What Is Shekhinah?

Alright, let us settle this once and for all: The Hebrew word shekhinah does not occur at all in the Bible; not even once!

Although many Christian teachers like to talk about the “shekhinah glory [of God]”, the Bible uses other words for the glory or presence of God, like kāḇōwḏ or pāniym.

Shekhinah was not a word or concept which was used by the biblical Israelites, Jesus, or the first Christians. In fact, it is not even found in any Jewish text before the first century CE, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The earliest use of the word shekhinah is found in the Mishnah, which was compiled long after the last apostles had died.

Because it is a feminine noun, shekhinah was used to refer to the “feminine side of God”, and even the “wife of God” in some later Jewish theologies.

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with using the term shekhinah to refer to the glory or presence of God. However, Christians should keep in mind that shekhinah is not a word or concept of biblical or Christian origin.

By the way, it is pronounced sheh-khee-NAH.