Theological concept · kjv
What Is the Shekinah Glory?
The word shekinah does not appear in Scripture. What the Bible gives instead is a series of physical, overwhelming encounters with God's presence — and shekinah became the word the rabbis used to name what was happening in those moments.
Rabbinic Origins and Biblical Precedents
Shekinah (sometimes spelled Shechinah or Shekina) comes from the Hebrew root shakan, meaning "to dwell" or "to settle." It is the noun form — "the dwelling one," the indwelling presence. The word was coined by rabbinic Judaism, appearing in the Targums (Aramaic paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible), the Talmud, and later midrashic literature. It is not found in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament or in the New Testament Greek. Despite its absence from the text, shekinah names something the Bible describes in vivid detail. In Exodus 40:34-35 the glory of the LORD fills the completed tabernacle: "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle." The pillar of cloud by day and fire by night guided Israel through the wilderness — a visible, directional presence with the people. In 1 Kings 8:10-11 the same phenomenon fills Solomon's temple at its dedication. The priests cannot enter because the cloud — the manifest presence — fills the house. Ezekiel 10-11 records its departure from the temple before the Babylonian destruction: the glory of the LORD rises from the cherubim, pauses at the threshold, then lifts off and departs eastward. This is one of the most desolating passages in the prophets. In the New Testament, the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5; Luke 9:34-35) features the same luminous cloud: "a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud." John's Gospel opens by describing the Word becoming flesh and "dwelling" (Greek: eskenosen, sharing the root of shakan) among humanity — the divine tabernacling presence now made personal in Jesus. Many scholars read John 1:14's "the glory of the only begotten of the Father" as a direct reference to shekinah.
How Christians Understand the Shekinah Today
Shekinah functions in Christian theology as a bridge concept — a way of naming continuity between the tabernacle and temple presence in the Old Testament and the indwelling Spirit in the New. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 that believers are now the temple of the Holy Spirit — the shekinah has relocated from the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle to the interior of each believer and the gathered community. The concept is significant for understanding prayer and worship. When Christians gather in Jesus's name, they gather with an expectation of presence — not merely a ritual, not merely a remembrance, but an encounter. The shekinah tradition grounds that expectation in history: this God has always shown up. The cloud at Sinai, the fire in the wilderness, the glory filling the temple — these are the precedents for what the Spirit does now. In Jewish liturgy the shekinah remains a key theological category. The rabbis spoke of the shekinah departing with the temple's destruction and awaiting restoration. For Christians, the New Testament presents the Spirit's coming at Pentecost as the shekinah's return and expansion — no longer confined to one building, one nation, or one moment, but poured out on all flesh.
Scripture for Shekinah
Exodus 40:34
“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”
Exodus 13:21
“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:”
Matthew 17:5
“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
John 1:14
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
1 Corinthians 3:16
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the word shekinah in the Bible?
No. Shekinah is a rabbinic Hebrew term that does not appear in the biblical text. It was developed by post-biblical Jewish scholars to describe what the Bible does show in many passages: the visible, luminous, overwhelming manifestation of God's presence. The underlying Hebrew root (shakan, "to dwell") does appear in the Bible frequently, including in John 1:14's concept of the Word "dwelling" among humanity — the Greek word there shares the same root.
What is the Shekinah glory?
It refers to the visible, often luminous manifestation of God's presence recorded throughout Scripture: the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness, the glory filling the tabernacle in Exodus 40, the cloud filling Solomon's temple in 1 Kings 8, the cloud at the Transfiguration in Matthew 17. The "glory" (Hebrew: kavod, Greek: doxa) denotes the weight and radiance of God's actual presence — something so overwhelming that Moses could not enter the tabernacle and the priests could not stand in the temple.
How does the Shekinah relate to the Holy Spirit?
In Christian theology the two are closely connected without being identical. The Spirit in the New Testament indwells believers and the gathered church in the way the shekinah indwelt the tabernacle and temple. Paul makes this explicit in 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 — calling believers the temple of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost (Acts 2) brought the Spirit as a wind and tongues of fire: the same fire-and-wind imagery that marked God's wilderness presence.
Why did the Shekinah leave the temple in Ezekiel?
Ezekiel 10-11 records the departure of the divine glory from the Jerusalem temple — step by step, threshold by threshold — before the Babylonian armies arrived. The theological point is that Jerusalem did not fall because God was unable to defend it; the glory had already withdrawn in response to the idolatry and injustice that filled it. The temple became an empty shell before it was a rubble heap. This is one of the most sobering passages in the prophets.
Is the Shekinah a person?
In rabbinic Judaism the shekinah is sometimes personified and associated with God's feminine attributes, particularly divine compassion. Christian theology does not treat the shekinah as a separate divine person, but connects it to the activity of the Holy Spirit — the third person of the Trinity. Jesus's description of the Spirit as "dwelling" in believers (John 14:17) carries the same root as shakan, suggesting that John saw the Spirit's indwelling as the continuation of the tabernacle presence.