Shekinah

Shekinah or Shechinah, A term applied by the ancient Jews, especially in the Chaldee Targums, to that visible symbol of the divine glory which dwelt in the tabernacle and temple. It is evident from many passages of Scripture that the Most High, whose essence no man hath seen, or can see, was pleased anciently to manifest himself to the eyes of men by an external visible symbol. As to the precise nature of the phenomenon thus exhibited, we can only say, that it appears to have been a concentrated glowing brightness, a preternatural splendor, an effulgent something, which was appropriately expressed by the term ’Glory;’ but whether in philosophical strictness it was material or immaterial, it is probably impossible to determine. A luminous object of this description seems intrinsically the most appropriate symbol of that Being of whom, perhaps in allusion to this very mode of manifestation, it is said that ’he is light,’ and that ’he dwelleth in light unapproachable, and full of glory.’ The presence of such a sensible representation of Jehovah seems to be absolutely necessary in order to harmonize what is frequently said of ’seeing God’ with the truth of his nature as an incorporeal and essentially invisible spirit. While we are told in one place that ’no man hath seen God at any time,’ we are elsewhere informed that Moses and Aaron, and the seventy elders, ’saw the God of Israel,’ when called up to the summit of the Holy Mount. So also Isaiah says of himself (Isa 6:1; Isa 6:5) that ’in the year that King Uzziah died he saw the Lord sitting upon His throne,’ and that, in consequence, he cried out, ’I am undone; for mine eyes have seen the Lord of hosts.’ In these cases it is obvious that the object seen was not God in His essence, but some external visible symbol, which, because it stood for God, is called by His name.

Of all the divine appearances granted in the earlier ages of the world, the most signal and illustrious was undoubtedly that which was vouchsafed in the pillar of cloud that guided the march of the children of Israel through the wilderness on their way to Canaan. There can be little doubt that the columnar cloud was the seat of the shekinah. Within the towering aerial mass, we suppose, was enfolded the inner effulgent brightness, to which the appellation ’Glory of the Lord’ more properly belonged, and which was only occasionally disclosed. In several instances in which God would indicate His anger to His people, it is said that they looked to the cloud and beheld the ’Glory of the Lord’ (Num 14:10; Num 16:19; Num 16:42). So when he would inspire a trembling awe of his Majesty at the giving of the Law, it is said, the ’Glory of the Lord appeared as a devouring fire’ on the summit of the mount. Nor must the fact be forgotten in this connection, that when Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron, offended by strange fire in their offerings, a fatal flash from the cloudy pillar instantaneously extinguished their lives. The evidence would seem then to be conclusive, that this wondrous pillar-cloud was the seat or throne of the shekinah, the visible representative of Jehovah dwelling in the midst of His people.

SHEKINAH (Heb. שְׁכִינָה ‘that which dwells’ or ‘resides,’ the ‘dwelling’).—This term, together with ‘the Glory’ (יְקָרָא) and ‘the Word’ or ‘Memra’ (מֵימַר, מֵימְרָא), is used in the Targums as an indirect expression in place of ‘God.’ It denotes God’s visible presence or glorious manifestation which ‘dwells’ among men: the localized presence of the Deity. See art. ‘Shekinah’ in Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible . In the NT the term Shekinah appears in more than one Greek form. The invisible Shekinah is also alluded to, as well as the visible. The visible Shekinah, though distinct from ‘the glory,’ was associated in the closest way with the Divine ‘glory.’ It was conceived of as the centre and source from which the glory radiated. In the NT this ‘Shekinah-glory’ is several times denoted by δόξα. The classical passage is Rom 9:4, where St. Paul, enumerating the list of Israel’s privileges, says: ‘whose is the adoption, and the glory,’ i.e. the Shekinahglory, ‘the visible presence of God among His people’ (cf. also Act 7:2 where St. Stephen speaks of ‘the God of glory,’ i.e. the God whose visible presence, manifested in the Shekinah, had sanctified Jerusalem and the Temple). In the Gospels this ‘glory’ is referred to in Luk 2:9 ‘the glory of the Lord (δόξα κυρίου) shone round about them.’ There is also an obvious allusion to the Shekinah in the description of the theophanic cloud of the transfiguration-narrative (Mat 17:5 ‘a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice out of the cloud, saying,’ etc.; cf. Mar 9:7, Luk 9:34 f.). Here the same verb (ἐπισκιάζω) is used as in the LXX Septuagint of Exo 40:34-35 of the cloud which rested on the Tabernacle when it was filled with the ‘glory of the Lord,’ which in the Targum (pseudo-Jonathan) becomes the ‘glory of the Shekinah of the Lord.’ The ‘voice out of the cloud’ is also, doubtless, the voice of the Shekinah; cf. 2Pe 1:17 where, in reference to the transfiguration, a ‘voice’ uttered by ‘the excellent glory’ (i.e. the Shekinah-glory) is spoken of.* [Note: Similarly in the Jerus. Targum to Gen 28:13 the glory of J″ says, ‘I am the God of Abraham’ (Marshall in Hastings’ DB, loc. cit.).] In Heb 9:5 ‘the cherubim of glory’ must be explained in the same way, as meaning the cherubim on which the Shekinah was enthroned.

In three NT passages (all having reference to Christ)† [Note: See Marshall, ib.] an allusion to the Shekinah is probable, though disputed, viz. (a) Rom 6:4 ‘Christ was raised from the dead by means of (δοά) the glory of the Father.’ Here ‘glory’ prob. = the Shekinah-glory rather than ‘glorious power’ (cf. the Midrash Rabbe to Gen 44:8, in which the Shekinah is said to release the bound in Sheol);‡ [Note: A similar idea may be implied in the words ascribed to our Lord in Joh 11:40, where, with reference to the release of Lazarus from the grave, Jesus says to Martha: ‘Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’] (b) 1Pe 4:14 ‘the (Spirit) of glory and the Spirit of God’ (τὸ τῆς δόξης καὶ τὸ τοῦ θιοῦ πνεῦμα). Here ‘glory’ may = Shekinah, which is identified with Christ. This identification may be seen more clearly, perhaps, in (c) Jas 2:1 τὴν κίστιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης, which not improbably = ‘the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Shekinah’ (Mayor). For further doubtful reff. in the NT, see below.

There can be no doubt that the word σκηνή, ‘tabernacle’ (and its verb σκηνοῦν, ‘to tabernacle’), has been chosen for use in Joh 1:14 and Rev 21:3 from its likeness both in sound and meaning to the word Shekinah, and conveys a direct allusion to the latter. The Revelation passage runs: ‘Behold the tabernacle (σκηνή) of God is with men, and he will tabernacle (σκηνώσει) with them.’ In Joh 1:14 ‘The Word (Logos) … tabernacled (ἐσκήνωσεν) among us, and we beheld his glory,’ etc., all the three Hebrew terms, Memra (מֵימְרָא = ὁ λόγος), Shekinah, and Yekara (δόξα = יְק֖רָא) are represented. ‘All the three entities became incarnate in Jesus.’* [Note: Dalman, Words of Jesus, p. 231. To these should be added the great passage in Heb 1:3, where the Son is said to be the ‘effulgence of the glory,’ i.e. of the Shekinah-glory as ‘the manifested Deity.’]

The identification of Jesus with the Shekinah has already been referred to above in connexion with 1Pe 4:14 and Jas 2:1. Another example where the same idea may be implicit is Mat 18:20 ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’; compare with this Pirke Aboth iii. 5: ‘Two that sit together and are occupied with words of Torah, have the Shekinah among them.’ Cf. also 2Co 4:6 ‘God that said, Out of darkness light shall shine, is he who shone in our hearts for the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in face of Jesus Christ.’ The last phrase may = the glory of God made manifest in the presence of Jesus Christ, i.e. Jesus is the Shekinah of God. Shekinah in these connexions is practically = Immanuel (‘God with us’).

Other passages worth examination in this connexion are Eph 1:17 (the remarkable phrase ‘the Father of the glory’ [ὁ τατὴρ τῆς δόξης] =? ‘the father of the Shekinah’ (incarnate in Jesus)’), Luk 2:32 (‘the glory of thy people Israel’). Cf. also 1Co 2:8 (Jesus ‘Lord of glory’). The representation of man as a temple in which God dwells (cf. 2Co 6:16 ‘we are a temple of the living God,’ Joh 14:23 ‘we will come … and make our abode with him’) was probably suggested by the Shekinah-idea, which may also have influenced the language applied to Christ in Col 2:9 (‘for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily’).

In the identification of the Shekinah and cognate conceptions with the incarnate Christ, ‘a use is made of these ideas,’ as Dalman says, ‘which is at variance with their primary application.’ It marks a specifically Christian development, though the way had certainly been prepared by hypostatizing tendencies.

Literature.—Weber, Jüd. Theol.^{2 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred]} esp. pp. 185–190; Gfrôrer, Das Jahrhundert des Heils, i. esp. p. 301 ff.; Langen, Judenthum zur Zeit Christi, 201 ff.; art. ‘Shekinah’ in Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible and in JE [Note: E Jewish Encyclopedia.] ; the Lexicons, s.v. שכינה (Buxtorf, Levy, Jastrow, Kohut); Taylor, Sayings of the Jewish Fathers^{2 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred]} , p. 43; the Comm. on Ep. of St. James by Mayor and Knowling (on Jas 2:1).

G. H. Box.

(; lit. "the dwelling"):

By: Kaufmann Kohler, Ludwig Blau

In the Targumim.

The majestic presence or manifestation of God which has descended to "dwell" among men. Like Memra (= "word"; "logos") and "Yeḳara" (i.e., "Kabod" = "glory"), the term was used by the Rabbis in place of "God" where the anthropomorphic expressions of the Bible were no longer regarded as proper (see Anthropomorphism). The word itself is taken from such passages as speak of God dwelling either in the Tabernacle or among the people of Israel (see Ex. xxv. 8, xxix. 45-46; Num. v. 3, xxxv. 34; I Kings vi. 13; Ezek. xliii. 9; Zech. ii. 14 [A. V. 10]). Occasionally the name of God is spoken of as descending (Deut. xii. 11; xiv. 23; xvi. 6, 11; xxvi. 2; Neh. i. 9). It is especially said that God dwells in Jerusalem (Zech. viii. 3; Ps. cxxxv. 21; I Chron. xxiii. 25), on Mount Zion (Isa. viii. 18; Joel iv. [A. V. iii.] 17, 21; Ps. xv. 1, lxxiv. 2), and in the Temple itself (Ezek. xliii. 7). Allusion is made also to "him that dwelt in the bush" (Deut. xxxiii. 16, ); and it is said that "the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai" (Ex. xxiv. 16). The term "Shekinah," which is Hebrew, whereas "Memra" and "Yeḳara" are Aramaic, took the place of the latter two in Talmudand Midrash, and thus absorbed the meaning which they have in the Targum, where they almost exclusively occur. Nevertheless the word "Shekinah" occurs most frequently in the Aramaic versions, since they were intended for the people and were actually read to them, and since precautions had therefore to be taken against possible misunderstandings in regard to the conception of God. The word "dwell" in the Hebrew text is accordingly rendered in the Targumim by the phrase "let the Shekinah rest" (e.g., Ex. xxv. 8; xxix. 45, 46; Num. v. 3, xxxv. 34; Deut. xxxii. 10 [R. V. "he compassed him about"]; Ps. lxxiv. 2). Onḳelos translates "Elohim" in Gen. ix. 27 by "Shekinah"; and wherever the person, the dwelling, or the remoteness of God is mentioned, he paraphrases by the same word (Num. xiv. 14, 42; xvi. 3; xxxv. 34; Deut. i. 42, iii. 24, iv. 39, vi. 15, vii. 21, xxiii. 16, xxxi. 17); so too, wherever the Name occurs, he substitutes for it the term "Shekinah" (Deut. xii. 5, 11, 21), and "presence" or "face" is translated the same way (Ex. xxxiii. 14-15; Num. vi. 25; Deut. xxxi. 17-18; see Maybaum, "Anthropomorphien," etc., pp. 52-54). Targ. pseudo-Jonathan and Yerushalmi adopt a like system, as in Ps. xvi. 8, lxxxix. 47, Lam. ii. 19, and Cant. vi. 1 (ib. pp. 64 et seq.). Where the text states that God dwells in the Temple above the cherubim (as in Hab. ii. 20; I Sam. iv. 4; II Sam. vi. 2; I Kings viii. 12, 13; xiv. 21; Ps. lxxiv. 2), or that God has been seen (Isa. vi. 6 et seq.; Ex. iii. 6; Ezek. i. 1; Lev. ix. 4), the Yerushalmi has "Shekinah"; and even where it describes God as abiding in heaven, the same word is used (Isa. xxxiii. 5; Deut. iii. 24, iv. 39). This statement holds true also of allusions to His remoteness or to the hiding of His face (Hos. v. 6; Isa. viii. 17, xlv. 15; Hastings, "Dict. Bible," iv. 488b). The Temple is called the "house of the Shekinah" (Targ. Onḳ. to Deut. xii. 5; Ps. xlix. 15, cviii. 8); and the term likewise occurs in connection with "glory" ("yeḳara"; Ruth ii. 12; Cant. iii. 6, iv. 6, v. 6; Ps. xliv. 25, lxviii. 19, cxv. 16; Jer. xix. 18) and with "holiness" (Cant. i. 10, ii. 2, iii. 2, vi. 1; Ps. lxxiv. 12, lxxxvi. 3).

In the Apocrypha and New Testament.

Since the Shekinah is light, those passages of the Apocrypha and New Testament which mention radiance, and in which the Greek text reads δόξα, refer to the Shekinah, there being no other Greek equivalent for the word. Thus, according to Luke ii. 9, "the glory of the Lord [δόζα Ḳυρίου] shone round about them" (comp. II Peter i. 17; Eph. i. 6; II Cor. iv. 6); and it is supposed that in John i. 14 and Rev. xxi. 3 the words σκηνοῦν and σκηνή were expressly selected as implying the Shekinah. The idea that God dwells in man and that man is His temple (e.g., Col. ii. 9; II Cor. vi. 16; John xiv. 23) is merely a more realistic conception of the resting of the Shekinah on man.

Nature of the Shekinah.

Maimonides ("Moreh," i. 28 [Munk's translation, "Guide des Egarés," i. 58, 73, 88, 286, 288; iii. 43, 93]; Maybaum, l.c. pp. 5, 34) regarded the Shekinah, like the Memra, the Yeḳara, and the Logos, as a distinct entity, and as a light created to be an intermediary between God and the world; while Naḥmanides (Maybaum, l.c.), on the other hand, considered it the essence of God as manifested in a distinct form. So in more modern times Gfrörer saw in "Shekinah," "Memra," and "Yeḳara" independent entities which, in that they were mediators, were the origin of the Logos idea; while Maybaum, who was followed by Hamburger, regarded the Shekinah merely as an expression for the various relations of God to the world, and as intended to represent: (1) the dwelling of God in the midst of Israel; (2) His omnipresence; (3) His personal presence, etc. (Maybaum, l.c. pp. 51-54). That the Shekinah was not an intermediary is shown by the Targum to Ex. xxxiii. 15, xxxiv. 9 (Maybaum, l.c. pp. 5, 34), where the term "Shekinah" is used instead of "God." The word often occurs, however, in connections where it can not be identical with "God," e.g., in passages which declare that "the Shekinah rests," or, more explicitly, that "God allows His Shekinah to rest," on such a one. In short: in the great majority of cases "Shekinah" designates "God"; but the frequent use of the word has caused other ideas to be associated with it, which can best be understood from citations. In this connection the statements of the Talmud and Midrash are more characteristic than those of the Targumim, because they were spontaneous and were not made with reference to the text of the Bible. The Shekinah is frequently mentioned, even in the very oldest portions; and it is wholly unjustifiable to differentiate the Talmudic conception thereof from the Targumic, as has been attempted by Weber, although absolute consistency is observed neither in Targum, nor in Talmud and Midrash, since different persons have expressed their views therein.

Appearances of the Shekinah.

Jose (c. 150) says: "The Shekinah never came down to earth, nor did Moses and Elijah ever ascend to heaven, since it is said, Ps. cxv. 16: 'The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men'" (Suk. 5a, above). The Shekinah is here identical with Yhwh. This view was, however, challenged even in the Talmud. Ab. R. N. xxxviii. says: "The Shekinah descended to earth, or will have descended, ten times (as to the tenth see Schechter's note, Recension A, ad loc.): to the garden of Eden (Gen. iii. 8); when the Tower of Babel was built (ib. xi. 5); to Sodom (ib. xxi.); to Egypt (Ex. iii. 8); to the Red Sea (II Sam. xxii. 10); upon Sinai (Ex. xix. 10); in the pillar of cloud (Num. xi. 25); to the Sanctuary (Ezek. xliv. 2); and it will again descend at the time of Gog and Magog (Zech. xiv. 4). The Shekinah appeared also in the burning bush (Ex. R. ii.), and it was everywhere (B. B. 25a). Two arks came up out of Egypt with Israel: one containing the Shekinah, and the other the body of Joseph (Soṭah 13a). Canaan was the only land worthy of the Shekinah, which rested in the territory of Benjamin (Mek., ed. Friedmann, p. 31a; Zeb. 54b); the country beyond the Jordan was not worthy thereof (Num. R. vii.). Although the Shekinah was enthroned in heaven, it observed and scrutinized mankind(Ex. R. ii.). The Tabernacle was erected in order that the Shekinah might dwell on earth (Num. R. xii.); and it actually entered the Holy of Holies (Sanh. 103b). Wheresoever the Israelites went in exile the Shekinah accompanied them; and when they were redeemed it likewise was released (Meg. 29a; see also R. H. 3a; B. Ḳ. 25a; Zeb. 118b; Soṭah 5a; Shab. 67a).

Those on Whom the Shekinah Rested.

The Shekinah was one of the five things lacking in the Second Temple (Targ. to Hag. i. 8; Yer. Ta'an. 65a, and parallel passages). Shunning the Gentiles, it rested solely among the Israelites (Shab. 22b), and even there only when they numbered at least 2,002 myriads (Ber. 7a; Yeb. 64a; B. B. 15b; comp. Sanh. 105b), confining itself solely to those of this multitude who were of pure and therefore aristocratic lineage (Ḳid. 70b) and who were wise, brave, wealthy, and tall (Shab. 92a; comp. Ned. 38a); but even for such it would not descend into an atmosphere of sadness (Shab. 30b and parallel passages), since there can be no sorrow in the presence of God (Ḥag. 5b); nor should one pray in a sorrowful frame of mind (Ber. 31a).

The polemic attitude which the conception of the Shekinah betrays toward the founder and the ideal of Christianity is unmistakable. The Shekinah rested upon the priests even if they were unclean (Yoma 56b); and if it was lacking, none approached them for an oracle (ib. 75b). Prominent doctors of the Law were considered worthy of the Shekinah, but both their generation. (i.e., their contemporaries) and their place of residence (i.e., in a foreign land) deprived them of its presence (Suk. 28a; B. B. 60a; Soṭah 48b; M. Ḳ. 25a). In all these statements the Shekinah is identical with the Holy Spirit. It was received by thirty-six pious persons (Suk. 45b), a number which recalls the thirty-six nomes of Egypt and their gods. The Shekinah was also believed to be a protection, as is still the case in the night prayer: "on my four sides four angels, and above my head the Shekinah of God" (comp. Ḳid. 31a). The Shekinah is found at the head of the sick (Shab. 12b) and at the right hand of man (Targ. to Ps. xvi. 8). Pharaoh's daughter saw it at the side of Moses (Soṭah 11a; comp. Targ. to Judges vi. 13), and it spoke with the prophet Jonah twice (Zeb. 98a), with Adam, with the serpent (Bek. 8a; Shab. 87a; Pes. 87b et passim), and with others.

To Whom Does the Shekinah Appear?

Unsullied thoughts and pious deeds render one worthy of the Shekinah, which is present when two are engaged with the Torah (Ab. iii. 3), when ten pray (Ber. 6a; Ab. 3, 9), and when the mysticism of the Merkabah is explained (Ḥag. 14b); and it is likewise attracted by the study of the Law at night (Tamid 32b); the reading of the "Shema'" (Shab. 57a); prayer (B. B. 22a); hospitality (Shab. 127a; Sanh. 103b); benevolence (B. B. 10a); chastity (Derek Ereẓ i.); peace and faithfulness in married life (Soṭah 17a); and similar deeds and qualities (Ket. 111a; Ber. 67a; Men. 43b; Sanh. 42b; Yer. Ḥag. i. et passim). Sins, on the other hand, cause the Shekinah to depart (Targ. to Isa. lvii. 7; Jer. xxxiii. 5 et passim). It inspires correct judgment in upright judges (Sanh. 7a), while unrighteous magistrates cause it to depart (Shab. 139a). It appeared on the day on which the Tabernacle was first erected (Num. R. xiii.). Before the Israelites sinned the Shekinah rested on every one; but when they did evil it disappeared (Soṭah 3b). In like manner it departed from David when he became leprous (Sanh. 107a). Among the transgressions which have this result are the shedding of blood (Yoma 84b) and idolatry, (Meg. 15b; others are cited in Soṭah 42a; Kallah, end; Ber. 5b, 27b; Shab. 33a;, and Sanh. 106a). Whosoever sins in secret or walks with a proud and haughty bearing "crowds out the feet of the Shekinah" (Ḥag. 16a; Ber. 43b; comp. ib. 59a).

The Shekinah as Light.

The Hellenists, both Jews and Gentiles, characterized the god of the Jews as unseen, and translated the Tetragrammaton by "invisible" (ἀόρατος). In like manner Ḥag. 5b declares that "God sees, but is not seen," although was rendered by δόζα ("glory"), even in the Septuagint (Deissmann, "Hellenisirung des Semitischen Monotheismus," p. 5). According to this view, the Shekinah appeared as physical light; so that Targ. to Num. vi. 2 says, "Yhwh shall cause His Shekinah to shine for thee." A Gentile asked the patriarch Gamaliel (c. 100): "Thou sayest that wherever ten are gathered together the Shekinah appears; how many are there?" Gamaliel answered: "As the sun, which is but one of the countless servants of God, giveth light to all the world, so in a much greater degree doth the Shekinah" (Sanh. 39a). The emperor (Hadrian) said to Rabbi Joshua b. Hananiah, "I desire greatly to see thy God." Joshua requested him to stand facing the brilliant summer sun, and said, "Gaze upon it." The emperor said, "I can not." "Then," said Joshua, "if thou art not able to look upon a servant of God, how much less mayest thou gaze upon the Shekinah?"(Ḥul. 60a). Rab Sheshet (c. 300) was blind, and could not perceive when the Shekinah appeared in the Shaf we-Yatib synagogue of Nehardea, where it rested when it was not in the synagogue at Huzal. In the former synagogue Samuel and Levi heard the sound of its approach and fled (Meg. 29a). The Shekinah tinkled like a bell (Soṭah 9b), while the Holy Spirit also manifested itself to human senses in light and sound. The Holy Spirit had the form of a dove, and the Shekinah had wings. Thus he who acknowledged God took refuge under the wings of the Shekinah (Shab. 31a; Sanh. 96a); and Moses when dead lay in its pinions (Sifre, Deut. 355; Soṭah 13b; Targumic passages in Maybaum l.c. p. 65). The saints enjoy the light of the Shekinah in heaven (Ber. 17a, 64a; Shab. 30a; B. B. 10a).

Bibliography:

Lexicons of Buxtorf, Levy, and Kohut;

Herzog-Plitt, Real-Encyc. s.v. Schechina;

Hastings, Dict. Bible, iv. 487-489;

Hamburger, R. B. T. ii. 566, 1080-1082;

Luzzatto, Oheb Ger, Vienna, 1830;

Bähr, Symbolik des Mosaischen Cultus, 2d ed., i. 471 et seq.;

Gfrörer, Gesch. des Urchristenthums, i. 272-352;

Maybaum, Anthropomorphien . . . mit Besonderer Berücksichtigung der . . . Schechintha, Breslau, 1870;

Taylor, Sayings of the Jewish Fathers, 3d ed., p. 43;

Weber, Jüdische Theologie. 2d ed., Leipsic, 1897, Index;

Dalman, Die Worte Jesu, i., Leipsic, 1898;

Bousset, Religion des Judenthums im Neu-Testamentlichen Zeitalter, pp. 309 et seq., 340, Berlin, 1903;

Davidson, Old Testament Prophecy, pp. 148, 220, Edinburgh, 1903.

SHEKINAH (from Heb. shâkan—‘to dwell,’ meaning ‘dwelling’ [abstract], or ‘that which dwells’).—The word is not found in OT, but occurs often in other Jewish literature, always of God. The OT, particularly in certain of its writings, uses ‘anthropomorphisms’ freely, e.g. it speaks of God dwelling in a place or being seen. Later thought objected to this, as materializing the Divine nature; hence in the Targums (Aram. [Note: Aramaic.] paraphrases of the OT used, though not in their present form, by the 1st cent. a.d.) various devices were adopted to prevent popular misunderstandings. Periphrases were used for the Divine name, ‘the Word’ (Memra), ‘Spirit,’ or’ ‘Wisdom’ being substituted. One of the most important of these was the ‘Shekinah.’ ‘God dwells’ usually became ‘the Shekinah rests’; ‘the temple of God’ became ‘the house of the S.’ (note the Tabernacle was the mishkân, from the same root). Gen 28:18 becomes ‘the glory of the S. of J″ [Note: Jahweh.] is in this place’; Isa 6:5 ‘my eyes have seen the glory of the S. of the King of the world.’ God’s hiding His face is the removal of the S. Now the presence of God (especially in P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] and related writings) was often manifested by a fiery appearance, or a light in a cloud. It was so in nature (Psa 18:10), on Sinai (Exo 24:16), in the wilderness and in the Tabernacle (Exo 16:7; Exo 29:43; Exo 40:34, Num 14:10), in the Temple (1Ki 8:11); cf. Eze 1:28 etc. This glory was not God, but an effluence from Him, or from His Shekinah. For the S. was not ‘the glory,’ as is usually imagined, but the source and centre of it. It is a stage nearer to God Himself, and, though often used in connexion with the physical manifestation, represents an invisible and universal presence. E.g. it is the source of inspiration. Eli failed to recognize Hannah’s condition, because it had left him. It was present where three were gathered to administer justice. According to some. it was inseparable from Israel, still hovering over the west wall of the Temple. But it was commonly taught that it had always been absent from the second Temple, as had been ‘the glory’ (cf. Eze 11:23; Eze 43:2); or again, that on the successive sins of Adam and his descendants it had been withdrawn from earth to the first heaven, and finally to the seventh. The conception, in fact, varied. It was disputed whether it was an entity distinct from God, or only the essence of God as manifested. Though at first regarded as impersonal and passive, as distinct from the Memra, the agent of creation, in the Talmud it becomes active and takes the place of the latter. The tendency to personification is significant. Insisting one-sidedly on the transcendence or aloofness of God, the Jew had to bring Him to earth again by such mediatorial agencies, which were semi-personal and Divine, but not God, and by the development of an elaborate angelology. In the NT the word ‘glory’ seems often to refer to the Shekinah (cf. Eth. Enoch ‘Lord of glory,’ and ‘the Great Glory,’ as titles of God). Rom 9:4 speaks of ‘the glory’ as a Jewish privilege; Heb 9:5 of ‘the cherubim of glory.’ It was believed that the Shekinah would return with the Messiah; ‘the glory of the Lord shall he seen and the cloud’ (2Ma 2:8). (a) It is connected with Christ (Luk 2:9, Mat 17:5; cf. 2Pe 1:17 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] , where the Shekinah is personified). In 1Pe 4:14 ‘the spirit of glory’ rests upon Christ, as upon the Tabernacle; in He is He is ‘the effulgence of the glory’; in Jas 1:3 He is apparently called ‘the Shekinah.’ Of special significance is Joh 1:14, which combines the expressions ‘glory’ and ‘tabernacle’ (Gr. skçnoun, probably intentionally chosen to represent ‘Shekinah,’ as in Rev 21:3). It connects the personal presence of God in Christ with the earlier presence in the Tabernacle; what was formerly symbol is now manifest ‘in flesh.’ The vagueness of the Jewish conception gives place to the definite presence of the personal Christ. Cf. with Mat 18:20 and 1Co 11:11, sayings such as ‘when two sit together and are occupied with the words of the Law, the Shekinah is with them,’ or ‘the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man, nor both of them without the Shekinah.’ (b) It is connected with the Christian. The first of the six things lost by Adam was ‘the glory,’ i.e. the reflexion upon him of the Divine glory, or perfection. Of this we fall short (Rom 3:23), but it is in process of being recovered by the Christian (Rom 5:2; Rom 8:18; Rom 8:30, 2Co 3:18; 2Co 4:6; cf. 2 Es 7:97, 98).

C. W. Emmet.

shḗ-kı̄´na (שׁכינה, sh^ekhı̄nah, “that which dwells,” from the verb שׁכן, shākhēn, or שׁכן, shākhan, “to dwell,” “reside”): This word is not found in the Bible, but there are allusions to it in Isa 60:2; Mat 17:5; Luk 2:9; Rom 9:4. It is first found in the Targums. See GLORY.

The Hebrew word transliterated ‘Shekinah’ refers to the glory of God that symbolizes his presence. The word is not found in the Old Testament, but was introduced into the Jewish religious vocabulary by rabbis of a later era.

These rabbis spoke of the Shekinah in order 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. The Shekinah became particularly associated with God’s symbolic presence in the tabernacle and later the temple (Exo 40:34-35; 1Ki 8:11; Eze 44:4). It also referred to other displays of God’s glory or to the reality of his presence among his people (Num 14:10; Num 14:22; Isa 60:1-2; see also GLORY).

A word that means “the one who dwells” or “that which dwells.” Shekinah is a Hebrew word written in English letters (transliteration). This term became part of Christian teaching through ancient Jewish writings called the "Targums" and rabbinic texts. These texts used shekinah to describe how God, who exists beyond our world, is also present within it.

Shekinah in the Old Testament

The word "shekinah" itself does not appear in the Bible, but the idea comes from many places in the Old Testament where God lives among his people (Genesis 9:27; Exodus 25:8; 29:45–46; Numbers 5:3; 1 Kings 6:13; Psalms 68:16–18; 74:2; Isaiah 8:18; Ezekiel 43:7–9; Joel 3:17, 21; Zechariah 2:10–11). These passages show that while God lives in heaven, he also lives on earth with his people.

People also use the term "shekinah glory" to describe how God showed himself visibly to the Israelites. It was a visible manifestation of God as a pillar of fire and smoke. This presence was seen:

• at Sinai (Exodus 19:16–18),

• in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34–38), and

• in the temple (1 Kings 6:13; 8:10–13; 2 Chronicles 6:1–2).

Shekinah in the New Testament

The New Testament also talks about God's presence among people, even though it does not use the word shekinah. In the New Testament, when God is present, there is often light and glory (Luke 2:9; 9:29; Acts 9:3–6; 22:6–11; 26:12–16; 2 Peter 1:16–18).

The Gospel of John especially focuses on glory and on God living with people. It tells us that when Jesus (called "the Word") became human, he lived among people who saw his glory (John 1:14). The Spirit of God remained on him (John 1:32) and would be with his followers forever (John 14:16). He would abide in those who abide in Jesus (John 15:4–10). John wrote about these same ideas in his letters, too. He often talked about how believers live in Christ and how Christ lives in them (1 John 2:6, 14, 24, 27–28; 3:6, 14–15, 24; 2 John 1:9).

Paul also identifies Jesus as the shekinah of God. All of God's essence and nature lives fully in Jesus in physical form (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). When Christ lives in his church, this makes his followers into God's people (Colossians 1:15–23). Paul described his message as "the gospel of the glory of Christ." He explained that God made his light shine to help people understand "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4–6).

Finally, book of Hebrews says that Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3).

See Glory; Pillar of Fire and Cloud; Theophany.

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.