Glorify

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

We meet with this word very often in Scripture, and we cannot be too particular in our proper apprehension of its meaning. It is not very difficult to understand how Jehovah is glorified actively, when we give to him the glory that is due to his holy name. God is said to be glorified, when we honour him in his word, his attributes, his perfections, and in all his dispensations, both in nature, providence and grace. "Whoso offereth me praise, saith JEHOVAH, he glorifieth me." ( Psalms 50:23) We may be said to glorify God, when we give him the credit due to God in believing him, and especially in that record he hath given of his dear Son. In this view of giving glory to God is included all that self-abasement becoming poor lost creatures, and ascribing the whole of redemption to sovereign, free, and unmerited grace. In short, in every way, and by every means, we may be said to glorify JEHOVAH when Christ, as the Christ of God, is exalted as the only Saviour of a lost world; and the soul lies low at the footstool of the throne of grace, ascribing "salvation only to God and the Lamb." This is to glorify God actively.

But then it should be carefully remembered at the same time, and never lost sight of, that all this, and ten thousand times more, in giving glory to JEHOVAH, doth not in fact add an atom to his glory. God is all-glorious in himself, whether his creatures praise him, or do not. Resting in his own eternal glory and all-sufficiency, nothing can add to, or take from that glory. Sooner might light be added to the sun by a faint taper of the night, or sound to the thunder by the human voice, than that JEHOVAH can receive additional glory from any act, or from all the acts of his creatures, put them all together in one. No! the giving glory to God is spoken of in accommodation to human apprehension, and after the manner of men, to intimate the suitable and becoming frame in man towards God, and his sense of divine goodness.

But beside this glorifying God actively, there is another method by which the Lord is said to be glorified by his creatures passively; namely, when under suited impressions of his goodness the soul lies passive, and comes to receive, and not to give; and from the Lord's grace thereby to minister to the Lord's glory. And this is as blessed a way as the former, and in which the Lord is truly glorified.

When God in Christ gives out of his fulness mercy, pardon, grace, yea, imparts of himself the suited supply to the wants of the millions of his people, this is to his glory. He doth, indeed, get himself a glorious name, and is glorified in all the gracious acts by which his love and rich mercy is thus made known. And if poor needy creatures had but such views of the clemency of heaven, they would see what encouragement it gives to faith, to be always looking up to God's free bounty in Christ, to receive from his fulness, and grace for grace. When a poor believing soul can say, it is the glory and perfection of a God in Christ to be laying out upon his redeemed of his infinite and inexhaustible fulness; and Christ in God is as much glorified by my poor heart, when passively receiving from his grace bestowed upon me, as when I actively praise him with joyful lips, when by his Holy Spirit he enables me to bring my poor boon of love and thankfulness. This is to glorify God.

The reader will be pleased to observe, that in all I have here noticed of glorifying Jehovah, I have hitherto confined the subject to that part of the divine glory given to him by his church and people, under those two branches of it, actively and passively. But a yet far higher view of glorifying the Lord remains to be considered. The transcendent glory of JEHOVAH is in the person of Christ, as God-man Mediator. Here the whole glory of JEHOVAH, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, centres. In Christ that glory shines out in one full constellation. The Holy Ghost, by the apostle, describes it in a short verse, when speaking of Christ's person. "In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." ( Colossians 2:9) But what angels or men can describe this? And in Christ's ministry, offices, character, work, and relations in the accomplishment, who shall undertake to set forth the glory of the Father in the Son, and the glory of the Son by the Father, through the efficient operation of God the Holy Ghost?

I will only add, that it forms a part of that glory which all the persons of the GODHEAD are concerned in, and will be loved, and praised, and adored for, to all eternity by the church, when the church is glorified and made everlastingly happy, from her union with her glorious Head Christ Jesus, and brought home through a life of grace here, to a life of unspeakable nearness, felicity, and glory in Christ Jesus hereafter, and to rest in the uninterrupted enjoyment of it for evermore. This also is to the divine glory.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Δοξάζω (Strong'S #1392 — Verb — doxazo — dox-ad'-zo )

primarily denotes "to suppose" (from doxa, "an opinion"); in the NT (a) "to magnify, extol, praise" (see doxa below), especially of "glorifying;" God, i.e., ascribing honor to Him, acknowledging Him as to His being, attributes and acts, i.e., His glory (see Glory e.g.,  Matthew 5:16;  9:8;  15:31;  Romans 15:6,9;  Galatians 1:24;  1—Peter 4:16; the Word of the Lord,  Acts 13:48; the Name of the Lord,  Revelation 15:4; also of "glorifying" oneself,  John 8:54;  Revelation 18:7; (b) "to do honor to, to make glorious, e.g.,  Romans 8:30;  2—Corinthians 3:10;  1—Peter 1:8 , "full of glory," Passive Voice (lit., "glorified"); said of Christ, e.g.,  John 7:39;  8:54 , RV, "glorifieth," for AV, "honor" and "honoreth" (which would translate timao, "to honor"); of the Father, e.g.,  John 13:31,32;  21:19;  1—Peter 4:11; of "glorifying" one's ministry,  Romans 11:13 , RV, "glorify" (AV, "magnify"); of a member of the body,  1—Corinthians 12:26 , "be honored" (RV marg., "be glorified").

 John 12:28 John 17:1,4 John 13:31 14:13 John 15:8 John 11:4 John 7:39 12:16,23 13:31 17:1,5 John 16:14

2: Ἐνδοξάζομαι (Strong'S #1740 — Verb — endoxazo — en-dox-ad'-zo )

No. 1 prefixed by en, "in," signifies, in the Passive Voice, "to be glorified," i.e., to exhibit one's glory; it is said of God, regarding His saints in the future,  2—Thessalonians 1:10 , and of the name of the Lord Jesus as "glorified" in them in the present,  2—Thessalonians 1:12 .

3: Συνδοξάζω (Strong'S #4888 — Verb — sundoxazo — soon-dox-ad'-zo )

"to glorify together" (sun, "with"), is used in  Romans 8:17 .

King James Dictionary

Glo'Rify, L gloria and facio, to make.

1. To praise to magnify and honor in worship to ascribe honor to, in thought or words.  Psalms 86:9

God is glorified, when such his excellency, above all things, is with due admiration acknowledged.

2. To make glorious to exalt to glory, or to celestial happiness.

Whom he justified, them he also glorified.  Romans 8

The God of our fathers hath glorified his son

Jesus.  Acts 3

3. To praise to honor to extol.

Whomsoever they find to be most licentious of life--him they set up and glorify.

4. To procure honor or praise to.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

to make glorious or honourable, or to cause to appear so,  John 12:28;  John 13:31-32;  John 15:8;  John 17:4-5;  John 21:19;  Acts 3:13 . In this view it particularly refers to the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension to the right hand of God,  John 7:39;  John 12:16 . It also expresses that change which shall pass upon believers at the general resurrection, and their admission into heaven.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Spoken of God to "shew forth his praise" ( 1 Corinthians 6:20;  10:31 ).

Copyright Statement These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., DD Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Glorify'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/g/glorify.html. 1897.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

glō´ri - fı̄  : The English word is the equivalent of a number of Hebrew and Greek words whose essential significance is discussed more fully under the word Glory (which see). The word "glorious" in the phrases "make or render glorious" is used most frequently as a translation of verbs in the original, rather than of genuine adjectives In dealing with the verb it will be sufficient to indicate the following most important uses.

(1) Men may glorify God, that is, give to Him the worship and reverence which are His due ( Isaiah 24:15;  Isaiah 25:3;  Psalm 22:23;  Daniel 5:23; Sirach 43:30;  Matthew 5:16 , and generally in the Synoptic Gospels and in some other passages of the New Testament).

(2) God, Yahweh (Jehovah), glorifies His people, His house, and in the New Testament, His Son, manifesting His approval of them and His interest in them, by His interposition on their behalf ( Isaiah 55:5;  Jeremiah 30:19; The Wisdom of Solomon 18:8; Sirach 45:3;  John 7:39 , and often in the Fourth Gospel).

(3) By a usage which is practically confined to the Old Testament, Yahweh glorifies Himself, that is, secures the recognition of His honor and majesty, by His direction of the course of history, or by His interposition in history, either the history of His own people or of the world at large ( Leviticus 10:3;  Isaiah 26:15;  Ezekiel 28:22;  Haggai 1:8 ).

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(1.) to make glorious or honorable, or to cause to appear so,  John 12:28;  John 13:31-32;  John 15:8;  John 17:4-5;  John 21:19;  Acts 3:13. In this view it particularly refers to the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension to the right hand of God,  John 7:30;  John 12:16.

(2.) It also expresses that change which shall pass upon believers at the general resurrection, and their admission into heaven.

(3.) To Glorify God ( 1 Corinthians 6:20) is to "show forth his praise" by obedience to his law. Thus the "heavens declare the glory of God" in obedience to the law of creation; and much more do moral and intellectual beings glorify him by willing obedience to the moral law ( 1 Corinthians 10:31;  John 17:4). (See Glory Of God).