Reference: Shewbread
Easton
Ex 25:30 (R.V. marg., "presence bread"); 1Ch 9:32 (marg., "bread of ordering"); Nu 4:7: called "hallowed bread" (R.V., "holy bread") in 1Sa 21:1-6.
This bread consisted of twelve loaves made of the finest flour. They were flat and thin, and were placed in two rows of six each on a table in the holy place before the Lord. They were renewed every Sabbath (Le 24:5-9), and those that were removed to give place to the new ones were to be eaten by the priests only in the holy place (see 1Sa 21:3-6; comp. Mt 12:3-4).
The number of the loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel, and also the entire spiritual Israel, "the true Israel;" and the placing of them on the table symbolized the entire consecration of Israel to the Lord, and their acceptance of God as their God. The table for the bread was made of acacia wood, 3 feet long, 18 inches broad, and 2 feet 3 inches high. It was plated with pure gold. Two staves, plated with gold, passed through golden rings, were used for carrying it.
Illustration: Table of Shewbread
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And thou shalt place upon the table Presence-bread, before me continually.
And thou shalt take fine meal, and bake it, in twelve cakes, - of two-tenths, shall each cake be. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, - upon the pure table, before Yahweh. read more. And thou shalt put upon each row pure frankincense, - so shall it belong unto the bread as a memorial, an altar-flame unto Yahweh. Sabbath day by sabbath day, shall he order it before Yahweh continually, - from the sons of Israel as an age-abiding covenant: so shall it be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, - for most holy, shall it be unto him from among the altar-flames of Yahweh, a statute age-abiding.
And over the Presence-table, shall they spread a wrapper of blue and put thereon the dishes and the pans and the bowls and the libation cups, the perpetual bread also, thereupon, shall remain;
Then came David to Nob, unto Ahimelech, the priest, - and Ahimelech trembled when he met David, and said unto him - Why art thou, alone, and, no man, with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest - The king, hath charged me with a matter, and hath said unto me - Let, no man, know aught of the business on which I am sending thee, and with which I have charged thee, - But, unto the young men, have I appointed, such and such a place. read more. Now, therefore, what is there under thy hand? Five loaves, give thou into my hand, - or, whatever can be found.
Now, therefore, what is there under thy hand? Five loaves, give thou into my hand, - or, whatever can be found. And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, - but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, - but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women. And David answered the priest and said to him - Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, - while the bread , itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, there are other loaves to be hallowed, in the vessel.
And David answered the priest and said to him - Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, - while the bread , itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, there are other loaves to be hallowed, in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
And, some from among the Kohathites, of their brethren, were over the Bread that was set in Array, - to place it sabbath by sabbath.
And he said unto them, have ye never read what, David, did, when he hungered, and they who were with him? how he entered into the house of God and, the presence-bread, did eat, which it was not, allowable, for him to eat, nor for them who were with him, - save for the priests, alone?
Fausets
Bread of the faces or "presence" of God (Ex 25:30). "Bread of ordering" (1Ch 9:32). "The continual bread" (Nu 4:7). "Hallowed bread" (1Sa 21:4-6; Mt 12:4; Heb 9:2 "the shewbread," Greek "bread of setting forth".) The table was of acacia or "shittim wood," two cubits long, one broad, one and a half high, overlaid with pure gold, with a golden crown to the border round about, to hinder any bread falling off (but see below); Ex 25:23-30. The border was to be "of a handbreadth"; so in the sculpture on Titus' Arch the slave's hand that holds the table is just the breadth of the border. "The pure table" (Le 24:6), both because of its unalloyed gold and because of the "pure offering" on it (Mal 1:11). The table stood in the holy place on the N. side (Ex 26:35). The 12 cakes of unleavened bread, arranged in two piles, with a golden cup of frankincense on each (Josephus Ant. 3:10, section 7), were renewed every sabbath, and the stale loaves given to the priests.
They represented the 12 tribes before Jehovah perpetually, (see Re 21:12) in token that He was always graciously accepting His people and their good works, for whom atonement had been made by the victims on the altar outside. They were the national meat offering (Le 24:5-9). Each cake contained two tenths of an ephah, about six pounds and a quarter, of fine flour. The frankincense as a memorial was probably cast upon the altar fire as "an offering made by fire unto the Lord," when the bread was removed from the table on the Sabbath. Ahimelech stretched the law in giving the stale loaves to David's men, as free from ceremonial defilement (1Sa 21:4-6; Mt 12:4), for they should have been eaten by the priests, in the holy place (Le 24:5-9). Bahr thinks the loaves symbolized the Holy One in His sanctuary as the Bread of life to His people (Joh 6:35,47-51; Mt 4:4; De 8:3).
But the loaves were taken from Israel, not presented by God to them; and one loaf would suit his view rather than twelve (1Co 10:17). Still, on their presenting themselves before Him in the bread symbol, He feeds them represented by their priests. As they are a bread offering to Him, so He gives Himself as the bread to feed them. In 2Ch 4:8,19, ten tables are mentioned "whereon the shewbread was set," i.e., Solomon made a number of tables, and one great golden one on which they set the loaves. In the parallel passage, 1Ki 7:48, "the table of gold" alone is mentioned, as in 2Ch 29:18. "Ten" is the number also of the candlesticks. The tables were probably made of cedarwood overlaid with gold (see Josephus Ant. 8:3, section 7). As it is omitted in the list of articles restored from Babylon (Ezr 1:9-11), it was doubtless remade by Zerubbabel. Antiochus Epiphanes carried away the table of the second temple (2Ma 1:22). Anew one was made at the restoration of the temple by Judas Maccabeus (1Ma 4:49).
Afterward Ptolemy Philadelphus presented a splendid table (Josephus Ant. 12:2, section 8-9). In the Arch of Titus, the sculptor in defiance of perspective exhibits the two ends. Speaker's Commentary (Ex 25:23-30) for "crown of gold" translated "moulding of gold"; for "border," "a framing" which reached from leg to leg, to make the table firm, as well as to adorn it with a second moulding of gold; two fragments of such a framing appear half way clown the legs in the Titus' Arch sculpture. "Over against the framing" the rings were "upon the four extremities (KJV "corners") that were at the four (clawlike) feet," answering to each corner of it. The staves were never taken out of the golden rings by which the ark was to be borne; so translated Nu 4:5-6, "put the staves thereof in order," not "put in," they would need merely adjustment after motion (Ex 25:14-15).
The "dishes" or bowls were probably the measures for the meal used in the loaves. For "spoons" translated "cups" filled with frankincense, represented on Titus' Arch. For "covers" and "bowls" and "to cover withal" translated "flagons and chalices, to pour out withal." These were for the drink offering which accompanied every meat offering, for the shewbread was a true meat offering. In Nu 4:7 the Hebrew means "the shew table" or "table of the faces" or presence, namely, of God manifested. Similar is the phrase "the Angel of His presence" (Isa 63:9; Ex 33:14-15; 23:20; De 4:37, "in His sight".) The "face" stands for the Person. "The bread of the face" on the table in the sanctuary symbolizes that man is admitted to God's holy table and presence, seeing and being nourished by God in the person of Christ, the Bread of life.
The priests, Israel's representatives, alone ate this sacramental pledge in the Old Testament. The whole church as "priests unto God" offer themselves before God and are fed at the Lord's table with the sacramental symbol of Christ's body, our true food (Ps 23:5; Lu 22:30; 1Co 11:26). The continued renewal every Sabbath testified to the design of that holy day to renew men afresh to self dedication as in God's immediate presence; as Israel by the candlestick appeared as a people of enlightenment, and by the incense altar as a people of prayer. The frankincense always on the shewbread, and consumed when the bread was to be eaten, symbolized that prayer must ever accompany self dedication, and that the fame of love must kindle prayer when we are about to hold communion with and to be nourished by Him.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Lo! I, am sending a messenger before thee, to guard thee in the way, - and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
And thou shalt bring in the staves into the rings, on the sides of the ark, - to bear the ark therewith, In the rings of the ark, shall remain the staves, - they shall not be removed therefrom.
And thou shalt make a table, of acacia wood, two cubits, the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
And thou shalt make a table, of acacia wood, two cubits, the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, - and shalt make thereto a rim of gold, round about;
and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, - and shalt make thereto a rim of gold, round about; and thou shalt make thereto a border of a handbreadth, round about, - and shalt make a rim of gold to the border thereof, round about;
and thou shalt make thereto a border of a handbreadth, round about, - and shalt make a rim of gold to the border thereof, round about; and thou shalt make to it four rings of gold, - and shalt place the rings on the four corners which pertain to the four feet thereof:
and thou shalt make to it four rings of gold, - and shalt place the rings on the four corners which pertain to the four feet thereof: adjoining the border, shall be the rings, - as receptacles for the staves, for lifting the table;
adjoining the border, shall be the rings, - as receptacles for the staves, for lifting the table; and thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and shalt overlay them with gold, - and the table shall be lifted there, with;
and thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and shalt overlay them with gold, - and the table shall be lifted there, with; and thou shalt make its dishes and its pans and its basins and its bowls, for pouring out therewith, - of pure gold, shalt thou make them.
and thou shalt make its dishes and its pans and its basins and its bowls, for pouring out therewith, - of pure gold, shalt thou make them. And thou shalt place upon the table Presence-bread, before me continually.
And thou shalt place upon the table Presence-bread, before me continually.
And thou shalt place upon the table Presence-bread, before me continually.
And thou shalt set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand over against the table, on the side of the habitation, southward, - and the table, shalt thou place on the north side.
So then he said, - Mine own presence, shall go on thus will I give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence is not going on, do not take us up from hence.
And thou shalt take fine meal, and bake it, in twelve cakes, - of two-tenths, shall each cake be.
And thou shalt take fine meal, and bake it, in twelve cakes, - of two-tenths, shall each cake be. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, - upon the pure table, before Yahweh.
And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, - upon the pure table, before Yahweh.
And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, - upon the pure table, before Yahweh. And thou shalt put upon each row pure frankincense, - so shall it belong unto the bread as a memorial, an altar-flame unto Yahweh.
And thou shalt put upon each row pure frankincense, - so shall it belong unto the bread as a memorial, an altar-flame unto Yahweh. Sabbath day by sabbath day, shall he order it before Yahweh continually, - from the sons of Israel as an age-abiding covenant:
Sabbath day by sabbath day, shall he order it before Yahweh continually, - from the sons of Israel as an age-abiding covenant: so shall it be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, - for most holy, shall it be unto him from among the altar-flames of Yahweh, a statute age-abiding.
so shall it be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, - for most holy, shall it be unto him from among the altar-flames of Yahweh, a statute age-abiding.
So then Aaron and his sons shall enter when the camp is to set forward, and take down the screening veil, - and enwrap therein the ark of the testimony; and put thereon a covering of badgers skin, and spread a complete wrapper of blue over above, - and put in the staves thereof. read more. And over the Presence-table, shall they spread a wrapper of blue and put thereon the dishes and the pans and the bowls and the libation cups, the perpetual bread also, thereupon, shall remain;
And over the Presence-table, shall they spread a wrapper of blue and put thereon the dishes and the pans and the bowls and the libation cups, the perpetual bread also, thereupon, shall remain;
And because that he loved thy fathers, therefore chose he his seed after him, - and brought thee forth with his presence with his great might, out of Egypt;
So he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou hadst not known, neither had thy fathers' known, - that he might lead thee to consider that not on bread alone, shall the son of earth live, but on whatsoever cometh from the bidding of Yahweh, shall the son of earth live.
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, - but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, - but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women. And David answered the priest and said to him - Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, - while the bread , itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, there are other loaves to be hallowed, in the vessel.
And David answered the priest and said to him - Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, - while the bread , itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, there are other loaves to be hallowed, in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of Yahweh, - the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereon was the presence-bread;
And, some from among the Kohathites, of their brethren, were over the Bread that was set in Array, - to place it sabbath by sabbath.
And he made ten tables, and placed in the temple, five, on the right hand, and, five, on the left, - and he made a hundred tossing bowls of gold.
Yea Solomon made all the utensils which were for the house of God, - and the altar of gold, and the rubles, whereon was the Presence-bread;
Then came they in unto Hezekiah the king, and said, We have purified all the house of Yahweh, - the altar of ascending-sacrifice, and all the utensils thereof, and the table for setting in array, and all the utensils thereof.
And, these, were the numbers of them, - basins of gold, thirty, basins of silver, a thousand, knives, twenty-nine; bowls of gold, thirty, bowls of silver, of a secondary sort, four hundred and ten, - other utensils, a thousand. read more. All the utensils, in gold and silver, were five thousand and four hundred, - the whole, did Sheshbazzar bring up with the upbringing of the exile, out of Babylon unto Jerusalem.
Thou spreadest before me a table, in face of mine adversaries, Thou hast anointed, with oil, my head, My cup, hath run over.
In all their affliction, he, was afflicted And the messenger of his presence saved them, In his love and in his pity, he, redeemed them, - And then lifted them up and carried them all the days of the age-past time.
For, from the rising of the sun, even unto the going in thereof, great is my Name among the nations, and, in every place, incense, is offered to my Name, and a pure present, - for great is my Name among the nations, saith Yahweh of hosts.
But, he, answering, said, It is written, - Not on bread alone, shall man live, but on every declaration coming forth through the mouth of God.
he entered into the house of God and, the presence-bread, did eat, which it was not, allowable, for him to eat, nor for them who were with him, - save for the priests, alone?
he entered into the house of God and, the presence-bread, did eat, which it was not, allowable, for him to eat, nor for them who were with him, - save for the priests, alone?
That ye may eat and drink, at my table, in my kingdom, and sit upon thrones, judging, the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus said unto them - I, am the bread of life: he that cometh unto me, in nowise shall hunger, and, he that believeth on me, in nowise shall thirst, any more.
Verily, verily, I say unto you: He that believeth, hath life age-abiding. I am the bread of life: - read more. Your fathers, did eat, in the desert, the manna, - and died: This, is the bread which, out of heaven, cometh down, that one, thereof, may eat, - and not die. I, am the living bread, which, out of heaven, came down: If one eat of this bread, he shall live unto times age-abiding; and, the bread, moreover, which, I, will give, is, my flesh - for the world's life.
Because, one loaf, one body, we, the many, are, for we, all, of the one loaf, partake.
For a tent was prepared, the first, in which were both the lampstand and the table and the setting forth of the loaves, - the which is called the Holy place;
having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and, at the gates, twelve messengers, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel, -
Hastings
In one of the oldest historical documents preserved in the OT we find, in a passage telling of David's flight from Saul, the first mention of an offering in the shape of 'holy bread,' which was presented to Jahweh in the sanctuary at Nob (1Sa 21:1-6). Here this holy bread is also termed 'the bread of the presence' (1Sa 21:6), i.e. of Jahweh, which appears in English Version as 'shewbread'
See Verses Found in Dictionary
and thou shalt make its dishes and its pans and its basins and its bowls, for pouring out therewith, - of pure gold, shalt thou make them.
And thou shalt take fine meal, and bake it, in twelve cakes, - of two-tenths, shall each cake be. And thou shalt set them in two rows, six in a row, - upon the pure table, before Yahweh. read more. And thou shalt put upon each row pure frankincense, - so shall it belong unto the bread as a memorial, an altar-flame unto Yahweh. Sabbath day by sabbath day, shall he order it before Yahweh continually, - from the sons of Israel as an age-abiding covenant:
Sabbath day by sabbath day, shall he order it before Yahweh continually, - from the sons of Israel as an age-abiding covenant:
Sabbath day by sabbath day, shall he order it before Yahweh continually, - from the sons of Israel as an age-abiding covenant: so shall it be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, - for most holy, shall it be unto him from among the altar-flames of Yahweh, a statute age-abiding.
so shall it be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, - for most holy, shall it be unto him from among the altar-flames of Yahweh, a statute age-abiding.
And over the Presence-table, shall they spread a wrapper of blue and put thereon the dishes and the pans and the bowls and the libation cups, the perpetual bread also, thereupon, shall remain;
And over the Presence-table, shall they spread a wrapper of blue and put thereon the dishes and the pans and the bowls and the libation cups, the perpetual bread also, thereupon, shall remain;
Then came David to Nob, unto Ahimelech, the priest, - and Ahimelech trembled when he met David, and said unto him - Why art thou, alone, and, no man, with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest - The king, hath charged me with a matter, and hath said unto me - Let, no man, know aught of the business on which I am sending thee, and with which I have charged thee, - But, unto the young men, have I appointed, such and such a place. read more. Now, therefore, what is there under thy hand? Five loaves, give thou into my hand, - or, whatever can be found. And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, - but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women. And David answered the priest and said to him - Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, - while the bread , itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, there are other loaves to be hallowed, in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
And, the interior of the shrine, was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it, with pure gold, - and overlaid the altar with cedar.
And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of Yahweh, - the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereon was the presence-bread;
And, some from among the Kohathites, of their brethren, were over the Bread that was set in Array, - to place it sabbath by sabbath.
And, some from among the Kohathites, of their brethren, were over the Bread that was set in Array, - to place it sabbath by sabbath.
and for the bread set in array, and for the fine meal for the meal-offering, and for the unleavened cakes, even for that which is baked in a pan, for the moistened food, - even of every measure, and size;
lo! I, am about to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my God, to hallow unto him - to burn before him sweet incense, and for a continual setting in array, and to offer ascending-sacrifices morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts of Yahweh our God,-age-abiding, is this law for Israel.
The altar, was of wood, three cubits in height and the length thereof, two cubits and the corners thereof and the length thereof and the walls thereof were of wood, - then spake he unto me saying, This, is the table, which is before Yahweh.
They shall enter into my sanctuary, and They shall draw near unto my table to wait upon me,- So shall they keep my charge.
Smith
Shew-bread,
etc. literally "bread of the face" or "faces." Shew-bread was unleavened bread placed upon a table which stood in the sanctuary together with the seven-branched candlestick and the altar of incense. See
for description of this table. Every Sabbath twelve newly baked loaves, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, were put on it in two rows, six in each, and sprinkled with incense, where they remained till the following Sabbath. Then they were replaced by twelve new ones, the incense was burned, and they were eaten by the priests in the holy place, out of which they might not be removed, The title "bread of the face" seems to indicate that bread through which God is seen, that is, with the participation of which the seeing of God is bound up, or through the participation of which man attains the sight of God whence it follows that we have not to think of bread merely as such as the means of nourishing the bodily life, but as spiritual food as a means of appropriating and retaining that life which consists In seeing the face of God.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And thou shalt place upon the table Presence-bread, before me continually.
the table with its staves and all its utensils, and the Presence-bread: