The Tabernacle (Hebrew: מִשְׁכַּן, mishkan, “residence” or “dwelling place”), according to the Hebrew Bible, was the portable earthly dwelling place for the Shekhinah from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built of woven layers of curtains along with 48 standing boards clad with polished gold and held in place by 5 bars per side the middle bar shooting through from end to end and other items made from the gold, silver, brass, furs, jewels, and other valuable materials taken out of Egypt at God’s orders, and according to specifications revealed by Yahweh (God) to Moses at Mount Sinai, it was transported by the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land. Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of God some 300 years later.
The main source for the account of the construction of the Tabernacle is the biblical Book of Exodus, specifically Exodus 25–31 and 35–40. It describes an inner shrine, the Holy of Holies, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, which in turn was under the veil of the covering suspended by four pillars and an outer chamber (the “Holy Place”), with beaten gold made into what is generally described as a lamp-stand or candlestick featuring a central shaft incorporating four almond-shaped bowls and six branches, each holding three bowls shaped like almonds and blossoms, 22 in all. It was standing diagonally, partially covering a table for showbread and with its seven oil lamps over against it to give light along with the altar of incense.
This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source (“P”), written in the sixth or fifth century BCE. However whilst the first Priestly source takes the form of instructions, the second is largely a repetition of the first in the past tense, i.e., it describes the execution of the instructions. Many scholars contend that it is of a far later date than the time of Moses, and that the description reflects the structure of Solomon’s Temple, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh. Traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter. According to historical criticism, an earlier, pre-exilic source, the Elohist (“E”), describes the Tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary.
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Author: Wikipedia
Keywords: Tent of meeting, Tabernacle, Construction of the tabernacle, Construction of the tent of meeting, Erection of the tabernacle, Erection of the tent of meeting, Holy of holies, Sanctuary, Ark of the covenant, Most holy place, Inner sanctuary, Materials of the tabernacle, Materials of the tent of meeting, table of shewbread, table of showbread, altar of incense
Bible reference(s): Exodus 25, Exodus 26, Exodus 27, Exodus 28:43, Exodus 29:4, Exodus 29:10, Exodus 29:11, Exodus 29:30, Exodus 29:32, Exodus 29:42, Exodus 29:44, Exodus 30:16, Exodus 30:18, Exodus 30:20, Exodus 30:26, Exodus 30:36, Exodus 31:7, Exodus 33:7, Exodus 35, Exodus 36, Exodus 37, Exodus 38, Exodus 39, Exodus 40, Leviticus 1:1, Leviticus 1:3, Leviticus 1:5, Leviticus 3:2, Leviticus 3:8, Leviticus 3:13, Leviticus 4:4, Leviticus 4:5, Leviticus 4:7, Leviticus 4:14, Leviticus 4:16, Leviticus 4:18, Leviticus 6:16, Leviticus 6:26, Leviticus 6:30, Leviticus 8:3, Leviticus 8:4, Leviticus 8:10, Leviticus 8:31, Leviticus 8:33, Leviticus 8:35, Leviticus 9:5, Leviticus 9:23, Leviticus 10:7, Leviticus 10:9, Leviticus 12:6, Leviticus 14:11, Leviticus 14:23, Leviticus 15:14, Leviticus 15:29, Leviticus 15:31, Leviticus 16:7, Leviticus 16:16, Leviticus 16:17, Leviticus 16:20, Leviticus 16:23, Leviticus 16:33, Leviticus 17:4, Leviticus 17:5, Leviticus 17:6, Leviticus 17:9, Leviticus 19:21, Leviticus 24:3, Numbers 1:1, Numbers 1:50, Numbers 1:51, Numbers 1:53, Numbers 2:2, Numbers 2:17, Numbers 3:7, Numbers 3:8, Numbers 3:23, Numbers 3:25-26, Numbers 3:38, Numbers 4:3, Numbers 4:4, Numbers 4:15-16, Numbers 4:23, Numbers 4:25-26, Numbers 4:28, Numbers 4:30, Numbers 4:31, Numbers 4:33, Numbers 4:35, Numbers 4:37, Numbers 4:39, Numbers 4:41, Numbers 4:43, Numbers 4:47, Numbers 5:17, Numbers 6:10, Numbers 6:13, Numbers 6:18, Numbers 7:1, Numbers 7:3, Numbers 7:5, Numbers 7:89, Numbers 8:9, Numbers 8:15, Numbers 8:19, Numbers 8:22, Numbers 8:24, Numbers 8:26, Numbers 9:15, Numbers 9:18-20, Numbers 9:22, Numbers 10:3, Numbers 10:11, Numbers 10:17, Numbers 10:21, Numbers 11:16, Numbers 12:4, Numbers 14:10, Numbers 16:9, Numbers 16:18, Numbers 16:19, Numbers 16:42, Numbers 16:43, Numbers 16:50, Numbers 17:4, Numbers 17:13, Numbers 18:4, Numbers 18:6, Numbers 18:21, Numbers 18:22, Numbers 18:23, Numbers 18:31, Numbers 19:4, Numbers 19:13, Numbers 20:6, Numbers 25:6, Numbers 27:2, Numbers 31:30, Numbers 31:47, Numbers 31:54, Deuteronomy 31:14, Joshua 18:1, Joshua 19:51, Joshua 22:19, Joshua 22:29, 1 Samuel 2:22, 1 Kings 8:4, 1 Chronicles 6:32, 1 Chronicles 6:48, 1 Chronicles 9:21, 1 Chronicles 16:39, 1 Chronicles 21:29, 1 Chronicles 23:26, 1 Chronicles 23:32, 2 Chronicles 1:3, 2 Chronicles 1:5-6, 2 Chronicles 1:13, 2 Chronicles 5:5, Judith 9:8, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 24:10, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 24:15, Hebrews 9:1-12
Source: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Tabernacle,” which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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