Exodus 40:22

40:22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain.

Exodus 40:25

40:25 Then he set up the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exodus 25:23-30

The Table for the Bread of the Presence

25:23 ¹ “You are to make a table of acacia wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 25:24 You are to overlay it with ²  pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it. 25:25 You are to make a surrounding frame ³  for it about three inches broad, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 25:26 You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach ⁴  the rings at the four corners where its four legs are. ⁵  25:27 The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places ⁶  for the poles to carry the table. 25:28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. ⁷  25:29 You are to make its plates, ⁸  its ladles, ⁹  its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings; ¹⁰  you are to make them of pure gold. 25:30 You are to set the Bread of the Presence ¹¹  on the table before me continually.

Exodus 26:35-36

26:35 You are to put the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, and you are to place the table on the north side.

26:36 “You are to make a hanging ¹²  for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. ¹³ 

Exodus 37:10-24

The Making of the Table

37:10 He made the table of acacia wood; its length was three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. 37:12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 37:13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners where its four legs were. 37:14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 37:16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its ¹⁴  plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.

The Making of the Lampstand

37:17 He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were from the same piece. ¹⁵  37:18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 37:19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the next ¹⁶  branch, and the same ¹⁷  for the six branches that were extending from the lampstand. 37:20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 37:21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to the six branches that extended from it. ¹⁸  37:22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece; ¹⁹  all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 37:23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 37:24 He made the lampstand ²⁰  and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of pure gold.

[25:23]  ¹ sn The Table of the Bread of the Presence (Tyndale’s translation, “Shewbread,” was used in KJV and influenced ASV, NAB) was to be a standing acknowledgment that Yahweh was the giver of daily bread. It was called the “presence-bread” because it was set out in his presence. The theology of this is that God provides, and the practice of this is that the people must provide for constant thanks. So if the ark speaks of communion through atonement, the table speaks of dedicatory gratitude.

[25:24]  ² tn “Gold” is an adverbial accusative of material.

[25:25]  ³ sn There is some debate as to the meaning of מִסְגֶּרֶת (misgeret). This does not seem to be a natural part of the table and its legs. The drawing on the Arch of Titus shows two cross-stays in the space between the legs, about halfway up. It might have been nearer the top, but the drawing of the table of presence-bread from the arch shows it half-way up. This frame was then decorated with the molding as well.

[25:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “give.”

[25:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “which [are] to four of its feet.”

[25:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “houses”; NAB, NASB “holders.”

[25:28]  ⁷ tn The verb is a Niphal perfect with vav consecutive, showing here the intended result: “so that [the table] might be lifted up [by them].” The noun “the table” is introduced by what looks like the sign of the accusative, but here it serves to introduce or emphasize the nominative (see GKC 365 §117.i).

[25:29]  ⁸ tn Or “a deep gold dish.” The four nouns in this list are items associated with the table and its use.

[25:29]  ⁹ tn Or “cups” (NAB, TEV).

[25:29]  ¹⁰ tn The expression “for pouring out offerings” represents Hebrew אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּךְ בָּהֵן (’asher yussakh bahen). This literally says, “which it may be poured out with them,” or “with which [libations] may be poured out.”

[25:30]  ¹¹ sn The name basically means that the bread is to be set out in the presence of Yahweh. The custom of presenting bread on a table as a thank offering is common in other cultures as well. The bread here would be placed on the table as a symbol of the divine provision for the twelve tribes – continually, because they were to express their thanksgiving continually. Priests could eat the bread after certain times. Fresh bread would be put there regularly.

[26:36]  ¹² sn This was another curtain, serving as a screen in the entrance way. Since it was far away from the special curtain screening the Most Holy Place, it was less elaborate. It was not the work of the master designer, but of the “embroiderer,” and it did not have the cherubim on it.

[26:36]  ¹³ tn The word רֹקֵם (roqem) refers to someone who made cloth with colors. It is not certain, however, whether the colors were woven into the fabric on the loom or applied with a needle; so “embroiderer” should be understood as an approximation (cf. HALOT 1290-91 s.v. רקם).

[37:16]  ¹⁴ tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).

[37:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the one branch.” But the repetition of “one…one” means here one after another, or the “first” and then the “next.”

[37:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “thus for six branches….”

[37:21]  ¹⁸ tn As in Exod 26:35, the translation of “first” and “next” and “third” is interpretive, because the text simply says “under two branches” in each of three places.

[37:22]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “were from it.”

[37:24]  ²⁰ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the lampstand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.