well done! bravo!

Several days ago, we discussed the importance of thanking other people when an expression of thankfulness, ‘to•da’ (thank you) or ‘to•da ra•ba’ (thank you very much), is warranted. ‘Kol ha•ka•vod’ is a phrase of praise we say to a person that has done something very well or has done something that earned our respect.

Biblically, the word Kavod means glory and honor, and interestingly it comes from the word ‘kaved,” meaning ‘heavy’ (in property such as cattle, gold etc.). Yes, even there, in our Bible, honor is connected to wealth.

All Old Testament references of Kavod relate only to God. There is no mention of the expression ‘kol hakavod.’ It is only a modern saying. In the New Testament, we do see these words, but again, with a somewhat different meaning.

“If you therefore will worship before me, it [in Hebrew kol hakavod] will all be yours”