What is meant by the word glory?

Question

Gramps,

We often hear how those who are fortunate to end up in the Celestial Kingdom will have glory placed upon their heads; how glory will be theirs forever and ever; how glory is awaiting those who lived the commandments, etc. Is there a clear definition for the word glory to help us understand it or how glory is to be interpreted?

Grant

Answer

Dear Grant,

The word glory has a couple of different possible meanings depending on the context. If it’s used in the context of like an angel coming to earth in glory, then it means the light surrounding the being in question. In some of the rough drafts of  the Joseph Smith account of the first vision he considered using the word fire to describe the surrounding light before settling on the word glory. That is one use:

In the bible the word glory is usually translated from Hebrew words Hod and kabod (among others) in the Old Testament and the Greek word doxa in the New Testament. Hebrew words mean “weight” or “heaviness.” in the context of expressing importance, honor, and majesty. Greek words have the concept “judgment, opinion”, as well as, “good reputation, honor”. These are what the word glory is referring to when the scriptures talk about giving or receiving glory. This would be another.

In the end what glory really means is not very well understood. I think a good part of this is because it is related to the divine nature God. Something that while in mortality we only have the most basic and primitive of understandings.

Gramps