God is omnipresent and omnipotent. There are several meanings, attributes and forms associated with God. As it is believed, he is the sole creator of this world and can be its destroyer at the right time too. Everything in the world revolves around God.
Figuring out the attributes and forms of god is not that easy of a task to be accomplished by humans. Various religions have different beliefs connected with the attributes of god. There are also various religious or holy books which they have.
Both Christianity and Judaism have a thing with the Bible. The holy book is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament based on the time of their composition. Kavod is a Hebrew term, which is a part of the Old Testament; it is repeated around thirty-four times in it. It means the glory or honour of God.
Kavod reveals the beautiful grace and radiance of god. It is a term that showcases something heavy which glorifies god’s grace. In addition to this, the term also has other meanings to it. Reputation, Dignity or Wealth are the other meanings of kavod, which are very similar to glory.
Shekina, on the other hand, is nowhere mentioned in the Bible. It signifies the relationship between God and humans. “Pride of humans” is the proper meaning associated with it. It basically deals with the settling, dwelling or inhabiting nature. It is also a Hebrew term that has several transliterations.
Kavod vs Shekina
The main difference between Kavod and Shekina is that Kavod is a term that describes the honour of God and is mentioned in the Bible, whereas, Shekina is a term that describes the dignity of humans and their relationship with God; it has no mention in the Bible.
Comparison Table Between Kavod and Shekina
| Parameter of Comparison | Kavod | Shekina |
| Origin | Kavod is a Hebrew term that originated in the Talmud. | Shekina is a Hebrew term that originated from rabbinic literature. |
| Terminology | It is basically an attribute of the lord. | While it is the epitome of every attribute of the lord. |
| Meaning | Kavod means “Glory of God”. | Shekina means “Pride of humans”. |
| Biblical Mention | The word is mentioned around thirty-four times in the Old Testament of the Bible. | Whereas this word has no mention in the Bible. |
| Nature | It can either be seen physically or unseen. | But, Shekina is the physical epitome, that is why it is always seen. |
| Transliteration | Kabod is one transliteration of Kavod. | Shekinah, Shechinah, Shechina are some of the transliterations of Shekina. |
| Existence | Kavod cannot exist without Shekina. | While Shekina can exist without Kavod. |
What is Kavod?
Kavod is a Hebrew term that means the glory of God. It signifies and reveals the beautiful radiance and grace of god. It deals with the physical or virtual grace of god. This is why it can sometimes be seen and not seen.
The Bible has a mention of kavod in its Old Testament around thirty-four number of times. The term is related to something heavy or deep which glorifies god. Kavod also has a meaning associated with the armaments. Moreover, there are several numbers of other meanings of kavod such as reputation, splendour or dignity.
With time, things evolve. Likewise, language also goes through a phase of evolutionary changes. The meaning of kavod has also changed over the years. In recent times, kavod basically signifies the very presence of god, rather than his glory. This modern meaning has a connection with “s’netcher”, which is an ancient Egyptian term meaning “to welcome the presence of God”.
Kavod is considered an attribute of god. It is believed that God has let his Kavod seen by Moses in the wilderness, fire and the clouds. There is a historical belief that Jesus appeared as the Shekina of God and left his Kavod behind in the heavens. Therefore, kavod has no source of existence without shekina.
Through the years, the theoretical and historical distinctions between the honour of various cultures have always been questioned. Some cultures are honour-based, some are dignity-based, glory-based or respect-based.
What is Shekina?
Shekina is a Hebrew term that means the pride of humans. More accurately, it signifies the settling or dwelling nature of God’s divine presence. It is connected to Judaism and comes from rabbinic literature. It is a physical epitome of every attribute of god. This is why it is always seen.
The term has a number of transliterations in various languages. Shekinah, Schechina, Shechina are a few of them. There is no mention of shekina in the Bible. Although it has a pure relationship with the grace of God, Judaism as well as Christianity, it does not occur in the holy book.
Shekina is especially based on the readings and learnings from the Talmud. It depicts the feminine attributes of god. It has a wide array of contexts linked to it. Whether it is the study of the Torah or a gathering for prayer, the Shekina is present everywhere. It solely deals with the connection between god and humans.
Shekina is not regarded as a constituent separate from god, despite its feminine nature. It describes the spirit of God’s grace and glory in every way possible. Jesus is considered as the shekina or flesh of the god and his inhabiting place. Shekina can exist solely everywhere.
There have always been arguments over the fact that whether God is real or just an imagination. Several possible conclusions have come out of it. But one thing, i.e., the connection between humans and God is real, which alternatively means Shekina.
Main Differences Between Kavod and Shekina
Conclusion
Kavod and Shekina are two Hebrew terms that relate to God and his presence. Both terms are interconnected. Moreover, Kavod cannot even exist without Shekina, while Shekina has sole existence. They depict God’s glory and presence through various languages and transliterations.
References
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