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
Give upon the table the bread of the face before me continually.
And take the fine flour and bake it, twelve cakes; two tenths shall be the one cake. And put them two rows, six the row, upon the pure table before Jehovah. read more. And give upon the row pure frankincense, and it was to the bread for a remembrance; a sacrifice to Jehovah. In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath he shall arrange it before Jehovah always, from the sons of Israel, a covenant forever. And it was to Aaron and to his sons, and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is holy of holies to him from the sacrifices of Jehovah a law forever.
And upon the table of the face they shall spread a garment cerulean purple, and they gave upon it the dishes, and the censers, and the bowls and the cups pouring out: and the continual bread shall be upon it.
And David will come to Nob to Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech will tremble to meet David, and he will say to him, Wherefore thou thyself alone and no man with thee? And David will say to Abimelech the priest, The king commanded me a word, and he will say to me, A man shall not know any thing of the word for which I sent thee, and what I commanded thee: and the boys I showed to such a place a certain one. read more. And now what is under thy hand? five of bread thou shalt give into my hand, or that being found.
And now what is under thy hand? five of bread thou shalt give into my hand, or that being found. And the priest will answer David and say, No common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if the boys watched themselves only from women.
And the priest will answer David and say, No common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if the boys watched themselves only from women. And David will answer the priest and say to him, That truly woman was withheld to us for yesterday the third day, in my coming forth, and the vessels of the boys holy, and this way common, and truly if this day it shall be consecrated in the vessel
And David will answer the priest and say to him, That truly woman was withheld to us for yesterday the third day, in my coming forth, and the vessels of the boys holy, and this way common, and truly if this day it shall be consecrated in the vessel And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And from the sons of the Kohathites, from their brethren over the bread of arrangement to prepare the Sabbath, Sabbath.
And he said to them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they with him; How he went into the house of God, and ate the loaves of setting up, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor those with him, but 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
Behold, I send a messenger before thee to guard thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place which I prepared.
And bring the bars into the rings upon the sides of the ark, to lift up the ark with them. The bars shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not remove from them.
And make a table of acacia wood; two cubits its length, and a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height
And make a table of acacia wood; two cubits its length, and a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height And spread over it pure gold, and make to it a wreath of gold round about
And spread over it pure gold, and make to it a wreath of gold round about And thou shalt make to it a closing a hand breadth round about, and make a wreath of gold to its closing round about
And thou shalt make to it a closing a hand breadth round about, and make a wreath of gold to its closing round about And make to it four gold rings, and give the rings upon the four parts which are to its four feet
And make to it four gold rings, and give the rings upon the four parts which are to its four feet And over against the closings shall be the rings for houses for the bars to lift up the table.
And over against the closings shall be the rings for houses for the bars to lift up the table. And make the bars of acacia wood, and spread over them gold, and lift up with them the table.
And make the bars of acacia wood, and spread over them gold, and lift up with them the table. And make its dishes, and its censers, and its bowls, and its bowls for libation which to pour into them, pure gold shalt thou make them.
And make its dishes, and its censers, and its bowls, and its bowls for libation which to pour into them, pure gold shalt thou make them. Give upon the table the bread of the face before me continually.
Give upon the table the bread of the face before me continually.
Give upon the table the bread of the face before me continually.
And put the table from without the vail, and the chandelier over against the table upon the rib of the tent at the right hand and the table thou shalt give upon the north rib.
And he will say, My face and my rest shall go to thee. And he will say to him, If thy face led them not, thou wilt not bring us up from here.
And take the fine flour and bake it, twelve cakes; two tenths shall be the one cake.
And take the fine flour and bake it, twelve cakes; two tenths shall be the one cake. And put them two rows, six the row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.
And put them two rows, six the row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.
And put them two rows, six the row, upon the pure table before Jehovah. And give upon the row pure frankincense, and it was to the bread for a remembrance; a sacrifice to Jehovah.
And give upon the row pure frankincense, and it was to the bread for a remembrance; a sacrifice to Jehovah. In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath he shall arrange it before Jehovah always, from the sons of Israel, a covenant forever.
In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath he shall arrange it before Jehovah always, from the sons of Israel, a covenant forever. And it was to Aaron and to his sons, and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is holy of holies to him from the sacrifices of Jehovah a law forever.
And it was to Aaron and to his sons, and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is holy of holies to him from the sacrifices of Jehovah a law forever.
And Aaron came, and his sons, in the removing of the camp, and they took down the vail of the covering, and they covered with it the ark of the testimony. And they gave upon it a covering of tahash skins, and they spread over a garment wholly cerulean purple from above, and they put up its bars. read more. And upon the table of the face they shall spread a garment cerulean purple, and they gave upon it the dishes, and the censers, and the bowls and the cups pouring out: and the continual bread shall be upon it.
And upon the table of the face they shall spread a garment cerulean purple, and they gave upon it the dishes, and the censers, and the bowls and the cups pouring out: and the continual bread shall be upon it.
And because that he loved thy fathers he will choose in his seed after him, and he will bring thee out before him with his great strength from Egypt
And he will humble thee, and cause thee to hunger, and will give thee to eat manna which thou knewest not, and thy fathers knew not; so that he caused thee to know that upon bread only man shall not live, but upon all going out of the mouth of Jehovah shall man live.
And the priest will answer David and say, No common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if the boys watched themselves only from women.
And the priest will answer David and say, No common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if the boys watched themselves only from women. And David will answer the priest and say to him, That truly woman was withheld to us for yesterday the third day, in my coming forth, and the vessels of the boys holy, and this way common, and truly if this day it shall be consecrated in the vessel
And David will answer the priest and say to him, That truly woman was withheld to us for yesterday the third day, in my coming forth, and the vessels of the boys holy, and this way common, and truly if this day it shall be consecrated in the vessel And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And Solomon will make all the vessels which are for the house of Jehovah: the altar of gold, and the table which was upon it the bread of the face, of gold.
And from the sons of the Kohathites, from their brethren over the bread of arrangement to prepare the Sabbath, Sabbath.
And he will make ten tables and put in the temple, five from the right, and five from the left And he will make a hundred vases of gold.
And Solomon will make all the vessels, those of the house of God, and the altar of gold, and the tables, and upon them the bread of the faces;
And they will come within to Hezekiah the king, and say, We cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and the table of the arrangement and all its vessels.
And these their number: thirty basins of gold, a thousand basins of silver, nine and twenty slaughter knives, Thirty goblets of gold, four hundred and ten goblets of silver, being different, a thousand other vessels. read more. All the vessels to the gold and to the silver, five thousand and four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought up all with the bringing up of the captivity from Babel to Jerusalem.
Thou wilt set in order a table before me in front of mine enemies: thou madest fat mine head with oil; my cup being satisfied with drink.
In all their straits not an adversary, and: a messenger of his face saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he will take them up and bear them all the days forever.
For from the rising of the sun and even to its going down, great my name among the nations; and in every place incense being brought to my name, and a clean gift: for great my name among the nations, said Jehovah of armies.
And he having answered, said, It has been written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word going forth through the mouth of God.
How he went into the house of God, and ate the loaves of setting up, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor those with him, but for the priests alone?
How he went into the house of God, and ate the loaves of setting up, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor those with him, but for the priests alone?
That ye might eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and might sit upon thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he coming to me should not hunger; and he believing in me should not thirst.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he believing in me has eternal life. I am the bread of life. read more. Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and died. This is the bread which coming down from heaven, that whoever should eat of it, and he should not die. I am the living bread which having come down from heaven: if any one eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and also the bread which I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.
That, one bread, one body, we are many: for we all partake of one bread.
For the first tent was prepared; (in which was the chandelier, and table, and the setting up of the loaves;) which is called holy.
And having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and the names inscribed, which are 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 make its dishes, and its censers, and its bowls, and its bowls for libation which to pour into them, pure gold shalt thou make them.
And take the fine flour and bake it, twelve cakes; two tenths shall be the one cake. And put them two rows, six the row, upon the pure table before Jehovah. read more. And give upon the row pure frankincense, and it was to the bread for a remembrance; a sacrifice to Jehovah. In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath he shall arrange it before Jehovah always, from the sons of Israel, a covenant forever.
In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath he shall arrange it before Jehovah always, from the sons of Israel, a covenant forever.
In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath he shall arrange it before Jehovah always, from the sons of Israel, a covenant forever. And it was to Aaron and to his sons, and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is holy of holies to him from the sacrifices of Jehovah a law forever.
And it was to Aaron and to his sons, and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is holy of holies to him from the sacrifices of Jehovah a law forever.
And upon the table of the face they shall spread a garment cerulean purple, and they gave upon it the dishes, and the censers, and the bowls and the cups pouring out: and the continual bread shall be upon it.
And upon the table of the face they shall spread a garment cerulean purple, and they gave upon it the dishes, and the censers, and the bowls and the cups pouring out: and the continual bread shall be upon it.
And David will come to Nob to Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech will tremble to meet David, and he will say to him, Wherefore thou thyself alone and no man with thee? And David will say to Abimelech the priest, The king commanded me a word, and he will say to me, A man shall not know any thing of the word for which I sent thee, and what I commanded thee: and the boys I showed to such a place a certain one. read more. And now what is under thy hand? five of bread thou shalt give into my hand, or that being found. And the priest will answer David and say, No common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if the boys watched themselves only from women. And David will answer the priest and say to him, That truly woman was withheld to us for yesterday the third day, in my coming forth, and the vessels of the boys holy, and this way common, and truly if this day it shall be consecrated in the vessel And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And the priest will give to him the holy, for there was not there bread except the bread of the face, being taken away from before Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of taking it
And to the face of the oracle twenty cubits the length, and twenty cubits the breadth, and twenty cubits its height: and he will overlay it with gold shut up, and he will overlay the altar with cedar.
And Solomon will make all the vessels which are for the house of Jehovah: the altar of gold, and the table which was upon it the bread of the face, of gold.
And from the sons of the Kohathites, from their brethren over the bread of arrangement to prepare the Sabbath, Sabbath.
And from the sons of the Kohathites, from their brethren over the bread of arrangement to prepare the Sabbath, Sabbath.
And for the bread of the arrangement, and for the fine flour for the gift, and for the thin cakes unleavened, and for the pan, and for the mingling, and for all measure and extension.
Behold, I build a house to the name of Jehovah my God, to consecrate to him, to burn incense before him, incense of spices, and the arrangement always, and the burnt-offerings for morning and for evening, for the Sabbaths and for the new moons, and for the appointments of Jehovah our God. Forever this upon Israel.
The altar of wood, three cubits the height, and its length, two cubits; and its angles to it, and its length, and its walls, of wood: and he will speak to me: This the table which is before the face of Jehovah.
They shall come into my holy place, and they shall draw near to my table, to serve me; and they watched my watches.
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
Give upon the table the bread of the face before me continually.
The table and its staves and all its vessels, and the bread of the face;