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Summary
- The glory of God is God himself made visible: his weight, splendour and goodness shown to people. It is also the honour we give him, as in the angels’ song, “Glory to God in the highest.”
- The Hebrew word kabod comes from a verb meaning “to be heavy”, the same verb God uses when he says, “Honour thy father and thy mother.”
- The Greek word doxa first meant opinion or reputation, and because the Greek Old Testament used it for kabod, it came to mean brightness and splendour.
- In the wilderness the glory of the LORD appeared in a cloud and filled the tabernacle, and later it filled Solomon’s temple.
- Moses asked to see God’s glory and was allowed to see only his back, because no one could see God’s face and live.
- John 1:14 says the Word “dwelt among us”, using a Greek verb that means to pitch a tent, and that “we beheld his glory” in Jesus.
- We glorify God by letting his goodness be seen in what we do, and Scripture ends with a city lit by the glory of God alone.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- The Holy Bible, King James Version (public domain), quoted from BibleGateway: Genesis 13:2, 31:1; Exodus 16:10, 20:12, 24:17, 25:8, 33:18–23, 34:30, 40:34–35; 1 Kings 8:11; Psalms 8:5, 19:1, 29:2; Isaiah 6:3, 42:8; Ezekiel 1:28, 10:18, 43:4–5; Matthew 5:16; Luke 2:9, 2:14, 9:32; John 1:14, 1:18, 2:11, 17:5; Romans 3:23, 8:18; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 3:7, 3:18, 4:6; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 21:23.
- Strong’s Hebrew 3513, kabad, 3515, kabed, and 3519, kabod, with the Brown–Driver–Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), Bible Hub; Hebrew text of Genesis 13:2, 31:1, Exodus 20:12 and 33:18 (Westminster Leningrad Codex), Bible Hub text analysis.
- Strong’s Greek 1391, doxa, and 4637, skenoo, with Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), Bible Hub.
- “Shekinah”, Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), jewishencyclopedia.com.
- Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book IV, chapter 20, translated by Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1 (1885), New Advent; “St. Irenaeus”, Catholic Encyclopedia (1910), New Advent.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 293–294, Holy See.
- Orthodox Church in America, The Orthodox Faith, volume 2, “Worship”: “Transfiguration”, oca.org.
- The Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647), question 1, Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
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