The Honor of God

Among the many themes that run throughout the biblical narrative, the honor of God may have eluded the attention of western scholars and practitioners more than any other theme. One reason for this omission is the neglect of a fundamental principle in scripture translation: when translating from Hebrew or Greek texts, the context should guide the choice of words in English. For unknown reasons, the Hebrew word kabod and the Greek word doxa have been translated hundreds of times in the Bible as “glory” in reference to God, regardless of the context. To nuance these terms in English, two aspects of their meaning have been identified as the greatness (glory) and goodness (honor) of God. • Kevin Youngblood (PhD Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) Professor, Harding University Evertt Huffard is uniquely qualified to write this book because of his personal experiences in Middle Eastern honor-shame culture, his academic training, and his lifelong work at the intersection of academia and the church. He makes a significant challenge to the most common translation of the Hebrew and Greek terms usually translated “glory” in both Testaments. His argument that kabod and doxa should usually be translated “honor” should not be ignored. It is hard to imagine a better guide to escaping our cultural blindness to some key biblical and theological truths than Evertt Huffard. His cross-cultural and academic experiences qualify him to speak to the issues he raises in this book. With penetrating analysis, a firm handle on the literature in both the fields of biblical studies and cultural anthropology, and great cultural sensitivity, Huffard exposes and corrects a persistent and stubborn misunderstanding regarding the biblical terms kabod and doxa. Translators, Bible scholars, and missionaries alike are all in his debt. • Derek McNamara (DLit et Phil, University of South Africa) One of the great blessings in studying Scripture is learning that words that you perceive as vague and abstract are in fact concrete. As a young Christian I learned that the basic meaning of the word “glory” or “kabod” in the Old Testament referred to the revelation of God’s presence in his bright “shekinah” glory. Now, while this is true in many passages, there are numerous passages where this meaning left my reading of the text vague. I read these passages with the sense that I was missing something. I was indeed missing something; I was missing the intrinsic honor of God. Evertt Huffard has blessed me and the church by demonstrating that the word “kabod” is a concrete word used to describe both the intrinsic and extrinsic honor of God. • Allen Black (PhD, Emory University) Professor Emeritus of NT, Harding School of Theology