In Isaiah 64:1-3 the writer declares,“Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! That the mountains might shake at Your (Shekinah) Presence! As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil - to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your (Shekinah) Presence! When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You did come down, and the mountains shook at Your (Shekinah) Presence."
The word "Shekinah" is made up of related words in the Bible which describe the "Presence" of Jehovah God in a certain locality. These related words are used extensively to describe the "Shekinah" visitations. The word "Shekinah" itself is not found in any Biblical texts, but the concept clearly is! The word most certainly is derived from "shahkan," and whoever first used the word "Shekinah" coined it to describe the "abiding, dwelling or habitation" of the physical manifestations of Jehovah God as described in Exodus 24:16, 40:35 and Numbers 9:17-18 (and various other places where "shahkan" is used).
Note, the word is also used to describe the "Shekinah" Presence in the Tabernacle and later in the first and second Temples. The word "mishkan,” a derivative of "shahkan", is often translated "tabernacle." "Mishkan" means "a dwelling place." That is, the “dwelling place of Him who dwells.” The Hebrew verb "shahkan" literally means to take up residence for a long period of time, and its primary meaning is “to reside and continue as a member of the community.” Of course, when it refers to Jehovah God, it takes on an added mysticism that is obvious from its use in the scriptures.
