THE    SHEKINAH   GLORY

  If you have been a Christian for any length of time, or if you are Jewish, you have no doubt heard about the "Shekinah Glory". This is the Hebrew expression for the "Very Presence of God". You probably also know that the specific word "Shekinah" does not occur in the Hebrew Old Testament but is found in many extra Biblical (outside of the Bible) writings. But the primary form of the word (the root) from which Shekinah is a derivative does indeed occur often in Scripture and is usually translated "Dwell". I would like to consider this idea of God  “Dwelling”.  

 "SHEKINAH" is found first in the Chaldee Targums, some dated before the time of Jesus, where it is used by the Jewish writers to express what they understood to be the very presence of God, God Himself dwelling in the cloud of glory.  These "Targums" are paraphrases of parts of the O.T. written in the Chaldee language. They are not included in the inspired O.T. canon however and in fact are mixed with much error and could quite possibly be the very works condemned by Jesus in Mark 7:6-9.  They do have some value in that they give us a record of how the ancient Jews used this word "Shekinah".  Take for an example Psalm 74:2, in the King James Version: "This Mount Zion, wherein Thou hast dwelt", is rendered in the Targum "This Mount Zion, wherein Thou hast made Thy Shekinah to dwell."  Another interesting practice was to translate the O.T. word LORD with "The Word of The Lord". The KJV at Num 10:35,36 says And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.  And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel. This latter part becomes in the Targum "Return now, O Word of the LORD, to Thy people Israel, make the glory of Thy Shekinah to dwell among them, and have mercy on the thousands of Israel." 

The "Shekinah" then was a term for God and His abiding presence. One more example: Compare the KJV at Numbers 11:20 reads Because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you. with the Chaldee Targum which says "Because ye have contemptuously rejected the Word of the LORD whose Shekinah dwelleth among you." For some possible allusions to the Shekinah in the Bible, see below Isa. 60:2, Mt. 17:5, Lk. 2:9 and Rom. 9:4.

One of the clearest revelations God has given us throughout the entire Bible is His desire to dwell with His people.  We have many times rehearsed the tragic fall of Adam, not only into sin but also from perfect fellowship with the Father and how the entire history of redemption begun immediately after the fall reveals the glorious work of God which alone is able to restore mankind to the place where he is again permitted to be in the very presence of that same Eternal Glory. Even before God drove man out of the Garden of Eden, He communicated in His Word the precious promise of a Redeemer in Gen. 3:15.  which verse refers of course to Mary the Mother of our Lord and the conflict of the ages between her Son and Satan the enemy of our soul.

His Presence appeared to various individuals, sometimes in the Person of the Angel of the Lord. He was seen in the Burning Bush by Moses, then in the Fire by night and the Cloud by day to the children of Israel. He dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant, and inhabited the Temple with His Glory after the dedication offered up by Solomon II Chron.7:1,2.  He dwelt among men in Christ fully and bodily, and now dwells in us by the Holy Spirit Who (The Spirit) is Himself the pledge that even as Jesus was raised from the dead and is with the Father, even so shall we who are in the family of God by His grace through faith in the finished work of His own dear Son, some day dwell in the very presence of God for all eternity. Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

Now let us notice how wonderfully the Lord has used human language and words to reveal Spiritual truth to us. Focus on the word intently until you see what the Apostle John saw as he penned his Gospel. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

(John 1:1, 14)

 Two of the words in John 1:14 are important in their relationship between the Hebrew O.T. and the Greek version known as the Septuagint.  First you will find that the Hebrew word DABAR, usually translated "word" in our Bible was represented in the Greek version by the word LOGOS and that the two are very nearly exact in meaning. Second, when these Jewish scholars were translating the Hebrew word SHAHKAN, "to dwell", and the related noun MISHKAN, "Tabernacle", they chose the Greek word SKAYNO and the related noun SKAYNAY, again meaning "to dwell" and "tabernacle". It is obvious that John wants to connect the Abiding Presence of God in the O.T. with the Glorious Presence of God in Christ. This is confirmed when we realize that somewhere in the ancient history of languages, both the Hebrew word and the Greek word must have had a common ancestor. Such words in different languages that come from the same family of words are called "Cognates". Most philologists (language lovers) believe that original language consisted only of consonants and that vowels are a later addition to insure verbal pronunciation from written sources. This being so, we find that the Hebrew SHAHKAN and the Greek SKAYNAY minus their vowels each have the three radicals (consonants) (S) (K) (N) I underline them for you. There is no doubt that John was thinking about the Shekinah Glory, the Tabernacle, the Theophanies (God manifesting Himself physically), and the Temple of Solomon, when he tells us that The Word is Eternal that the Word is God that everything exists because of the Word. The Word is Light, the Word became flesh, and dwelt, i.e. "Tabernacled", "Abode", among us, and His followers saw the Glory, the Shekinah Glory, the Abiding Presence, that declared and proved Him to be what He said He was, the Only Begotten of the Father, and the One full of Grace and Truth. 

Who would dare to deny that this brings us face to face with the truth that the Lord Jesus is indeed the same God who revealed Himself to Israel?  Who would deny that when our Lord ascended on high Acts 1:9, and "a cloud received Him out of their sight", that this was the same Glory-Cloud called by the Jews "the Shekinah" or "dwelling presence" of the Lord?  This cloud was that visible symbol of the full Glory which He left behind in order to come down to earth to redeem us. He is coming again in that same Glory-Cloud, "And they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great Glory" Lk. 21:27 "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown." Rev. 14:14. Our Glorious Lord is coming soon! We shall behold His glory John 17:24.  In the meanwhile we have this Treasure in earthen vessels. II Cor. 4:7 

                                                                                             Hayden

 NOTES:

TARGUM  (Tar' guhm) Early translations of the Bible into Aramaic, the native language of Palestine and Babylon in the first century A.D. Targum, in its verbal Hebrew form, means "to explain, to translate." The most important of these translations still in existence is Targum Onkelos which was probably read weekly in synagogue services from a relatively early date. The targums are not simply translations but seem to include a large amount of biblical commentary that perhaps reflects sermons in Jewish Palestinian synagogues. Therefore, the material is of interest to New Testament scholars who attempt to understand the Judaism of which Jesus was a part.

From Stephenson Humphries-Brooks’ article “Targum”  Holman’s Bible Dictionary. 

 Mark 7:6-9          He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Isaiah 60:2            For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Matthew 17:5       While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Luke 2:9            And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Rom. 9:4                Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Gen. 3:15              And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

II Chron 7:1,2   Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.

Septuagint      Several hundred years  before Christ a large Jewish population lived in Egypt, especially in and around Alexandria. They were therefore, geographically and socially separated from the Holy Land and their native tongue.  By this time the Greek language was predominant in much of the world, and in Alexandria the Jews were loosing their ability to read and understand the Hebrew Bible. A team from Israel brought the scrolls to Egypt and according to tradition, 70 scholars completed the work on the Island of Pharos in 70 days, and hence the name "Septuagint" meaning seventy, sometimes designated by the Roman numeral LXX. The writers of the N.T. books frequently quoted from the LXX rather than from the traditional Hebrew text.  (cf. New Bible Dictionary, Unger's Bible Dictionary, or Josephus' Antiquities 12.2.1ff for historical [read legendary] details.)

For further study, you may wish to examine the following words, given with the number under which they are found in your Hebrew and Greek Dictionary in the back of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

                N ka wA      (Shah-kan)      Strong's O.T.              # 7931  "To Dwell"

               d O b KA       (Kah-vodt)                                            3519  "Glory"

           h rA xA p; T       (Tiph-ah-rah)                                          8597  "Glory"

                  r bA DA      (Dah-vahr)                                            1697  "Word"

                     lo<goj       (LOGOS)       Strong's N.T.              # 3056  "Word"                      

                    skh<nw      (SKAY-NO)                                         4637  "To Dwell"

SHAKAN              Strong’s #7931. shakan, shaw-kan'; a prim. root [appar. akin (by transm.) to H7901 through the idea of lodging; comp. H5531, H7925]; to reside or permanently stay (lit. or fig.):--abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er), have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).

KABOD                 Strong’s #3519. kabod, kaw-bode properly weight; but only fig. in a good sense, splendor or copiousness:--glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able).

TIPHARAH          Strong’s #8597. tiph'arah, tif-aw-raw'; or  tiph'ereth, tif-eh'-reth;  ornament, beauty (-iful), bravery, comely, fair, glory (-ious), honour, majesty.

DABAR                 Strong’s #1697.  daw-bawr';  a word; by implication a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adv. a cause:--act, advice, affair, answer,  any such (thing), + because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment,  commune (-ication), + concern [-ing], + confer, counsel, + dearth, decree, deed,  disease, due, duty, effect, + eloquent, errand, [evil favoured-] ness, + glory, + harm, hurt, + iniquity, + judgment, language, + lying, manner, matter, message, [no] thing, oracle,  ought,  parts, + pertaining, + please, portion, + power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request,  (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some [uncleanness], somewhat to say, + song, speech,  spoken, talk, task, + that,  there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings, what [-soever], + wherewith, which, word, work.

LOGOS                 Strong’s #3056. logos, log'-os; from G3004; something said (including the thought); by impl. a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extens. a computation; spec. (with the art. in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):--account, cause, communication,  concerning, doctrine, fame,  have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say (-ing), shew,  speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.