YHWH in a Suit: Kəbôd YHWH as the Regalia of the Priestly God

Abstract

Kāḇôḏ in kəḇôḏ YHWH has been translated predominantly with abstract words such as “glory” or “presence” throughout the Hebrew Bible. Some scholars argue that kəḇôḏ YHWH simultaneously marks the divine presence and hides the divine essence. These understandings do not capture the specific function and signification of kəḇôḏ YHWH in the pentateuchal Priestly source (P and H). In P and H, kəḇôḏ YHWH conveys the imagery of radiant, fiery clothing, comparable to Mesopotamian melammu. The deity always appears before the public with kəḇôḏ YHWH, whereas the text never says that the deity meets anyone privately with it. kəḇôḏ YHWH expresses the royal aspect of the deity who requires honor and submission. This understanding of kəḇôḏ YHWH in P reveals that the Priestly God is not abstract, enigmatic, or transcendent.

Beauty as a Gift and a Call to Goodness

“…Indeed, the presence of beauty in the Scriptures can be discerned not only in the words, which encompass a broader significance than a mere "combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight" (Online Oxford Dictionary) but also, and most importantly, in concrete examples of beauty. Therefore, we will further explore two essential Hebrew terms crucial for understanding beauty in the Old Testament: ‫ָב͏וֹד‬ ‫͏כּ‬ (kābôd, "glory", "weight", "heaviness", "gravity", "importance", "honor", "respect", "weightiness") (Bae 2023;Dohmen and Stenmans 2004;Eichrodt 1967;Ferretter 2004;von Rad 1962;Weinfeld 1995) and ‫ט͏וֹב‬ (t ˙ôb, "good", "beautiful", "useful", "true") (Di Sante 1999; Fabris 2000;Ferretter 2004;Höver-Johag 1986;Ravasi 2010;Sisti 1989;Stoebe 1978). Additionally, we will study the three Greek terms with which the LXX translates various Hebrew terms and are also used in the deuterocanonical books and the NT: ἀγαθóς ("good") (Beyreuther 1981;Grundmann 1969;Sisti 1989), καλóς ("beautiful") (Beyreuther 1981;Grundmann and Bertram 1969;Ravasi 2010) and χρηστóς ("useful") (Ravasi 2010;Beyreuther 1981;Weiss 1974).…”