1 Chronicles 16:27 — Word Study
WLCה֤וֹד וְהָדָר֙ לְפָנָ֔יו עֹ֥ז וְחֶדְוָ֖ה בִּמְקֹמֽוֹ׃
BSASplendorhôwd [glory, majestic appearance] and majestyhâdâr [honor, excellence] are before Himpânîym [in His presence, face to face] strengthʻôz [power, might] and joychedvâh [gladness, celebration] fill His dwellingmâqôwm [sanctuary, holy place]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| ה֤וֹד | splendor | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וְהָדָר֙ | and majesty | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| לְפָנָ֔יו | [are] before him | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| עֹ֥ז | strength | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וְחֶדְוָ֖ה | and joy | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| בִּמְקֹמֽוֹ׃ | [are] in place his | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling. |
| KJV | Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. |
| ASV | Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and gladness are in his place. |
| YLT | Honour and majesty [are] before Him, Strength and joy [are] in His place. |
| WEB | Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and gladness are in his place. |
| BBE | Honour and glory are before him: strength and joy are in his holy place. |
Where they part company is בִּמְקֹמֽוֹ — see How Translations Differ.
Two main clauses, each describing attributes of God and their presence in His dwelling.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 16:27
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Greatness of Godgenerated
1 Chronicles 16:27 celebrates the splendor and majesty of God, emphasizing His strength and joy that fill His dwelling. This verse is part of a larger context where the psalmist calls upon the nations to recognize the Lord's sovereignty and glory, contrasting Him with the idols of the nations. It serves as a reminder of God's greatness and the appropriate response of worship from His people.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 8:1 | O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. |
| 2 | Psalm 16:11 | You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. |
| 3 | Psalm 63:2–3 | So I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. |
| 4 | John 17:24 | Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. |
| 5 | Psalm 27:4–6 | One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 8 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הוֹד, Hodgenerated
The Hebrew word הוֹד (*hod*) is a noun that conveys ideas of splendor, glory, and majestic appearance. It denotes an impressive quality, often used in poetic contexts to describe the grandeur associated with God, as seen in other passages like Psalm 138:5.
This word is derived from an unused root and carries the sense of beauty and magnificence. Its use here emphasizes the glorious nature of God's presence, highlighting how splendor is a fundamental aspect of His being.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses splendor and majesty to describe God's attributes.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is built around two main clauses, each beginning with a noun phrase that describes attributes of God. The first clause, הוֹד וְהָדָר֙, serves as the subject, while the second clause, עֹ֥ז וְחֶדְוָ֖ה, follows similarly, emphasizing the qualities that fill His dwelling.
This arrangement highlights the parallelism in Hebrew poetry, where the two sets of attributes complement each other, reinforcing the overall theme of God's majesty and the joy found in His presence.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, הוֹד is rendered as δόχα — meaning 'glory'. This choice aligns with the Hebrew sense of splendor but also suggests a broader interpretation of divine glory as recognized in the Greek context.
The term וְהָדָר is translated as ἔπαινος, which means 'praise'. This indicates an emphasis on the response of worship that God's attributes elicit from His people.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 16:27 tells us that God's splendor and majesty are present with Him, and His dwelling is filled with strength and joy. This verse highlights the greatness of God and the appropriate response of worship from the nations.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God's presence is characterized by His glorious attributes, which are evident to all who come before Him.
This indicates that God's sanctuary is a place of power and gladness, reflecting His nature and the joy of His people in His presence.
Ascribing glory to the Lord acknowledges His sovereignty and greatness, which is a central theme in worship and recognition of His divine nature.
We can experience God's strength and joy through worship, prayer, and by recognizing His presence in our lives, which brings comfort and gladness.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What attributes of God do you find most comforting or inspiring, and why?
- How can you incorporate a sense of joy and strength into your worship practices?
- In what ways do you see God's splendor reflected in creation around you?
- How can you encourage others to recognize and celebrate God's greatness in their lives?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 16:27 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryGive thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 16 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4-42) THE OF A FOR THE ARK. THE ODE SUNG ON THE DAY OF . This entire section is peculiar to the Chronicle. 1 Chronicles 16:43 is almost identical with 2 Samuel 6:19-20. Compared, then, with the older text, this relation of the chronicler’s looks like a parenthesis interpolated from another source into the history, as narrated in 2 Samuel 6:12-20.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 16 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges27. Glory and honour] R.V. Honour and majesty. are in his presence] R.V. are before him, i.e. are His, belong to Him as His attributes. Perhaps also before him refers to God’s abode in heaven, while the parallel expression in his place (Psalms 96:6, in his sanctuary) refers to His temple on earth. strength and gladness] Psalms 96:6, strength and beauty. The reference seems to be to the strength and gladness (or beauty) which God bestows on Israel (Psalms 68:35; Isaiah 61:3). in his place] Read with Psalms 96:6, in his sanctuary. Cp. the two preceding notes.
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 16 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling.
Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and gladness are in his place.
Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling.
Majestic splendor emanates from him, he is the source of strength and joy.
Tyndale line
Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and gladness are in his place.
Honour and majesty are before him: strength and gladness are in his place.
Glory and honor are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Prayse and glory are before him: power and beautie are in his place.
Strictly literal
Majesty and splendour are before him; Strength and gladness in his place.
Honour and majesty [are] before Him, Strength and joy [are] in His place.
Splendor and majesty [are] before Him, || Strength and joy [are] in His place.
Majesty and honor are in his presence, strength and gladness are in his place.
Splendor and majesty are in his presence. Strength and joy are in his place.
From the Latin
Praise and magnificence are before him: strength and joy in his place.
Simplified
Splendor and majesty are his; power and glory are in his sanctuary.
Honour and glory are before him: strength and joy are in his holy place.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text states, "ה֤וֹד וְהָדָר֙ לְפָנָ֔יו עֹ֥ז וְחֶדְוָ֖ה בִּמְקֹמֽוֹ׃" which translates to "Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in meaning and word correspondence, matching all six words, although the order and articles may differ due to the nature of Greek syntax. There are no significant differences noted in the Samaritan Pentateuch or the Dead Sea Scrolls for this verse, indicating a strong textual consistency across these ancient witnesses.
ה֤וֹד וְהָדָר֙ לְפָנָ֔יו עֹ֥ז וְחֶדְוָ֖ה בִּמְקֹמֽוֹ׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 16:27
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word הוֹד (*hod*) encompasses meanings related to splendour, majesty, and vigour, primarily in a poetic context. It is derived from an unused root and conveys concepts of grandeur and beauty, as noted in various lexicons.
הוֹד n.m. splendour, majesty, vigour (chiefly poet.)
base
H1935 הוֹד splendour, majesty, vigour (chiefly poet.)
1935 howd hode
from an unused root; grandeur (i.e. an imposing form and
appearance):--beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory,
goodly, honour, majesty.
הוֹד (hod) — splendor.
splendour, majesty, vigour
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
הָדָר (hadar) refers to concepts of ornament, splendour, and honour, primarily in a poetic context. It is derived from a root meaning magnificence and encompasses beauty, glory, and majesty. The term captures a range of meanings related to excellence and goodliness.
הָדָר n.m. ornament, splendour, honour (chiefly poet.)
base
H1926 הָדָר ornament, splendour, honour (chiefly poet.)
1926 hadar haw-dawr'
from 1921; magnificence, i.e. ornament or splendor:--beauty,
comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour,
majesty.
see HEBREW for 01921
הָדָר (ha.dar) — glory.
1) ornament, splendour, honour
1a) ornament
1b) splendour, majesty
1c) honour, glory
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
→ Name of God Heb 1:3; 8:1
→ See GOD
The Hebrew word פָּנֶה (*pāneh*) is a noun meaning 'face' or 'presence,' and it appears in various contexts, including the faces of seraphim and animals, as well as the surface of the ground. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'before' or 'in front of.' The word is built from a root that suggests turning or facing, and it encompasses a wide range of applications, both literal and figurative.
[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces
face, faces
presence, person
technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
face of seraphim
face of animals
face (= surface) of ground
as adv.loc. before
for other phrases
with prepositions
base
H6440 פָּנֶה, pl. פָּנִים face, also faces . . face, faces
. . presence, person
. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
. face of seraphim
. face of animals
. face (= surface) of ground
. as adv. loc. before
. for other phrases
. with prepositions
6440 paniym paw-neem'
plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh
{paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns);
used in a great variety of applications (literally and
figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a
preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time),
against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of),
+ beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire,
face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er
time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), +
honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, +
meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on,
open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please,
presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right
forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street,
X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s)
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face: before.
: before/to/front
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face.
: face
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from…
Prep | N-cp | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms
עֹז (oz) refers to strength or might, encompassing material, physical, personal, social, and political dimensions. It can denote boldness or impudence and is associated with the might of God. The word is built from the root related to strength and power, with various applications noted in the entries.
עֹז, and (rarely) עוֹז n.m. strength, might
material and physical
personal, social, and political
might of י׳
= boldness, impudence
= stronghold
base
H5797 עֹז, and (rarely) עוֹז strength, might . material and physical
. personal, social, and political
. might of י׳
. = boldness, impudence
. = stronghold
5797 `oz oze
or (fully) rowz {oze}; from 5810; strength in various
applications (force, security, majesty, praise):--boldness,
loud, might, power, strength, strong.
see HEBREW for 05810
עֹז (oz) — strength.
1) might, strength
1a) material or physical
1b) personal or social or political
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
→ A title given to Jehovah 1Sa 15:29
חֶדְוָה (chedvah) refers to joy or gladness, derived from the root word for rejoicing. It is noted as a late term and has an Aramaic equivalent. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning related to joy without significant disagreement.
חֶדְוָה n.f. (late) joy
base
H2304 חֶדְוָה
2304 chedvah khed-vaw'
from 2302; rejoicing:--gladness, joy.
see HEBREW for 02302
חֶדְוָה (ched.vah) — joy.
joy, gladness
Aramaic equivalent: ched.vah (חֶדְוָה "joy" H2305)
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
joi (simchah; chara):
1. Terms:
The idea of joy is expressed in the Old Testament by a wealth of synonymous terms that cannot easily be differentiated. The commonest is simchah (1Sa 18:6, etc.), variously translated in English Versions of the Bible "joy," "gladness," "mirth"; from sameah, properly "to be bright," "to shine" (Pr 13:9, "The light of the righteous rejoiceth," literally, "is bright"), but generally used figuratively "to rejoice," "be glad" (Le 23:40 and very frequent).
Other nouns are masos and sason, both from sus, properly "to spring," "leap," hence, "exult," "rejoice"; rinnah, "shouting." "joy"; gil, from verb gil or gul, "to go in a circle," hence, "be excited" (dancing round for joy), "rejoice." In the New…
מָקוֹם (maqom) means 'place' and encompasses a variety of contexts, including a standing place, station, or post. It can refer to human abodes, localities, regions, and even figurative conditions of body or mind. The term is derived from a root meaning 'standing' and is used broadly in the Old Testament.
מָקוֹם, מָקֹם 399 n.m. standing-place, place
standing-place
station, where soldiers are placed
post, office
place where a thing belongs
esp.
place of human abode
of י׳’s abode
place
in gen. place, locality, spot
space, room
space, distance, between
region, quarter, direction
peculiar uses
base
H4725 מָקוֹם, מָקֹם standing-place, place . . standing-place
. station, where soldiers are placed
. post, office
. . place where a thing belongs
. esp. . place of human abode
. of י׳’s abode
. place
. in gen. place, locality, spot
. . space, room
. space, distance, between
. region, quarter, direction
. peculiar uses
4725 maqowm maw-kome'
or maqom {maw-kome'}; also (feminine) mqowmah {mek-o-mah'};
or mqomah {mek-o-mah'}; from 6965; properly, a standing, i.e.
a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific);
also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or
mind):--country, X home, X open, place, room, space, X
whither(-soever).
see HEBREW for 06965
מָקוֹם (ma.qom) — place.
1) standing place, place
1a) standing place, station, post, office
1b) place, place of human abode
1c) city, land, region
1d) place, locality, spot
1e) space, room, distance
1f) region, quarter, direction
1g) give place to, instead of
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms