A compound verb from epi (upon) + skēnoō (to pitch a tent, dwell), meaning to dwell upon or take up residence over someone. Used once in the New Testament in Paul's great passage on strength in weakness.
Second Corinthians 12:9 contains one of Paul's most luminous sentences: 'Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell upon me (episkēnosē).' The word evokes the Shekinah glory — the divine cloud that dwelt over the Tabernacle. Paul is saying: my weakness is the Tabernacle; Christ's power is the cloud. The weaker the vessel, the more room for divine glory. This is the paradox that reverses all human achievement: the thorn in the flesh is not the obstacle to ministry; it is the occasion for the episkēnoō of Christ. Where we stop, Christ begins to tabernacle.