Often people say to me well what do you think the glory is? I speak a lot about the glory and have been very influenced by the people big in the glory. it is when the invisible qualities of G-d are made visible. The Lord is here and his Spirit is with us and His presence is made visible.

Having spent so much of my life in my beloved Baghdad I am used to living in different Zones. Baghdad was divided into different Zones. The Green Zone (secure area) and Red Zone (Open Area which was not secure). My team in the UK call my room the Glory Zone. So, I spend my time in so many different areas from war zones like Iraq to places like my beloved Jerusalem but all these places are part of the glory zone. Why because the presence of Ha Shem is always with me. When I even just mention the Hebrew name of G-d Hashem I am made acutely aware of the glory of G-d and His presence with me becomes visible.

I can think of so many times when this has happened. People have often been healed, other times people have become engaged and got married a variety of truly supernatural things.

The name glory comes from the Latin Gloria and in essence it simply means the fame of G-d. It is used as a word to depict the manifestations of the Almighty my understanding of this predominantly comes from the Jeudao Christian tradition, though to me it is also interesting to see what the other faith traditions teach about glory. The Glory is a central theme at the very heart of Christianity. It is a central aspect of the very definition of our faith. G-d is in essence the very heart of what glory is about. Which cones back once again to the invisible becoming visible.

The word glory is at the very heart of Christian worship one only has to think of how central the word Gloria is to our Christmas Carols and worship. There is no more common theme in our worship and praise. 

If we are looking at the Judao Christian roots of the meaning it is vital that we look at the meaning of glory in the Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek. There is much in the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament on this subject. In the Torah the main words used for glory are Hod (הוד) and kavod (כָּבוֹד).

When you come to look at these words in the Hebrew tradition you can’t just simply translate the words. They are words which have great mystical significance. They really find there meaning in the Hasidic mystical tradition. This is the Jewish tradition that I love the most, I was a student with them and studied at one of their Yeshivot (seminaries). These are the Jews with big black or furry hats, long black clothes ringlets, long beards fulfilling most people’s classical view of what an Orthodox Rabbi looks like. When you come to look at the word Hod we immediately enter the mystery of the (Kabbalah) the very heart of Hassidic mystery. A practice when the heart of Judaism is the acceptable ways of the divine but when separated from Torah has become an occultic trend which is in essence a dangerous evil science.

The word Hod is seen as representing majesty, splendour and glory, so as we see the explanation of the meaning of Hod we see the very demonstration of the nature of glory. So Hod is also seen as the representation of the tree of life which gives birth to the very nature and direction of the Almighty.  

Whilst Hod is the most significant word for glory it is not the only one. Another word of great significance that is used for glory is Kavod. It is used two hundred times in the Hebrew scriptures, its root meaning indicates heaviness. In Exodus 17:12 we see that the hands of Moses were heavy because of the glory of G-D. 

It was often used when the matter was very grave and serious such as when Moses’ hands were heavy) as well as something that is grave, serious, or weighty. Drawing on parallels in Scriptures such as Psalm 3:3, “But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head,” author Jeff A. Benner sees the “original concrete meaning” referring to battle armaments, which were heavy.

As we look at scripture the term we see so often is “The glory of the Lord” the phrase is used 35 times in Hebrew Scriptures. We remember situations of Moses at the burning bush, the thunder lightening and the smoke on Mount Sinai the amazing stories of the pillar of cloud by day and the fire by night all evidence of the presence of the Almighty at significant times of the holy tabernacle and Temple. The Glory of G-d was seen as the presence of G-d in his glory but not the physical presence of G-d himself it id the revelation of the Almighty amongst that which is profane. When we see the presence of G-d in the wilderness we see His Glory in a very visual way as the people enter the promised land and His Kavod was literally seen leaving the temple when Nebuchdnezzar destroyed it as witnessed by Ezekiel in Ezek 11.23.

Many Rabbinic Scholars has referred to Kavod as one of the strangest words in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is clear that the root of the word actually means heavy. It broader meaning is Honour or Glory of the Lord the presentation of a medal to somebody is often seen as an act of Kavod.

The third reference to the Glory in the OT is one of the best known to Christians. Shekinah Glory this is the term that is most regularly used in Christian circles and yet it is never properly pronounced. The accurate Hebrew pronunciation is the Shehina. This is not a biblical term but one that was put together by post Biblical Rabbis.

Many believe kavod and shekinah are identical in meaning, so understanding shekinah can give us a better understanding of kavod. Though shekinah, the noun form, is not found in the Bible, the verb form shachan is. Shachan means “to settle, inhabit, or dwell” but it doesn’t mean simply to live in a house, as a man would by himself for a temporary time; it is a continual dwelling in the midst of a people. In his book Zechariah and Jewish Renewal, Fred P. Miller notes that the closest the Bible comes to using shekinah is in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits [shokeyn]eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit…”

If the two words are identical, then kavod is the “dwelling” presence of God. Sometimes it is visibly seen, while other times, it is present but not seen. For Christians, our bodies are now the temples where God dwells within (1 Cor. 6:19). Yet, He wants His kavod to be seen: “Let your light [another aspect of kavod] so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Much of this explanation of the Biblical understanding of glory is very theoretical. In reality it is totally experiential. As I stand back and look at glory in my work and ministry it is totally experiential. The fact that it is about seeing the invisible becoming visible. There are countless stories that I could tell here about the glory the theory is one thing but at the end of the day it is and has always been experiential. I know that I could not have done my work without the true experience of the presence of the glory of the Lord. Miracles, signs and wonders are not just theological ideologies they are actual life changing realities for me and others. How I praise G-d for living in the reality of His life transforming glory and I simply say the “The Lord is here and His Spirit is with me”. Amen