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 cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night.
And the cloud covereth the tent of meeting, and the honour of Jehovah hath filled the tabernacle; and Moses hath not been able to go in unto the tent of meeting, for the cloud hath tabernacled on it, and the honour of Jehovah hath filled the tabernacle. read more. And in the going up of the cloud from off the tabernacle the sons of Israel journey in all their journeys; and if the cloud go not up then they journey not, until the day of its going up: for the cloud of Jehovah is on the tabernacle by day, and fire is in it by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel in all their journeys.
And Moses goeth in -- Aaron also -- unto the tent of meeting, and they come out, and bless the people, and the honour of Jehovah appeareth unto all the people; and fire cometh out from before Jehovah, and consumeth on the altar the burnt-offering, and the fat; and all the people see, and cry aloud, and fall on their faces.
And all the company say to stone them with stones, and the honour of Jehovah hath appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the sons of Israel.
And Korah assembleth against them all the company unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and the honour of Jehovah is seen by all the company.
And it cometh to pass, in the company being assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turn towards the tent of meeting, and lo, the cloud hath covered it, and the honour of Jehovah is seen;
And it cometh to pass, in the going out of the priests from the holy place, that the cloud hath filled the house of Jehovah, and the priests have not been able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the honour of Jehovah hath filled the house of Jehovah. read more. Then said Solomon, 'Jehovah hath said to dwell in thick darkness; I have surely built a house of habitation for Thee; a fixed place for Thine abiding to the ages.'
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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yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.
and Jehovah is going before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give light to them, to go by day and by night; He removeth not the pillar of the cloud by day, and the pillar of the fire by night, from before the people.
And the messenger of God, who is going before the camp of Israel, journeyeth and goeth at their rear; and the pillar of the cloud journeyeth from their front, and standeth at their rear, and cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night.
and morning -- and ye have seen the honour of Jehovah, in His hearing your murmurings against Jehovah, and what are we, that ye murmur against us?' And Moses saith, 'In Jehovah's giving to you in the evening flesh to eat, and bread in the morning to satiety -- in Jehovah's hearing your murmurings, which ye are murmuring against Him, and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against Jehovah.' read more. And Moses saith unto Aaron, 'Say unto all the company of the sons of Israel, Come ye near before Jehovah, for He hath heard your murmurings;' and it cometh to pass, when Aaron is speaking unto all the company of the sons of Israel, that they turn towards the wilderness, and lo, the honour of Jehovah is seen in the cloud.
yea, Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Speak unto Aaron thy brother, and he cometh not in at all times unto the sanctuary within the vail, unto the front of the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark, and he dieth not, for in a cloud I am seen upon the mercy-seat.
And it cometh to pass in the journeying of the ark, that Moses saith, 'Rise, O Jehovah, and Thine enemies are scattered, and those hating Thee flee from Thy presence.'
and he saith: -- 'Jehovah from Sinai hath come, And hath risen from Seir for them; He hath shone from mount Paran, And hath come with myriads of holy ones; At His right hand are springs for them.
To the Overseer. -- A Psalm, a song of David. Rise doth God -- scattered are His enemies! And those hating Him flee from His face.
The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of changes, The Lord is among them, in Sinai, in the sanctuary.
To the Overseer. -- 'On the Lilies.' A testimony of Asaph. -- A Psalm. Shepherd of Israel, give ear, Leading Joseph as a flock, Inhabiting the cherubs -- shine forth,
Jehovah hath reigned, peoples tremble, The Inhabitant of the cherubs, the earth shaketh.
In a pillar of cloud He speaketh unto them, They have kept His testimonies, And the statute He hath given to them.
Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength,
Go up the mountain, and ye have brought in wood, And build the house, and I am pleased with it. And I am honoured, said Jehovah.
Singe, and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, For lo, I am coming, and have dwelt in thy midst, An affirmation of Jehovah.
And ye have fled to the valley of My mountains, For join doth the valley of the mountains to Azal, And ye have fled as ye fled before the shaking, In the days of Uzziah king of Judah, And come in hath Jehovah my God, All holy ones are with Thee.
Jesus saith to him, 'Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.'
and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear.
'And then they shall see the Son of Man, coming in a cloud, with power and much glory;
And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.
And these things having said -- they beholding -- he was taken up, and a cloud did receive him up from their sight;
who also said, 'Men, Galileans, why do ye stand gazing into the heaven? this Jesus who was received up from you into the heaven, shall so come in what manner ye saw him going on to the heaven.'
and he said, 'Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken: The God of the glory did appear to our father Abraham, being in Mesopotamia, before his dwelling in Haran,
who received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep it.'
and being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked stedfastly to the heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
who are Israelites, whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the service, and the promises,
because it is God who said, Out of darkness light is to shine, who did shine in our hearts, for the enlightening of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
and He said to me, 'Sufficient for thee is My grace, for My power in infirmity is perfected;' most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest on me:
for if the word being spoken through messengers did become stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience did receive a just recompense,
and over it cherubim of the glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat, concerning which we are not now to speak particularly.
Lo, he doth come with the clouds, and see him shall every eye, even those who did pierce him, and wail because of him shall all the tribes of the land. Yes! Amen!
and the first living creature is like a lion, and the second living creature is like a calf, and the third living creature hath the face as a man, and the fourth living creature is like an eagle flying. And the four living creatures, each by itself severally, had six wings, around and within are full of eyes, and rest they have not day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is coming;'
and I heard a great voice out of the heaven, saying, 'Lo, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them -- 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.
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and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear.
And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.
who are Israelites, whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the lawgiving, and the service, and the promises,