God had revealed His holiness to Israel; and He wished them to consider it the “beauty” of His nature. If we take a portrait of a man, we try to represent his face, not his hand, nor his back, nor his foot; we try to delineate his beauty, to refresh our minds with that which is most memorable and distinguishing in his exterior semblance; so, while the hand and finger of God denote His power and skill; and His throne is used for majesty and dominion, He considers His holiness as the true luster of His character, as that by which He will be best known.
— Edward Reynolds