The Tabernacle #53

The Tabernacle was the portable sanctuary, a large tent with an enclosed courtyard, that the Israelites built at Mount Sinai so that God could live among them. It served as Israel’s place of worship and sacrifice through the wilderness years and into the early period in the land, until the temple in Jerusalem replaced it. It is also called the tent of meeting or the dwelling.

Biblical Significance

God told Moses to make a sanctuary so that he could dwell among his people, and to follow the pattern shown to him on the mountain (Exodus 25:8-9). The instructions cover the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat, the table for the bread of the Presence, the golden lampstand, the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering (Exodus 25-27, 30). The tent itself was made of layers of woven curtains and animal skins stretched over a frame of acacia boards (Exodus 26:1-37). A veil separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where the ark stood (Exodus 26:31-34). The craftsmen Bezalel and Oholiab were filled with the Spirit of God for the work, and the people gave gold, silver, and other materials in such abundance that Moses had to tell them to stop (Exodus 31:1-6; 36:5-7).

When the work was finished and the tabernacle set up, the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle so that Moses could not enter (Exodus 40:34-35). From then on, Israel moved or camped as the cloud lifted or settled (Exodus 40:36-38; Numbers 9:15-23). Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2, 34). Under Joshua, the tent was set up at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1), and it remained a center of worship in the time of Eli and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:3; 3:3). Solomon later brought the tabernacle and its furnishings into the new temple (1 Kings 8:4).

The New Testament reads the tabernacle as a pattern pointing to Christ. Hebrews describes the earthly sanctuary as a copy of heavenly things and says that Christ entered the greater and more perfect tent, once for all, with his own blood (Hebrews 8:1-5; 9:1-12). John’s Gospel says that the Word became flesh and dwelt, literally tabernacled, among us (John 1:14).

Today

Nothing of the tabernacle survives, and no site has been securely identified as containing its remains, since it was designed to be taken down and carried. Its dimensions and materials are known from Exodus, and some scholars point to ancient Near Eastern tent shrines as helpful comparisons for its portable design, while others discuss how far the biblical description reflects a later period. What remains certain is its influence: its layout of court, holy place, and inner sanctuary shaped the design of the temple and much of the language of Jewish and Christian worship. Replicas, including full-size models, are displayed in several places to help visitors picture it.