Reference: Shechinah
Easton
a Chaldee word meaning resting-place, not found in Scripture, but used by the later Jews to designate the visible symbol of God's presence in the tabernacle, and afterwards in Solomon's temple. When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, he went before them "in a pillar of a cloud." This was the symbol of his presence with his people. For references made to it during the wilderness wanderings, see Ex 14:20; 40:34-38; Le 9:23-24; Nu 14:10; 16:19,42.
It is probable that after the entrance into Canaan this glory-cloud settled in the tabernacle upon the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. We have, however, no special reference to it till the consecration of the temple by Solomon, when it filled the whole house with its glory, so that the priests could not stand to minister (1Ki 8:10-13; 2Ch 5:13-14; 7:1-3). Probably it remained in the first temple in the holy of holies as the symbol of Jehovah's presence so long as that temple stood. It afterwards disappeared. (See Cloud.)
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And it came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel; and there was a dark cloud between them, and they went on through the night; but the one army came no nearer to the other all the night.
Then the cloud came down covering the Tent of meeting, and the House was full of the glory of the Lord; So that Moses was not able to go into the Tent of meeting, because the cloud was resting on it, and the House was full of the glory of the Lord. read more. And whenever the cloud was taken up from the House, the children of Israel went forward on their journey: But while the cloud was there, they made no move till it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was resting on the House by day, and at night there was fire in the cloud, before the eyes of all the people of Israel, and so it was through all their journeys.
And Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of meeting, and came out and gave the people a blessing, and the glory of the Lord was seen by all the people. And fire came out from before the Lord, burning up the offering on the altar and the fat: and when all the people saw it, they gave a loud cry, falling down on their faces.
But all the people said they were to be stoned. Then the glory of the Lord was seen in the Tent of meeting, before the eyes of all the children of Israel.
And Korah made all the people come together against them to the door of the Tent of meeting: and the glory of the Lord was seen by all the people.
Now when the people had come together against Moses and Aaron, looking in the direction of the Tent of meeting, they saw the cloud covering it, and the glory of the Lord came before their eyes.
Now when the priests had come out of the holy place, the house of the Lord was full of the cloud, So that the priests were not able to keep their places to do their work because of the cloud, for the house of the Lord was full of the glory of the Lord. read more. Then Solomon said, O Lord, to the sun you have given the heaven for a living-place, but your living-place was not seen by men; So I have made for you a living-place, a house in which you may be for ever present.
Fausets
SHECHINAH or SHEKINAH. Not found in the Bible, but in the targums. From shakan "to dwell," from whence comes mishkan "the tabernacle." God's visible manifestation in a cloudy pillar and fire; the glorious light, enveloped in a cloud and thence bursting forth at times (Ex 16:7-10), especially over the mercy-seat or capporeth. (See CLOUD, PILLAR OF.) Ex 13:21-22; 14:19-20). Its absence from Zerubbabel's temple is one of the five particulars reckoned by the Jews as wanting in the second temple. In the targums, Shekinah is used as a periphrasis for God whenever He is said to "dwell" in Zion, between the cherubims, etc., to avoid the semblance of materialism. They anticipated the Shekinah's return under Messiah; Hag 1:8 they paraphrase, "I will cause My Shekinah to dwell in it in glory"; Zec 2:10, "I will cause My Shekinah to dwell in the midst of thee," etc.
The continued presence of the Shekinah down to Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the temple seems implied in Joshua 3; 4; 6; Ps 68:1, compare Nu 10:35; Ps 132:8; 80:1; 99:1,7; Le 16:2. In the New Testament we find, corresponding to the Shekinah, "the glory of the Lord": Lu 2:9; compare De 33:2; Ac 7:2,53,55; Heb 2:2; 9:5; Ro 9:4 "the glory"; Joh 1:14, "the Word tabernacled (eskeenosen) among us, and we beheld His glory"; 2Co 4:6; 12:9, "that the power of Christ may tabernacle (episkeenosee) upon me"; Re 21:3. His coming again with clouds and fire is the antitype of this Shekinah (Mt 26:64; Lu 21:27; Ac 1:9,11; 1-28; 2Th 1:7-8; Re 1:7). Angels or cherubim generally accompany the Shekinah (Re 4:7-8; Ps 68:17; Zec 14:5). In Ge 3:24 is the earliest notice of the Shekinah as a swordlike flame between the cherubim, being the "Presence of Jehovah" from which Cain went out, and before which Adam and succeeding patriarchs worshipped.
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So he sent the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden he put winged ones and a flaming sword turning every way to keep the way to the tree of life.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, guiding them on their way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light: so that they were able to go on day and night: The pillar of cloud went ever before them by day, and the pillar of fire by night.
Then the angel of God, who had been before the tents of Israel, took his place at their back; and the pillar of cloud, moving from before them, came to rest at their back: And it came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel; and there was a dark cloud between them, and they went on through the night; but the one army came no nearer to the other all the night.
And in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord; for your angry words against the Lord have come to his ears: and what are we that you are crying out against us? And Moses said, The Lord will give you meat for your food at evening, and in the morning bread in full measure; for your outcry against the Lord has come to his ears: for what are we? your outcry is not against us but against the Lord. read more. And Moses said to Aaron, Say to all the people of Israel, Come near before the Lord for he has given ear to your outcry. And while Aaron was talking to the children of Israel, their eyes were turned in the direction of the waste land, and they saw the glory of the Lord shining in the cloud.
The Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, your brother, that he may not come at all times into the holy place inside the veil, before the cover which is on the ark, for fear that death may overtake him; for I will be seen in the cloud on the cover of the ark.
And when the ark went forward Moses said, Come up, O Lord, and let the armies of those who are against you be broken, and let your haters go in flight before you.
He said, The Lord came from Sinai, dawning on them from Seir; shining out from Mount Paran, coming from Meribath Kadesh: from his right hand went flames of fire: his wrath made waste the peoples.
Let God be seen, and let his haters be put to flight; let those who are against him be turned back before him.
The war-carriage of God is among Israel's thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai to the holy place.
Give ear, O Keeper of Israel, guiding Joseph like a flock; you who have your seat on the winged ones, let your glory be seen.
The Lord is King; let the peoples be in fear: his seat is on the winged ones; let the earth be moved.
His voice came to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his witness, and the law which he gave them.
Go up to the hills and get wood and put up the house; and I will take pleasure in it and be honoured, says the Lord.
Give songs of joy, O daughter of Zion: for I come, and I will make my resting-place among you, says the Lord.
And the valley will be stopped ... and you will go in flight as you went in flight from the earth-shock in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
Jesus says to him, You say so: but I say to you, From now you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.
And an angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining round about them: and fear came on them.
And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory.
And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time; and we saw his glory--such glory as is given to an only son by his father--saw it to be true and full of grace.
And when he had said these things, while they were looking, he was taken up, and went from their view into a cloud.
And said, O men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come again, in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
And he said, My brothers and fathers, give hearing. The God of glory came to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he was living in Haran,
You, to whom the law was given as it was ordered by angels, and who have not kept it.
But he was full of the Holy Spirit, and looking up to heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus at the right hand of God.
Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God:
Seeing that it is God who said, Let light be shining out of the dark, who has put in our hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me.
Because if the word which came through the angels was fixed, and in the past every evil act against God's orders was given its full punishment;
And over it were the winged ones of glory with their wings covering the mercy-seat; about which it is not possible now to say anything in detail.
See, he comes with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those by whom he was wounded; and all the tribes of the earth will be sorrowing because of him. Yes, so be it.
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second like an ox, and the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. And the four beasts, having every one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and inside: and without resting day and night, they say, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, Ruler of all, who was and is and is to come.
And there came to my ears a great voice out of the high seat, saying, See, the Tent of God is with men, and he will make his living-place with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God.
Morish
Shechi'nah Shekinah. Sheki'nah
A name not found in scripture, but used by the Rabbis and others for the visible symbol of the presence of God, as was seen at the dedication of the temple built by Solomon, and at the Transfiguration. See CLOUD.
Smith
Shechi'nah
(dwelling). This term is not found in the Bible. It was used by the later Jews, and borrowed by Christians from them, to express the visible majesty of the divine Presence especially when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the mercyseat. In the tabernacle and in the temple of Solomon, but not in the second temple. The use of the term is first found in the Targums, where it forms a frequent periphrasis for God, considered its dwelling among the children of Israel. The idea which the different accounts in Scripture convey is that of a most brilliant and glorious light, enveloped in a cloud, and usually concealed by the cloud, so that the cloud itself was for the most part alone visible but on particular occasions the glory appeared. The allusions in the New Testament to the shechinah are not unfrequent.
Lu 2:9; Joh 1:14; Ro 9:4
and we are distinctly taught to connect it with the incarnation and future coming of the Messiah as type with antitype.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And an angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining round about them: and fear came on them.
And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time; and we saw his glory--such glory as is given to an only son by his father--saw it to be true and full of grace.
Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God: