1 Corinthians 2:8 - Exposition

Had they known it; literally, had they recognized; had they got to know it. The apostles often dwell on this ignorance as being in part a palliation for the sin of rejecting Christ (see especially Acts 3:17 ; Acts 13:27 ; comp. Isaiah 2:1 ). Jews and Romans, emperors, procurators: high priests, Pharisees, had in their ignorance conspired in vain to prevent what God had foreordained. The Lord of glory. This is not a mere equivalent of "the glorious Lord," in Psalms 24:10 . It is "the Lord of the glory," i.e. "the Lord of the Shechinah" (comp. Ephesians 1:17 , "the Father of the glory "). The Shechinah was the name given by the Jews to the cloud of light which symbolized God's presence. The cherubim are called, in Hebrews 9:5 , "cherubim of glory," because the Shechinah was borne on their outspread wings (see, however, Acts 7:2 ; Ephesians 1:17 ). There would have been to ancient ears a startling and awful paradox in the words " crucified the Lord of glory." The words brought into juxtaposition the lowest ignominy and the most splendid exaltation.