The Law of First Mention as a Hermeneutical Default

The "law of first mention" is a hermeneutical principle which, stated cautiously, says: when you want to understand a biblical term, examine its first occurrence in Scripture, because that first usage often displays the basic sense, flavor, or default meaning of the term. It does not lock the word into one unchangeable definition, but it gives a starting point—a default to use unless the context clearly requires some other nuance.

How To Use the Law of First Mention

The process typically works like this:

1. Identify the word in question—in this case, "glory" in 2 Peter 1:3.
2. Ideally, look up the underlying original-language term (Greek or Hebrew) and find its first occurrence in that language in Scripture. This is the most precise way.
3. Alternatively, as a broader and less precise method, you can look up the first occurrence of the English word in the King James Version and then refine by checking the original term.
4. Study that first context. Ask: What is happening? How would an ordinary hearer take that word here? What concrete or conceptual features are associated with it?
5. Treat that as a default sense and take it with you into other uses. If the normal sense fits the later context, use it. If context demands another nuance, you move away carefully, justifying the shift from the default.

This is a tool, not a rigid law. To say the first mention is the only allowable meaning would be to mis-handle language. Words can gain ranges of meaning, positive or negative connotations, and metaphorical uses. The law of first mention gives you a baseline, not a prison.

Applying This to "Glory" in 2 Peter 1:3

The text in question is 2 Peter 1:3:

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."

The "us" here, as the immediate context (2 Peter 1:1) indicates, is Peter and those who have "obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Primarily, then, Peter and his fellow apostles and believing recipients are in view.

You ask whether we can use the law of first mention to define "glory" here. Yes, we can, and doing so helps avoid an overly vague, purely spiritualized reading.

First English Occurrence of "Glory" in the New Testament

Searching the English KJV New Testament, "glory" first appears in Matthew 4:8:

"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them."

What is "the glory of them"?

Contextually, it is what makes the kingdoms an enticing offer. It involves their power, wealth, influence, institutions, armies, courts, lands, resources, and pomp. It is not merely an inner feeling or a vague brightness; it is the tangible, visible, political and material splendor, authority, and honor belonging to those kingdoms.

If you think in terms of "the glory of the British Empire" a century or more ago, you see the point. That glory included:

• A global spread of territories ("the sun never sets on the British Empire").
• Economic power and trade.
• Military reach.
• Political influence.
• Visible ceremony, pomp, and royal pageantry.

So, from this first English mention, "glory" has a definite sense of concrete grandeur, power, and regal magnificence, not simply an inward state.

Checking the Greek Term via First Mention

To tighten the analysis, we check the Greek word used in 2 Peter 1:3. The term is doxa. Searching for the first doxa in the New Testament leads us to Matthew 6:29:

"And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

"Solomon in all his glory" likewise refers to visible royal splendor—his robes, crown, palace, court, riches, and manifested kingly dignity. Again, the sense is not ethereal but very concrete: status, adornment, and royal magnificence.

Looking to the Old Testament, the first English occurrence of "glory" is Genesis 31:1:

"And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory."

There, "glory" refers to Jacob's wealth and possessions. Laban's sons complain that Jacob has acquired their father's material glory—flocks, goods, and the visible prosperity that went with them.

These three early occurrences—Jacob's glory in possessions, the glory of the kingdoms of the world, and Solomon in all his glory—consistently suggest:

• Tangible or manifested wealth, power, honor, and grandeur.
• Royal or political associations (kingdoms, Solomon).
• Something objectively impressive, not merely subjective feeling.

Bringing This Back to 2 Peter 1:3

Returning to 2 Peter 1:3, we read:

"...through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."

If we carry in the default sense of doxa from its first uses, "glory" is not simply an inner state of spiritual joy or some vague heavenly brightness. It is a term with strong overtones of royal splendor, manifested power, and kingdom-level magnificence.

This fits well with a kingdom-oriented reading of Peter. He is an apostle of the circumcision, speaking in a context where the messianic kingdom and its royal prospects are in view. To be "called to glory and virtue," then, would mean being called into participation in that splendid, powerful, righteous kingdom order—sharing in the royal, manifested honor and moral excellence associated with Christ's future reign.

In other words, Peter's readers are called not merely to be inwardly spiritual, but to a share in the royal, public, and manifested glory of the coming kingdom, together with the moral excellence (virtue) that befits such a calling.

The Weight of the Default Sense

By going through the law of first mention in both English and Greek, we see that the burden of proof lies on anyone who wants to reduce "glory" in 2 Peter 1:3 to a purely inward, non-kingdom, non-tangible sense. The early occurrences line up strongly on the side of tangible, manifested grandeur.

Thus, unless there is a compelling contextual reason to do otherwise, the sensible reading is that Peter is pointing to a call into a glorious, kingdom-related destiny—one that is real, manifested, and royal in character—rather than a merely abstract spiritual state.

So:

• Yes, you can use the law of first mention to define the default sense of "glory."
• Doing so suggests that Peter speaks of a call into the sphere of royal splendor and moral excellence associated with the coming kingdom, rather than simply an internal or sentimental idea of glory.

That is a concrete example of the law of first mention functioning as a helpful hermeneutical tool without being turned into an inflexible rule.

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