One of the most well-known Biblical events that revealed God's presence took place when the Ark of the Covenant was moved to its permanent home inside the temple. "Then it came to pass when the priests had come out of the Holy of Holies, the cloud filled the house of the Lord. And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:10 - 11, HBFV). Shekinah is used in Jewish writings known as Targums, translations of the Old Testament into Aramaic, to denote God or the manifestation of His glory, symbolizing his presence. This Hebrew word, not found in the Old Testament, means "that which dwells" or "the dwelling." * Why Is It Used? * The word Shekinah is used in the Targums to mitigate Biblical expressions that imply or state that God has a human form or possesses human-like attributes. This was done because such expressions were deemed improper. "These rabbis spoke of the Shekinah to encourage Israelites to have a higher idea of God. They wanted people to think of him as a dazzling light or a shining presence, rather than as a human-like figure with physical features such as hands, arms, eyes, mouth, and the like." (AMG Concise Bible Dictionary). * The Teachings of Men * Jesus warned of the human tendency to follow our traditions and Biblical interpretations instead of or replacing what God intended (see Matthew 15:2 14, Mark 7:1 13). The use of Shekinah is an erroneous attempt to "improve" Scripture rather than accepting it, as written, as the truth. |
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