The Bible speaks expressly of the glory of God and the glory of man; but they do not mean the same thing. The glory of God normally describes the awe-inspiring presence of God. It is God bringing His weight to bear upon a gathering or upon an issue. When the glory of God appeared on Mount Sinai the people froze in fear. On Mount Carmel, the people bowed their knees and confessed that the Lord was God when they saw the miraculous fire of Elijah. The glory of God is often associated with the manifestation of His power either to punish evil or to reward the good. The glory of God is also when His intervention brings solution to the dilemma of man as we see it in John 2 where Jesus turned water to wine.

The glory of God normally describes the awe-inspiring presence of God. It is God bringing His weight to bear upon a gathering or upon an issue.

The glory of man on the other hand often means position of influence and wealth. This is the sense in which it was used in Genesis 31:1 when the sons of Laban complained that “Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.” This is also the sense in which Joseph sent his brethren to his father, asking them to tell him “of all my glory in Egypt” (Genesis 45:13). One of the effects of God’s blessing on man is glory. In return, man is to praise God continually for His unspeakable gifts.