Explanation of “glory”

Moses asked to see God’s glory (33:18).  God promised to show Moses His goodness, essential quality, grace, and compassion (33:19).  When the rerquested event occurred (34:6 – 7), God proclaimed His mercy, grace, patience, goodness, truthfulness, forgiveness, and justice.

When used as an attibute of God, glory is a parade of God’s character traits.  The same word is used in connection with other people in which the parade is composed of whatever that person is or wants to be known for.  Some examples:

• Genesis 31:1  The sons of Laban thought of their father’s wealth (his livestock) as his glory.
• Genesis 45:13  Joseph summaried his wealth, power, and position as his glory.
• 2 Kings 14:9  The king of Israel, in an attempt to avoid war with Judah, suggested that the king of Judah be satisfied with the glory he had obtained recently in Judah’s defeat of Edom.
• Esther 5:11  Haman summarized his glory as his wealth, children, power, and position.
• Job 19:9  Job summarized his departed glory in all that he had lost.
• Job 29:20  Job recalled his glory from before his losses in terms of his good reputation, family, and influence for good.
• Isaiah 8:7 the military might of the king of Assyria is his glory.

When we see a manifestation of the character of God, we should announce it to others, which is the definition of “glorify.”