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  • From: "Eric Weiss" <eweiss AT gte.net>
  • To: b-hebrew
  • Subject: The "presence" of the Lord
  • Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 11:32:39


In Charismatic Christian circles, in which I have often moved, a frequent
expression is "the presence of the Lord" (or "the presence of the Holy
Spirit"). This is used to refer to that palpable "feeling" (whether real or
subjective - but it is real to those who sense it) of a change (usually) in
the "atmosphere" of the meeting room - a kind of "heaviness" or "thickness"
or "warmness" or "closeness" of SOMETHING, which is connected with the idea
that God has somehow drawn closer or come into the room or expressed
Himself in a way which can be "felt."

My question is whether "presence of the Lord" is the proper terminology.
For "presence" in the Hebrew Bible (this phrase doesn't seem to occur much
in the New Testament) seems often to be a translation of PaNaH or LiFNeY -
"face" or "to/before the face of (someone)." Yet those saying that "the
presence of the Lord is here" don't usually mean that we are before the
face of the Lord or that He is with us in the same sense as when the Bible
says LiFNeY YHWH. My guess is that something closer to KeBoD -
"glory/heaviness" (equivalent to the Greek DOXA?) - may be a better term
for what is meant, though when Charismatics speak of "the glory of the
Lord," they are probably referring to something that manifests itself
visibly, not just to the sense of touch.

Any thoughts or help?



  • The "presence" of the Lord, Eric Weiss, 02/28/1999

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