Bible Lexicons

δόξα, δόξης, ἡ (δοκέω (from Homer down), the Sept. most frequent for כָּבוד, several times for הוד, הָדָר, etc.;

I. opinion, judgment, view: in this sense very often in secular writ; but in the Bible only in 4 Macc. 5:17 (18).

II. opinion, estimate, whether good or bad, concerning some one; but (like the Latinexistimatio) in secular writings generally, in the sacred writings always, good opinion concerning one, and as resulting from that, praise, honor, glory: Luke 14:10; Hebrews 3:3; 1 Peter 5:4; opposed to ἀτιμία, 2 Corinthians 6:8; opposed to αἰσχύνη, Philippians 3:19; joined with τιμή, Romans 2:7, 10; 1 Peter 1:7; 2 Peter 1:17; δόξα τίνος, praise or honor coming to someone, Luke 2:32; Ephesians 3:13; coming from some one, John 8:54; John 12:43; τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ Θεοῦ, John 12:43; Romans 3:23; persons whose excellence is to redound to the glory of others are called their δόξα: thus, ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἡ δόξα ἡμῶν, 1 Thessalonians 2:20; ἀδελφοί ἡμῶν δόξα Χριστοῦ, 2 Corinthians 8:23. ζητεῖν τήν ἰδίαν δόξαν, or τήν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, John 7:18; John 8:50; of God, to endeavor to promote the glory of God, John 7:18: ζητεῖν δόξαν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, 1 Thessalonians 2:6; τήν δόξαν τήν παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ, John 5:44; λαμβάνειν δόξαν (Latincaptare honorem) to seek to receive, catch at glory, John 5:41, 44; to receive glory, 2 Peter 1:17; Revelation 5:12; τήν δόξαν, the glory due (cf. Winers Grammar, 105f (100f); Buttmann, 88 (77); Ellicott on Galatians 1:5, cf. Buttmann, 89 (78)), Revelation 4:11; διδόναι δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, לַיְהוָה כָּבוד שׂוּם or (Jeremiah 13:16) נָתַן, to give or ascribe glory to God, why and how being evident in each case from the context: thus, by declaring one's gratitude to God for a benefit received, Luke 17:18; by not distrusting God's promises, Romans 4:20; by celebrating his praises, Revelation 4:9; Revelation 11:13; Revelation 14:7; (); (τήν δόξαν, the glory due); by rendering its due honor to God's majesty, Acts 12:23; δός δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, acknowledge that God knows all things, and show that you believe it by the confession you are about to make, John 9:24, cf. 1 Samuel 6:5; Joshua 7:19; Ev. Nicod. c. 14 (p. 622, Thilo edition, 296, Tdf. edition); cf. Grimm on 4 Macc. 1:12. εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ, so as to honor God, to promote his glory (among men): Romans 15:7; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 1:11; Philippians 2:11; εἰς τήν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Romans 3:7; 2 Corinthians 4:15; τῷ Θεῷ πρός δόξαν, 2 Corinthians 1:20; πρός τήν τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν, 2 Corinthians 8:19: ὑπέρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, John 11:4; in doxologies: δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, Luke 2:14, cf. Luke 19:38; αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα, Romans 11:36; Ephesians 3:21; 2 Peter 3:18; ᾧ ἡ δόξα, Romans 16:27; Galatians 1:5; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 13:21; τῷ Θεῷ ἡ δόξα, Philippians 4:20; τιμή καί δόξα, 1 Timothy 1:17. (Even in classic Greek δόξα is a word of wide significance, ranging from one's private opinion, fancy, to public opinion, repute, renown (κλέος; cf. the relation of (φήμη to φάναι). Coupled with τιμή it denotes rather the splendid condition (evident glory), τιμή, the estimate and acknowledgment of it (paid honor).)

III. As a translation of the Hebrew כָּבוד, in a use foreign to Greek writing (Winers Grammar, 32), splendor, brightness;

1. properly: τοῦ φωτός, Acts 22:11; of the sun, moon, stars, 1 Corinthians 15:40f; used of the heavenly brightness, by which God was conceived of as surrounded, Luke 2:9 Acts 7:55, and by which heavenly beings were surrounded when they appeared on earth, Luke 9:31; Revelation 18:1; with which the face of Moses was once made luminous, 2 Corinthians 3:7, and also Christ in his transfiguration, Luke 9:32; δόξα τοῦ κυρίου, in the Sept. equivalent to יְהוָה כְּבוד, in the Targum and Talmud שְׁכִינָה, Shekinah or Shechinah (see BB. DD. under the word), the glory of the Lord, and simply ἡ δόξα, a bright cloud by which God made manifest to men his presence and power on earth (Exodus 24:17; Exodus 40:28 (34ff), etc.): Romans 9:4; Revelation 15:8; Revelation 21:11, 23; hence, ὁ Θεός τῆς δόξης (God to whom belongs δόξα ὤφθη, Acts 7:2; Χερούβειν δόξης, on whom the divine glory rests (so δόξα, without the article, Exodus 40:28 (34); 1 Samuel 4:22; Sir. 49:8), Hebrews 9:5.

2. magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace: βασιλεῖαι τοῦ κόσμου καί ἡ δόξα αὐτῶν, i. e. their resources, wealth, the magnificence and greatness of their cities, their fertile lands, their thronging population, Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:6; ἡ δόξα τῶν βασιλειῶν τῆς γῆς, Revelation 21:(24; τῶν ἐθνῶν, ibid.) Revelation 21:26; used of royal state, splendid apparel, and the like: Matthew 6:29; Luke 12:27 (Esther 5:1; Josephus, Antiquities 8, 6, 5); glorious form and appearance: e. g. of human bodies restored to life, opposed to ἡ ἀτιμία which characterized them when they were buried, 1 Corinthians 15:43; ἡ δόξα τῆς σαρκός "omne id, quod in rebus humanis magnificum dicitur (Calvin), 1 Peter 1:24; εἶναι τίνι δόξα, to be a glory, ornament, to one, 1 Corinthians 11:15; universally, preeminence, excellence: 2 Corinthians 3:8-11.

3. majesty;

a. that which belongs to God; and a. the kingly majesty which belongs to him as the supreme ruler; so in passages where it is joined with βασιλεία, δύναμις, κράτος, ἐξουσία, and the like: Matthew 6:13 Rec.; especially in doxologies, 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Peter 5:11 R G; Jude 1:25; Revelation 1:6; these passage I have preferred to distinguish from those cited above, II. at the end, and yet in passages similar to each other in form it is not always clear whether δόξα is used to denote praise and honor, or regal majesty, as in Revelation 7:12 ἡ εὐλογία καί ἡ δοκα καί ἡ σοφία καί ἡ εὐχαριστία καί ἡ τιμή καί ἡ ἰσχύς, Revelation 19:1 ἡ σωτηρία καί ἡ δόξα καί ἡ τιμή καί ἡ δύναμις; likewise in Revelation 5:12 (13). of the judicial majesty of God as exhibited at the last day, Jude 1:24. ἀνήρ εἰκών καί δόξα Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, whose function of government reflects the majesty of the divine ruler, 1 Corinthians 11:7; (ἡ) γυνή δόξα ἀνδρός, because in her the preeminence and authority of her husband are conspicuous, ibid. β. majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity: Romans 1:23; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3; 2 Peter 1:17; 1 Peter 4:14; ἐν δόξῃ, equivalent to ἐνδόξως, i. e. as accords with his divine perfection, Philippians 4:19 (cf. Meyer and Lightfoot at the passage); of the majesty of his saving grace: Romans 9:23; Ephesians 1:12, 14, 18; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:11; 2 Peter 1:3 (Winer's Grammar, 381 (356)); more fully δόξα τῆς χάριτος. Ephesians 1:6; ὁ πατήρ τῆς δόξης, the Father whose characteristic is majesty, Ephesians 1:17; the majesty of God as exhibited in deeds of power: John 11:40; Romans 6:4 (whence δόξα for עֹז, the Sept. Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 45:24); hence, τό κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, the might in which His majesty excels, Colossians 1:11.

b. majesty which belongs to Christ; and α. the kingly majesty of the Messiah, to which belongs his kingly state, the splendor of His external appearance, the retinue of angels, and the like (see in III. 1): Mark 10:37; in this sense it is said that Christ will come hereafter to set up the Messianic kingdom ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρός, clothed by the Father in kingly array, Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; μετά δυνάμεως καί δόξης πολλῆς, Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27 cf. Matthew 25:31; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 4:13; also καθίσαι ἐπί θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, Matthew 19:28; Matthew 25:31, cf. 1 Samuel 2:8; ἡ δόξα τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, the majesty of his Messianic power with which he will punish his adversaries, 2 Thessalonians 1:9. β. the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellence of Christ: 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; in which he excels by virtue of his nature as ὁ θεῖος λόγος, John 1:14; John 12:41; of which majesty he gave tokens in the miracles he performed, John 2:11 cf. John 11:40; ὁ κύριος τῆς δόξης, 1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1. γ. "the majesty (glory) of angels, as apparent in their exterior brightness, Luke 9:26; in a wider sense, in which angels are called δόξαι as being spiritual beings of preeminent dignity: Jude 1:8; 2 Peter 2:10.

4. a most glorious condition, most exalted state;

a. of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth: Luke 24:26; John 17:5 (where he is said to have been in the same condition before his incarnation, and even before the beginning of the world); John 17:22, 24; Hebrews 2:7, 9; 1 Peter 1:11, 21; τό σῶμα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, the body in which his glorious condition is manifested, Philippians 3:21; ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ, was taken np (into heaven) so that he is now ἐν δόξῃ, 1 Timothy 3:16 (cf. Winers Grammar, 413 (385); Buttmann, 328 (283)).

b. "the glorious condition of blessedness into which it is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour's return from heaven": Romans 8:18, 21; Romans 9:23; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Colossians 1:27 (twice; cf. Meyer at the passage); Colossians 3:4; 2 Timothy 2:10; Hebrews 2:10; 1 Peter 5:1; which condition begins to be enjoyed even now through the devout contemplation of the divine majesty of Christ, and its influence upon those who contemplate it, 2 Corinthians 3:18; and this condition will include not only the blessedness of the soul, but also the gain of a more excellent body (1 Corinthians 15:43; Philippians 3:21); cf. Lipsius, Paulin. Rechtfertigungslehre, p. 203ff; ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ, which God bestows, Romans 5:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; δόξα τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, the same in which Christ rejoices, 2 Thessalonians 2:14 (cf. Romans 8:17 etc.); εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν, to render us partakers of δόξα, 1 Corinthians 2:7. Cf. Weiss, Biblical Theol. des N. T. § 76 d.