The central theme of the Mosaic tabernacle is the dwelling of God in the midst of Israel. The actualization of God’s dwelling is expressed in every aspect of the tabernacle, including its structure, materials, courts, sanctuaries, and furnishings including the altars, the lampstand, and the ark of the covenant.
Terminology and References
A number of words and phrases are used in connection with the tabernacle.
(1) “The tent” occurs nineteen times; similar phrases include “tent of the Lord” (1 Kings 2:28–29); “the house of the tent” (1 Chron. 9:23); “the house of the Lord” (Exod. 23:19); and “the tabernacle of the house of God” (1 Chron. 6:48).
(2) “Tent of meeting,” that is, of God and of Israel through Moses, indicates the tabernacle as a place of revelation. This name occurs over 125 times (Exod. 33:7; Num. 11:16; 12:4; Deut. 31:14). The place where the Lord met with Moses and Israel (Exod. 29:42–43; Num. 17:4) was for communication and revelation (Exod. 29:42; 33:11; Num. 7:89). It is equivalent to “tent of revelation,” since here God declared his will for Israel. The rendering “the tabernacle of the congregation” is not exact.
(3) “Dwelling place” or “dwelling” indicates the place where God disclosed himself to his people and dwelt among them. The root is “to dwell.” Exodus 25:8 uses the word to speak of the entire shrine; in Exodus 26:1 it is limited practically to the Holy of Holies.
(4) “The tabernacle of the testimony” also occurs (Exod. 38:21). Less frequently, we see “the tent of the testimony” (Num. 9:15, asv).
(5) The general term Holy Place, or “sanctuary,” appears in Exodus 25:8 and Leviticus 10:17–18. The root is the verb “to be separate, holy.”
The principal passages dealing with the tabernacle are (1) Exodus 25–29; (2) Exodus 30–31; (3) Exodus 35–40; and (4) Numbers 3:25–26; 4:4–6; and 7:1–89.
The Structure of the Tabernacle
The purpose of the structure is stated in Exodus 25:8, 21–22. It was made after the pattern shown to Moses on the mount (Exod. 25:9; 26:30). The entrances to the court and to the structure were from the east. The altar of burnt offering was in the court, then the laver; inside the tabernacle, farthest west, stood the Holy of Holies, or Most Holy Place, which housed the ark of the covenant and was hidden by a veil, or curtain. The second division inside the tabernacle, the Holy Place, contained the table of shewbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense.
In the development of Israelite religion, altars appeared before sanctuaries (Gen. 12:7–8). The tabernacle reflected the monotheism of Israel, and the later temples were modeled after it. The ground plan of the tabernacle is sufficiently clear, although there are various opinions concerning the details. It is customarily held that the shape of the structure was oblong with a flat roof and ornate coverings that hung down at each side and at the back. Another opinion is that the tabernacle had a sloping roof.
The outer court contained the altar of burnt offering and the bronze laver. The tabernacle structure consisted of two divisions: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, or Most Holy Place. In the former, which was on the north side, stood the table of shewbread (the structure was oriented toward the east); the golden lampstand was on the south; the golden altar of incense was on the west against the veil leading to the Most Holy Place. The innermost compartment held the ark of the covenant, in which were deposited the two tablets of the Law, the pot of manna, and the rod of Aaron that had budded. The ark’s covering, a lid of pure gold, was the mercy seat, or propitiatory, overshadowed by two angelic figures called cherubim. At the mercy seat God met with his people in their need on the basis of shed blood.
Materials and Furniture
The tabernacle was made from the voluntary gifts of Israel. Materials are listed in Exodus 25:3–7 and 35:4–9: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine, twined linen; goats’ hair, dyed rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, oil for lamps, spices for anointing oil and fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for the ephod and the breastpiece. The three metals of ancient times—bronze, silver, and gold—were used in meaningful gradation from the outer court to the Most Holy Place. The most artistic use of the metals was found in the cherubim and the golden lampstand. The wood used throughout the structure was shittim, or acacia wood, known for its durability. The material employed was linen, also fine, twined linen, dyed blue, purple, and scarlet (Exod. 25:4). The yarn was spun by women in charge of the weaving (Exod. 35:25–35); the work included embroidery and tapestry.
Framework and Coverings
The framework of the tabernacle (Exod. 26:15–37; 36:20–38) was made of 48 wooden frames, fifteen feet high by 27 inches wide, with three vertical arms, joined by three crosspieces. These were placed in wooden supports, and over them were hung two large curtains. Overall were spread three covers. The framework was constructed of uprights of acacia wood, making three sides of the oblong structure. The front was closed by an embroidered screen (Exod. 26:36–37). The boards, 48 in number, were overlaid with gold. The construction was divided into two compartments, separated by a veil hung from four pillars overlaid with gold and set in sockets of silver. The veil, like the covering of the tabernacle, was woven in blue, purple, and scarlet, with figures of cherubim. The Holy Place was thirty feet long by fifteen feet wide; the Most Holy Place was fifteen feet square. It has been suggested that the tabernacle proper was shaped like a tent, with a ridge pole and a sloping roof.
The coverings of the tabernacle are described in Exodus 26:1–14 and 36:8–9. The wooden framework of the tabernacle had three coverings: the total covering of the tabernacle itself, the covering of goats’ hair, and the covering of ram’s skins and goatskins spread over the entire structure. The first covering was made of ten curtains of fine, twined linen woven in blue, purple, and scarlet, with figures of cherubim. The second covering was of eleven curtains of goats’ hair. The top covering was made of rams’ skins dyed red and goatskins.
Court of the Tabernacle
The court is described in Exodus 27:9–18 and 38:9–20. The court of the tabernacle was a rectangle on an east-to-west plan, one hundred cubits (about 150 feet) long and fifty cubits wide. To the west was the tabernacle proper and to the east, the altar. The court was screened from the camp by five white curtains five cubits high. It was an enclosure 150 feet long by 75 feet wide, with curtains of fine, twined linen, supported on bronze pillars and attached by silver hooks. In the court stood the altar of burnt offering and the laver, the latter being set between the altar and the tabernacle proper (Exod. 30:17–21). The entrance to the court was on the eastern side through a “gate” or “screen” with hangings.
The Altar
The altar of burnt offering is discussed in Exodus 27:1–8 and 38:1–7. It is called “the altar of bronze” for its appearance and “the altar of burnt offering” for its use. The fire on this altar was never to go out (Lev. 6:13). The most important of the contents of the outer court was the altar. It was a hollow chest of acacia wood covered with bronze, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, with a horn at each of the four corners. In the middle of the altar was a ledge (Lev. 9:22) and below it a grating. The altar was carried by bronze-covered poles in bronze rings. The horns of this altar were at times misused for asylum (1 Kings 1:50–51). They were sprinkled with blood at the consecration of the priests (Exod. 29:12), at the presentation of the sin offering (Lev. 4:18–34), and on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:18). The grating on the four sides at the foot of the altar permitted the blood of the sacrifices to be spilled at the base of the altar through the network. Laymen were permitted to approach the altar, for when they brought their sacrifices, they laid their hands on the victim (Lev. 1:4).
The Laver
The laver is described in Exodus 30:17–21. It was for the exclusive use of the priests as they ministered in the ritual of the tabernacle. They neglected this provision at the peril of their lives (Exod. 30:20–21). Made of bronze, the laver had a base, evidently for the washing of the feet of the priests. Some scholars believe the base was a part of the laver proper, whereas others with greater probability maintain that the base was a vessel separate from the laver itself. The record indicates that the bronze was contributed by the ministering women who were engaged in work about the tabernacle (Exod. 38:8).
The Sanctuary Proper
The tabernacle proper is described in Exodus 26:1–14 and 36:8–19. It appears that the curtains, rather than the boards, constituted the dwelling of the Lord (Exod. 26:1). The record of the wooden framework of the dwelling is in Exodus 26:15–30 and 36:20–34. At the inner portion of the court stood the tabernacle, an oblong structure 45 feet long by 15 feet wide, with two divisions, the Holy Place and the Most Holy (Exod. 26:33). These two divisions are found in the Solomonic temple as well (1 Kings 6:5). The area of the Most Holy Place was thirty feet square; the Holy Place measured sixty feet by thirty feet. The two were separated by a veil. On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered the veil, or curtain, at the open end, into the innermost sanctuary. The emphasis in Exodus 26 and 36 is on the tabernacle itself and its curtains, of which there were ten, each 28 cubits by 4 cubits. The ten curtains of colored fabric with woven cherubim were joined in two sets of five along the sides of the tabernacle. Fifty loops of violet thread were sewn onto the curtains, which were to be held together by fifty gold clasps, thus uniting the whole tabernacle (Exod. 26:6). Over all was placed a tent, one covering of goats’ hair with five or six curtains coupled by hooks and clasps, amounting to a total size of fourty cubits by thirty cubits, to make certain the tabernacle was completely covered. The covering overlapped the linen and permitted an extra fold at the front (Exod. 26:9). The tent had two coverings, one of rams’ skins dyed red and another of goatskins (cf. Exod. 26:14; 40:19).
The curtains were held in place by fourty-eight acacia frames. These frames consisted of two arms connected at the top, center, and bottom by rungs with two silver bases for each frame. The silver bases formed an unbroken foundation around the tabernacle. The frames were also held together by five bars. The frames and bars were gold plated. The front of the structure was enclosed by curtains. (Exodus 26:22–25 is difficult to interpret. It may speak of a pair of frames joined at each corner of the west or rear of the framework, sloping upward and inward from their bases to a point under the top bar.) The screen was the entrance to the Holy Place. The veil separated the Holy of Holies, or Most Holy Place, from the Holy Place. The veil was made of variegated material embroidered with cherubim, draped over four pillars of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, and supported by four silver bases. The screen was of the same material as the screen at the entrance to the outer court (Exod. 27:16). It was suspended from golden hooks on five pillars of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, and supported by bronze bases.
The Holy Place
The outer compartment, or Holy Place, contained three pieces of furniture: (1) the table of shewbread; (2) the golden lampstand; and (3) the golden altar of incense. The table was set on the north side of the Holy Place (Exod. 40:22); the lampstand on the south side (Exod. 40:24); and the altar of incense on the west side, before the veil. The table was made of acacia wood covered with fine gold and ornamented with gold molding. Rings and poles were used for carrying the table. A number of accessories were made for the table: gold plates to hold the loaves, dishes for frankincense (Lev. 24:7), and golden vessels for wine offerings. On this table were placed two piles of twelve loaves, or cakes, which were changed each week (Lev. 24:5–9). The dishes, spoons, and bowls were all of pure gold.
On the south side of the Holy Place stood the golden, seven-branched lampstand. It was the most ornate of all the furniture. Of pure gold, it had a central shaft (Exod. 25:32–35) from which sprouted six golden branches, three on either side. The lampstand was adorned with almonds and flowers. Each branch supported a lamp that gave continuous (some say only nightly) illumination (Exod. 27:20; Lev. 24:2–3; 1 Sam. 3:3). Accessories of the lampstand, such as snuffers, snuff dishes, and oil vessels, were all of gold. The lampstand was made of a talent of pure gold (Exod. 25:38). In front of the veil was an altar of incense (Exod. 30:1–5; 37:25–28). Because it is not mentioned in Exodus 25, it is considered by some to be a later addition. It is not mentioned in the Septuagint translation of Exodus 37. It was a small altar, constructed of acacia wood and overlaid with gold, one cubit long, one cubit wide, and two cubits high. It was a miniature replica of the bronze altar (Exod. 30:1–10). Its firewas provided from the main altar. Horns, rings, poles, and a golden molding were made for it. Perpetual sweet-smelling incense was offered on it, and on the Day of Atonement expiation was made on its horns. On the basis of Hebrews 9:4, some believe Exodus 30:6 and 1 Kings 6:22 suggest that the altar of incense was inside the veil, in the Most Holy Place. The writer of Hebrews views the sanctuary and its ritual proleptically, that is, in light of future events: the rent veil and an accomplished redemption. Furthermore, the passages in Exodus and 1 Kings cannot be made to teach a condition contrary to the other passages on the Holy Place. Provision was made for replenishing the oil for the lampstand and the incense for the altar (Exod. 30:22–38).
The Holy of Holies
The smallest of all the parts of the sanctuary was the Holy of Holies, yet it was the most significant because of the ritual that was carried out there on the Day of Atonement and because of the reiterated declaration that God himself dwelt in the tabernacle in the Most Holy, a dwelling represented by the cloud of glory over the innermost sanctuary.
Exodus 25:10–40; 30:1–10; and 37 records the account of the tabernacle, beginning with the construction of the ark (Exod. 25:10). Its measurements were about 3×34 feet by 2×14 feet by 2×14 feet. It was the only furniture in the Holy of Holies. It contained the Ten Commandments (2 Kings 11:12; Ps. 132:12), the pot of manna (Exod. 16:33–34), and Aaron’s rod, which had budded (Num. 17:10). It was covered within and without by pure gold and had golden moldings, rings, and staves. Resting on the ark of the covenant and held securely in place by the gold molding was a solid slab of gold called the mercy seat, or the propitiatory. Wrought on the ends of the covering, or lid, were cherubim of gold (Exod. 25:18; 37:7–8). They faced the mercy seat and their wings touched overhead. Between the cherubim the God of Israel dwelt visibly (Exod. 25:22; 30:6; Num. 7:89) and met with his people through their representatives—first Moses, then Aaron. The rendering “mercy seat” was first employed by William Tyndale, the first English translator of the Bible, who followed Martin Luther’s translation, Gnadenstuhl, based on the Greek hilastērion and the Latin propitiatorium. “Propitiatory” best conveys the concept intended, that is, that of making propitiation for sin; hence the place where God was rendered favorable to his people. The cherubim of pure gold were soldered to the propitiatory, making them “of one piece” with it (Exod. 25:19). They represented angelic ministers of the Lord who guarded the divine throne from all pollution. The ark was carried by poles through four golden rings at the sides of the ark. The ark was lost in the battle of Aphek (1 Sam. 4) but was later returned to Israel and eventually taken to Jerusalem. The second, or restoration, temple of Zerubbabel contained no ark with its propitiatory according to the apocryphal book of Baruch (cf. Bar. 1:6–7).
Construction and Consecration of the Tabernacle
The account of the construction and consecration of the tabernacle is in Exodus 25–29. Moses was instructed to erect the tabernacle on the first day of the first month in the second year of the Exodus, nine months after reaching Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:1). God revealed the pattern for his dwelling place (Exod. 25:8; 29:45). The many workmen were led by men of artistic skill who were empowered and illuminated by the Spirit of God: Bezalel the son of Uri and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach (Exod. 31:1–6). When the structure was completed and the furniture installed, the cloud symbolizing the presence of God filled the area. The cloud henceforth signaled to Israel when they were to camp and when to journey. When Israel was encamped, the tabernacle was at the center of the camp with Levites on three sides and Moses and Aaron and his sons on the fourth (east) side: Judah at the center of the east side; Ephraim at the center of the west side; Reuben on the south side. The number of Levites who ministered at the tabernacle was 8,580 (Num. 4:48). The tabernacle manifested what has been termed a “graduated holiness and perfection,” that is, the metal in the Most Holy Place was solid gold; in the Holy Place, ordinary gold; in the court, bronze. The people were allowed in the court, the priests in the Holy Place, and only the high priest in the Most Holy Place (only one day a year). Only the altar is mentioned for consecration (Exod. 29:36–37), but later all the furniture of the sanctuary was included (Exod. 30–31).
The Tabernacle in the New Testament
John, in his prologue (John 1:14), makes much of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ as the tabernacling among men. The testimony of Stephen (Acts 7:44) is unmistakable. Paul directly equates the cross of Calvary as God’s mercy seat, or propitiatory, in finalizing the redemption of sinful man (Rom. 3:25). In speaking of regeneration (Titus 3:5) he had in mind the laver. The proper interpretation of Colossians 1:19 and 2:9 relates to the dwelling presence of God in the tabernacle of old. The Epistle to the Hebrews is inexplicable without the teaching of the worship of Israel and its priesthood residing in the tabernacle. Passages such as Revelation 8:3–4; 13:6; 15:5; and 21:3 are too clear to need comment.
Two extremes are discernible in discussions of the symbolism of the tabernacle. Some make little or nothing of the symbolism of the sanctuary, despite what has been shown of the New Testament references to that structure. On the other hand, some seek to draw some spiritual truth from every thread and piece of wood. Those somewhere in the middle do not deny symbolism in the colors, where white, blue, and scarlet predominate with their connotations of purity, heavenly character, and shedding of blood. Because some of the early church fathers imagined fanciful interpretations for the appointments of the tabernacle does not make it valid to posit that any figurative interpretations lack a solid basis in the Old Testament. Hebrews gives, at length, the Christian interpretation of the symbolism of the Mosaic tabernacle. The furniture symbolizes man’s access to God. The tabernacle is patterned after a heavenly model (Heb. 8:5); there is a divine prototype (Heb. 8:2, 5; 9:11); it conveyed important spiritual truths in the first century a.d. (Heb. 9:9). Christ appeared and then entered after death into the heavens (Heb. 9:24).
The truth of the tabernacle is inseparably bound up with the fact of the Incarnation (Col. 1:19; 2:9). In fact, the tabernacle may rightly be considered, with its emphasis on the fact of God’s dwelling with man, as the main foreshadowing in the Old Testament of the doctrine of the Incarnation. The tabernacle, rather than the later temples, is the basis of New Testament teaching. Hebrews (Heb. 9–10) refers not to any temple, but to the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the symbol of God’s dwelling with his people (Exod. 25:8; 1 Kings 8:27). This concept progressed until it was fulfilled in the incarnation of God the Son (John 1:14). He is in the church (2 Cor. 6:16), in the individual believer (1 Cor. 6:19), and in the eternal state (Rev. 21:3). In Hebrews the central passages on the New Testament tabernacle represent the earthly and heavenly aspects of Christ’s activity. The Old Testament was the shadow of which Christ is the substance (Heb. 8:5; 10:1). The tabernacle of Christ’s ministry was pitched by the Lord, not by man (Heb. 8:2). He is the high priest of the more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:11). He is not in an earthly tabernacle, but appears now before “God for us” (Heb. 9:24). The writer of Hebrews draws his imagery from the ceremonies of the tabernacle and clothes his concepts in the priestly and sacrificial terminology of the sanctuary in the wilderness.
Paul refers to “the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5) and to Christ offering himself as a sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:2). The first three Gospels underscore the rending of the temple veil (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45) which the author of Hebrews indicates opened the way into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:8; 10:19–20).
The Significance of the Tabernacle
The tabernacle, with its priests and their ministry, was foundational to the religious life of Israel. The basic concept was that which underlay the theocracy itself: the Lord dwelling in visible glory in his sanctuary among his people (Exod. 25:8). Even if the tabernacle had no historical validity, which it assuredly had, it still may have value for the readers because of its embodiment of important religious and spiritual concepts. It reveals, first, the necessary conditions on which Israel could maintain fellowship in covenant relationship with the Lord. Second, it reveals the dominant truth of the presence of God in the midst of his people (Exod. 29:25), a dwelling that must conform in every detail with his divine character, that is, his unity and holiness. One God requires one sanctuary; the holy God demands a holy people (Lev. 19:2). Third, it reveals the perfection and harmony of the Lord’s character, seen in the aesthetics of the tabernacle’s architecture: the gradations in metals and materials; the degrees of sanctity exhibited in the court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place; and the measurements of the tabernacle, for example, three, four, seven, and ten, with their fractions and multiples dominating and pervading every detail of furniture and material.
The tabernacle was the first sanctuary reared for the Lord at his command and was rendered glorious and effective by his actual indwelling. The dwelling of God with humanity is the dominant theme of the symphony of the tabernacle, pointing to the future, eternal communion with God. The ark of the covenant, with the propitiatory, was the symbol of God’s meeting with his people on the basis of atonement (Rom. 3:25). The shewbread spoke of God’s sustenance of spiritual life; the lampstand represented Israel as God’s channel of light (Zech. 4); the incense was a symbol of prayer (Rev. 5:8; 8:3–4). The tabernacle was the authorized place of worship. It was the foundation of the theocracy. The mercy seat was the earthly seat of God’s glory where he met with his people for his glory and their blessing. The tabernacle foreshadowed the time when God’s kingdom would be fully realized and established on earth. Note the progress in the self-revelation of God to his people: first, his presence in the tabernacle; second, the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ; third, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers; and fourth, the descent of the New Jerusalem to the glorified earth.