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 set upon the table, shewbread before me always.
And thou shalt take fine flour and bake twelve wastels thereof, two tenth deals shall every wastel be. And make two rows of them, six on a row upon the pure table before the LORD, read more. and put pure frankincense upon the rows. And it shall be bread of remembrance, and an offering to the LORD. Every Sabbath he shall put them in rows before the LORD evermore, given of the children of Israel, that it be an everlasting covenant. And they shall be Aaron's and his sons, and they shall eat them in the holy place. For they are most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD, and shall be a duty forever."
And upon the shew-table, they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put thereon the dishes, spoons, flat pieces and pots to pour with, and the daily bread shall be thereon:
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was astonished at his coming, and said unto him, "Why cometh thou thyself alone, and no man with thee?" And David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king hath commanded me to do a certain thing and said unto me, 'Let no man know whereabouts I send and what I have commanded thee to do.' And therefore I have appointed my servants to such and such places. read more. And now what hast thou under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread or what cometh to hand."
And now what hast thou under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread or what cometh to hand." And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread under mine hand - but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have abstained only from women."
And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread under mine hand - but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have abstained only from women." And David answered the priest and said unto him, "Of a truth, women hath been locked up from us about a three days, when I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy. Howbeit, this way is impure: but it shall be hallowed in the vessel."
And David answered the priest and said unto him, "Of a truth, women hath been locked up from us about a three days, when I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy. Howbeit, this way is impure: but it shall be hallowed in the vessel." And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And other of their brethren, the sons of Kohath, had the oversight of the shewbread, to prepare against all Sabbaths.
He said unto them, "Have ye not read what David did, when he was a hungered, and they also which were with him? How he entered into the house of God, and ate the hallowed loaves, which were not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests.
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 mine angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
and put the staves in the rings along by the sides of the ark, to bear it withal. And the staves shall abide in the rings of the ark, and shall not be taken away.
Thou shalt also make a table of sethim-wood, of two cubits long and one cubit broad and a cubit and a half high.
Thou shalt also make a table of sethim-wood, of two cubits long and one cubit broad and a cubit and a half high. And cover it with pure gold and make thereto a crown of gold round about.
And cover it with pure gold and make thereto a crown of gold round about. And make unto that a hoop of four fingers broad, round about. And make a golden crown also to the hoop round about.
And make unto that a hoop of four fingers broad, round about. And make a golden crown also to the hoop round about. And make for it four rings of gold and put them in the corners that are on the four feet thereof:
And make for it four rings of gold and put them in the corners that are on the four feet thereof: even hard under the hoop shall the rings be, to put in staves to bear the table withal.
even hard under the hoop shall the rings be, to put in staves to bear the table withal. And thou shalt make staves of sethim-wood and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
And thou shalt make staves of sethim-wood and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them. And thou shalt make his dishes, spoons, pots and flatpieces to pour out withal, of fine gold.
And thou shalt make his dishes, spoons, pots and flatpieces to pour out withal, of fine gold. And thou shalt set upon the table, shewbread before me always.
And thou shalt set upon the table, shewbread before me always.
And thou shalt set upon the table, shewbread before me always.
And thou shalt put the table without the veil, and candlestick over against the table, upon the south side of the habitation. And put the table on the north side.
And he said, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." And he said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not hence,
And thou shalt take fine flour and bake twelve wastels thereof, two tenth deals shall every wastel be.
And thou shalt take fine flour and bake twelve wastels thereof, two tenth deals shall every wastel be. And make two rows of them, six on a row upon the pure table before the LORD,
And make two rows of them, six on a row upon the pure table before the LORD,
And make two rows of them, six on a row upon the pure table before the LORD, and put pure frankincense upon the rows. And it shall be bread of remembrance, and an offering to the LORD.
and put pure frankincense upon the rows. And it shall be bread of remembrance, and an offering to the LORD. Every Sabbath he shall put them in rows before the LORD evermore, given of the children of Israel, that it be an everlasting covenant.
Every Sabbath he shall put them in rows before the LORD evermore, given of the children of Israel, that it be an everlasting covenant. And they shall be Aaron's and his sons, and they shall eat them in the holy place. For they are most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD, and shall be a duty forever."
And they shall be Aaron's and his sons, and they shall eat them in the holy place. For they are most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD, and shall be a duty forever."
And when the host removeth, Aaron and his sons shall come and take down the veil, and cover the ark of witness therewith, and shall put thereon a covering of taxus' skins and shall spread a cloth that is altogether of jacinth, above all, and put the staves thereof in. read more. And upon the shew-table, they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put thereon the dishes, spoons, flat pieces and pots to pour with, and the daily bread shall be thereon:
And upon the shew-table, they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put thereon the dishes, spoons, flat pieces and pots to pour with, and the daily bread shall be thereon:
And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them and brought thee out with his presence and with his mighty power of Egypt:
He humbled thee and made thee hunger and fed thee with Manna, which neither thou nor thy father knew of, to make thee know that a man must not live by bread only: but by all that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD must a man live.
And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread under mine hand - but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have abstained only from women."
And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread under mine hand - but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have abstained only from women." And David answered the priest and said unto him, "Of a truth, women hath been locked up from us about a three days, when I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy. Howbeit, this way is impure: but it shall be hallowed in the vessel."
And David answered the priest and said unto him, "Of a truth, women hath been locked up from us about a three days, when I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy. Howbeit, this way is impure: but it shall be hallowed in the vessel." And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the Altar of gold, and the table of gold whereon the shewbread was put.
And other of their brethren, the sons of Kohath, had the oversight of the shewbread, to prepare against all Sabbaths.
And he made also ten tables and put them in the temple: five on the right side and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained to the house of God: the golden altar and the tables with the shewbread upon them,
And then they went into Hezekiah the king and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offerings with all his vessels, and the shewbread table with all his apparel;
And this is the number of them: thirty basins of gold, and a thousand basins of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty cups of gold, and of other silver cups four hundred and ten, and of other vessels a thousand. read more. So that all the vessels both of gold and silver, were five thousand and four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought them all up, with them that came up out of the captivity of Babylon unto Jerusalem.
Thou preparest a table before me against mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil, and fillest my cup full.
In their troubles he forsook them not, but the angel that went forth from his presence delivered them. Of very love and kindness that he had unto them, he redeemed them: He hath born them, and carried them up ever since the world began.
For from the rising up of the sun unto the going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles. Yea, in every place shall there sacrifice be done, and a clean meat offering offered up unto my name: for my name is great among the Heathen, sayeth the LORD of Hosts.
He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'"
How he entered into the house of God, and ate the hallowed loaves, which were not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests.
How he entered into the house of God, and ate the hallowed loaves, which were not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests.
that ye may eat, and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on seats, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel."
And Jesus said unto them, "I am that bread of life. He that cometh to me, shall not hunger: and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. "I am that bread of life. read more. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness: and are dead. This, is that bread which cometh from heaven: that he which of it eateth, should also not die. I am that living bread, which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Because that we - though we be many - yet are one bread, and one body inasmuch as we all are partakers of one bread.
For there was a fore tabernacle made, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the show bread, which is called holy.
and had walls great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels: and names written, which are the twelve tribes 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 his dishes, spoons, pots and flatpieces to pour out withal, of fine gold.
And thou shalt take fine flour and bake twelve wastels thereof, two tenth deals shall every wastel be. And make two rows of them, six on a row upon the pure table before the LORD, read more. and put pure frankincense upon the rows. And it shall be bread of remembrance, and an offering to the LORD. Every Sabbath he shall put them in rows before the LORD evermore, given of the children of Israel, that it be an everlasting covenant.
Every Sabbath he shall put them in rows before the LORD evermore, given of the children of Israel, that it be an everlasting covenant.
Every Sabbath he shall put them in rows before the LORD evermore, given of the children of Israel, that it be an everlasting covenant. And they shall be Aaron's and his sons, and they shall eat them in the holy place. For they are most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD, and shall be a duty forever."
And they shall be Aaron's and his sons, and they shall eat them in the holy place. For they are most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD, and shall be a duty forever."
And upon the shew-table, they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put thereon the dishes, spoons, flat pieces and pots to pour with, and the daily bread shall be thereon:
And upon the shew-table, they shall spread a cloth of jacinth, and put thereon the dishes, spoons, flat pieces and pots to pour with, and the daily bread shall be thereon:
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was astonished at his coming, and said unto him, "Why cometh thou thyself alone, and no man with thee?" And David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king hath commanded me to do a certain thing and said unto me, 'Let no man know whereabouts I send and what I have commanded thee to do.' And therefore I have appointed my servants to such and such places. read more. And now what hast thou under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread or what cometh to hand." And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread under mine hand - but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have abstained only from women." And David answered the priest and said unto him, "Of a truth, women hath been locked up from us about a three days, when I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy. Howbeit, this way is impure: but it shall be hallowed in the vessel." And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.
And the quyre was twenty cubits long, and twenty in breadth and twenty in height. And he sealed it with pure gold, and boarded the altar with Cedar.
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the Altar of gold, and the table of gold whereon the shewbread was put.
And other of their brethren, the sons of Kohath, had the oversight of the shewbread, to prepare against all Sabbaths.
And other of their brethren, the sons of Kohath, had the oversight of the shewbread, to prepare against all Sabbaths.
as the shewbread, the fine flour, the meat offerings, the flawnes of sweet bread, and of the things baken in the frying pan, or broiled on the gridiron, and on all manner measures and size
that I may build a house for the name of the LORD my God, to consecrate it to him to burn sweet odours and to set shewbread before him perpetually, and for burnt sacrifices morning and evening, and on the Sabbath days, and the first day of every new moon, and in the solemn feasts of the LORD our God, so to continue ever in Israel.
The table was of wood, three cubits high and two cubits long: his corners, the length and the walls were of wood. And he said unto me, "This is the table that shall stand before the LORD."
They shall go into my Sanctuary, and tread before my table, to do me service, and to wait upon mine ordinances.
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 set upon the table, shewbread before me always.
the table and his staves with all that pertaineth thereto, and the shewbread;