In the Bible, kabōd is a rich and complex theological concept with multiple shades of meaning. Starting with the Old Testament, the first and most primitive meaning is the weight of an object, its heaviness as determined on a scale. A second meaning, also found in the Old Testament, refers to material wealth. Solomon’s dream at Gibeon holds this promise: “What you have not asked I shall give you too,” said Yahweh, “such riches and glory [kabōd] as no other king ever had” (1 Kings 3:13). As part of that second meaning, the word is also used in a figurative sense, to describe someone who has
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