Shekhina in Jewish and Christian Theological Traditions
The concept of Shekhina, also spelled Shekinah, refers to the divine Presence of God dwelling among the Israelites. The term is not found in the Bible but was used by later Jews and borrowed by Christians to express the visible majesty of God's Presence, particularly when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the mercy seat [1].
In Jewish tradition, the Shekhina is associated with God's presence in the tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon. According to Rashi, a medieval Jewish commentator, the cherubim were seen as the mount upon which the Shekhina "rides" [2]. The Shekhina is also linked to the glory of God, symbolized by a cloud or fire that dwelled in the Temple.
In biblical accounts, the Shekhina is described as a manifestation of God's presence among his people. For example, in 1 Kings 8:11, the glory of the Lord fills the Temple, and in Exodus 25:22, God says, "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony." The Shekhina is also associated with the cherubim, which were formed out of the same mass of pure gold as the mercy seat [6].
Christian interpreters have also understood the Shekhina as a symbol of God's presence. According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, the Shekhina represents God's "peculiar nearness to Israel" and is a symbol of His presence in the Temple [3]. In the view of John Gill, the Shekhina was a manifestation of God's glory that dwelled in the Temple until it was removed due to the idolatry of the people [4].
The concept of Shekhina has been interpreted in various ways across Jewish and Christian traditions. While some see it as a symbol of God's presence, others understand it as a manifestation of His glory. The Shekhina remains an important concept in understanding the nature of God's presence and interaction with humanity. The association of the Shekhina with the Temple and the cherubim highlights its significance in the biblical narrative [1, 5].
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Shechinah — (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”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on 1 Chronicles 28:18: and for the pattern of the chariot They are the cherubim upon which the Shechinah “rides.””
- Jeremiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jeremiah 3:17: Jerusalem--the whole city, not merely the temple. As it has been the center of the Hebrew theocracy, so it shall be the point of attraction to the whole earth (Isa 2:2-4; Zac 2:10-11; Zac 14:16-21). throne of . . . Lord--The Shekinah, the symbol of God's peculiar nearness to Israel (Deu 4:7) shall be surpassed by the antitype, God's own throne in Jerusalem (Psa 2:6, Psa 2:8; Eze 34:23-24; Zac 2:5). imagination--rather, as Margin, "the obstinacy" or stubbornness.”
- Ezekiel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ezekiel 8:4: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there,.... In the temple, between the cherubim, where the Shechinah or the glory of the divine Majesty dwelt; for as yet he had not removed, though provoked to it, and as he afterwards did; or he was here to destroy the idols, and both city and temple, for the idolatry of the people; or this is here mentioned, to show the baseness and wickedness of the people, that they should place an idol where the Lord himself was: according to the vision that I saw in the plain; it was the same glorious Person he saw in the temple ”
- Isaiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Isaiah 6:4: posts of . . . door--rather, foundations of the thresholds. house--temple. smoke--the Shekinah cloud (Kg1 8:10; Eze 10:4).”
- Isaiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Isaiah 37:16: dwellest--the Shekinah, or fiery symbol of God's presence, dwelling in the temple with His people, is from shachan, "to dwell" (Exo 25:22; Psa 80:1; Psa 99:1). cherubim--derived by transposition from either a Hebrew root, rachab, to "ride"; or rather, barach, to "bless." They were formed out of the same mass of pure gold as the mercy seat itself (Exo 25:19, Margin). The phrase, "dwellest between the cherubim," arose from their position at each end of the mercy seat, while the Shekinah, and the awful name, JEHOVAH, in written letters, were in the int”