Furniture Accessories For the Tabernacle

The Tabernacle was the central place of worship for the Israelites before the Temple was built. As such, all of the items used for worship in the Tabernacle were holy, including all of the furniture and their corresponding pieces. Each was created by the design of God, and each served a specific function in worship. 

The Table for the Bread of the Presence 

The table for the bread of the presence stood in the Holy Place (inner portion of the Tabernacle) and displayed the bread of the presence, which was presented by the priests as an offering to God. Included with the table were bowls, ladles, pitchers, and jars (Ex. 25:29, NLT). The first item (“bowl”) was a dish, plate, or platter that held the bread of the presence. The second item (“ladle”) was a small pan that held the pure frankincense that was presented with the bread of the presence (Lev. 24:7). (This frankincense was a representative (memorial) offering, which was burned as a memorial token of honor to the Lord [Swanson, 1997].) The third item was a pitcher used for the wine of libation (a drink offering), and the fourth item (“jars”) was a bowl that the wine was poured into (Durham, 1987). These items were made of pure gold. 

The Incense Altar

The incense altar stood in the Holy Place, directly in front of the inner curtain. Like the table for the bread of the presence, it was made of wood and overlaid with gold. The priests were required to burn incense on this altar twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening (Ex. 30:7-8). Only incense could be burned on this altar (Ex. 30:9), as food offerings were burned outside in the courtyard on the bronze altar. This incense was kept in gold containers (Num. 7:84). These containers may have been kept on the table for the bread of the presence. 

The Lampstand  

The lampstand stood across from the table of the presence in the Holy Place. It was made from pure gold and designed with a center stem and six branches (three on each side). The center stem and the branches each held a cup (or lamp holder). The lamps inside were removable and burned olive oil, and arranged so that the light produced would shine forward (Num. 8:1-3). The lamps were required to remain burning throughout the night (Lev. 24:3). 

The lampstand was accompanied by lamp snuffers and trays (NLT), which were also made of pure gold (Ex. 25:38; 37:23). The lamp snuffers were tongs (Orr et al., 1915), possibly scissor-like and multifunctional. This tool could adjust the wicks and also put out its flame (Swanson, 1997). The trays were used to carry the burnt wicks away (Orr et al., 1915).  

The Altar of Burnt Offering 

The altar of burnt offering was the altar used in the courtyard for burnt offerings. It was made out of wood and overlaid with bronze (or copper) instead of gold, and is where animal sacrifices were made, as well as grain and liquid offerings. 

Its accessory pieces included ash buckets, shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans (Ex. 27:3). The ash buckets (some translations call them pots) were used to gather the ashes from the sacrifices, which were dumped later. The shovels were used to remove the ashes and adjust the coals that cooked the meat. The bowls (sprinkling bowls) were used to hold water and oil. Purposes included sprinkling water on the flames of the fire and sprinkling cooking oil on the food. The meat forks were three-pronged and used to manage the meat and fat of the sacrifices (1 Sam. 2:12-14). Lastly, the firepans (pots) held the live coals used to start the new fires required on the altar each morning (Stuart, 2006).  

All in all, the Tabernacle was a very special place, and its furniture and accessories were key parts of God’s required worship. Each piece was designed by Him and intended to be used for His glory. 

REFERENCES

Durham, J. I. (1987). Exodus (Vol. 3, pp. 361–362). Word, Incorporated.

Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, pp. 595–596). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Swanson, J. (1997). In Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.).  

Tongs. (1915). In J. Orr, J. L. Nuelsen, E. Y. Mullins, & M. O. Evans (Eds.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Vols. 1–5, p. 2994). The Howard-Severance Company.