
• The rules were ordained long ago. tree →
• And so the Emperor ordained that a bridge should be made the whole way. tree →

Note

Regular verb: ordain, ordained. Mostly used in the passive: «was ordained». Formal or religious word; ordinary speech uses «made a priest» or «ordered». Related noun: ordination.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means set up or established by God, as in "God ordained a covenant."

Interpretation. Sefer Yetzirah says God set a covenant on the toes and on the fingers, and that He made the thirty-two paths of wisdom, which the tradition counts as the ten Sefirot and twenty-two letters.

Examples

• God ordained a covenant between the toes of his feet, that of circumcision; and a covenant between the fingers of his hands, that of the Tongue. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
• Thirty-two mysterious ways has the Lord, Lord of hosts, ordained through Scribe, Script, and Scroll. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• "Thirty-two mysterious ways has the Lord, the Lord of hosts, ordained through Scribe, Script and Scroll." (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• Thou hast ordained Thy precepts, that we should observe them diligently. (Writings PSA.119.4, JPS 1917) tree →
• O LORD, Thou hast ordained them for judgment, and Thou, O Rock, hast established them for correction. (Prophets HAB.1.12, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Regular verb: ordain, ordained. Mostly used in the passive: «was ordained». Formal or religious word; ordinary speech uses «made a priest» or «ordered». Related noun: ordination.