Psalm 29.9—The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory (Kavod)!”
This Post is Heavy
Kavod (כָּבוֹד) is the Hebrew word primarily meaning "glory," "honor," or "weight." Kaved and kavod share the same Hebrew root כ-ב-ד (k-b-d), linking concepts of weight and heaviness.
The word Kavod has worked its way into modern Jewish expression. I've said and heard countless times the modern Hebrew colloquial expression "kol hakavod" for "well done." You don't say kol hakavod for just any trvial thing -- it is typically something done in service of the Lord. It is common to say kol hakavod for an important good work, such as the delivery of a good sermon.
The First Use of the Word: Exodus 16:7
אֶת־כְּב֣וֹד יְהֹוָ֔ה (Glory of the Lord)
Exodus 16:7—And [in the] morning, you shall see the glory of the Lord when He hears your complaints against the Lord but [of] what [significance] are we, that you make [the people] complain against us?
In this verse, Exodus 16.7 Moses tells the Israelites, "In the morning you will see the glory (kavod) of the Lord,..."Prophetic!!
"...because he has heard your grumblings against him." This happens during the provision of manna in the Wilderness, marking God's initial visible manifestation of his weighty presence to the complaining people.
In Exodus 16:6-10, Moses and Aaron address the assembly, promising God's provision; as they speak, the glory (kavod) appears in a cloud, confirming divine response.
Exodus 17:12— Now Moses hands were (כְּבֵדִ֔ים Kavod) heavy; so they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one from this [side], and one from that [side]; so he was with his hands in faith until sunset.
This precedes fuller revelations at Sinai (Exodus 24:16-17), establishing kavod as a tangible, fiery/cloud-like theophany.
Exodus 24:16-17 — Now the glory (כְּבֽוֹד־) of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory (כְּבֽוֹד־) of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Together, these verses underscore God's "heaviness" in intervention, contrasting human complaints with divine honor. The Lord is not to be taken lightly!
Ingratitude Leads to Downfall
The Israelites' pattern of grumbling persists even after God's miraculous manna provision in Exodus 16, revealing deep ingratitude and lack of faith.
God does not overlook this; he responds with righteous anger through Moses (Exodus 16:20) and later sends fire on the outskirts for further complaints (Numbers 11:1), emphasizing that murmuring against provision questions his kavod and sovereignty. These events culminate in prolonged wandering, as the generation fails to enter the land due to unbelief.
The Israelites' persistent complaints despite God's faithful provision carry a profound warning about ingratitude and unbelief in our own lives.
Grumbling dishonors God's kavod—his weighty glory—by doubting his goodness and sufficiency, much like Pharaoh's hardened (kaved) heart escalated judgments. We must cultivate contentment, remembering past provisions as memorials (like manna in the ark), to avoid similar consequences.
Gratitude anchors prayer and worship by countering the human tendency toward complaint, as seen in the Israelites' manna cycle.
In the Psalms, praise precedes petition (Psalm 100:4). In the wilderness narrative, ingratitude veiled God's kavod, but gratitude unveils it, shifting focus from self to divine provision.
Gratitude embodies honoring (kaved roots) God's weighty faithfulness, fostering humility and trust. It transforms rote prayer into relational dialogue, preventing hardened hearts and inviting sustained presence. Daily practice aligns us with heavenly worship, where elders ceaselessly thank the Lamb (Revelation 4-5).
It Doesn't Get Any Heavier Than This
I love this last fact. The Hebrew root of kavod/kaved is כבד (k-b-d). Its standard gematria value is 26: כ (kaf=20) + ב (bet=2) + ד (dalet=4). This 26 links numerically to YHWH (יהוה=10+5+6+5), symbolizing glory's divine weight.
כבד = יהוה
Ordinal Value
Hebrew Gematria can also be calculated used "ordinal value." Hebrew gematria's ordinal method (mispar siduri) assigns values based on letter position: aleph=1, bet=2, up to tav=22.
The total ordinal value for the root כבד is calculated as follows:
ב (bet, 2nd) = 2
ד (dalet, 4th) = 4
11+2+4=17
In Hebrew tradition, the number 17 often signifies divine purpose, overcoming enemies, and spiritual perfection, linked to events like Noah's Ark resting (Genesis 8:4) and God's judgment.
Genesis 8:4 — the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
Either way you add it up, Kavod is heavy!
Happy New Year '26 -- May it be a year filled with gratitude!
