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 A Monumental Work on an Important and Interesting Subject. 
 
 THE 
 
 TABERNACLE of ISRAEL 
 
 IN THE DESER T. I 
 
 •^^ ^# "^^ 
 
 By JAMES STRONG, S.T.D., LL.D. 
 
 (2J 
 
 lllllllllllll|i|llllllllll!lllllllllllllll|l|llllllll!llllllllllllllillllllllll'lll>lll>l!lllllll'>1l>l>lll'llllllllllll<ll!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiIilJllil>li|irii|i|'l I'l'I'I'lJilil I I I I I I 1 I I I 1, 1. 1 I I I M I I I'l nil 
 
The Tabernacle of Israel 
 
 IN THE DESERT. 
 
 This is an entirely original treatise on a theme that has hitherto 
 baffled the skill of every interpreter. At last, it is believed, all 'its 
 problems have been satisfactorily solved, and the whole matter is clearly 
 expounded. This monograph is destined to be the standard henceforth, 
 with all candid inquirers, on the topic which it discusses. The entire 
 production consists of two closely related j^arts. 
 
 I. There are six magnificent colored Lithographs, each 30 by 42 
 inches in size, showing everything plainly across an ordinary lecture- 
 room. A glance at these graphic plates will convey a more just and 
 life-like idea of the Tabernacle, with its appointments and surroundings, 
 as they actually were, than any other representation extant. They are 
 accurately and artistically drawn, and exhibit respectively : 
 
 1. A ground-plan of the Tabernacle and its court, with a bird's-eye sketch of 
 the Desert and the route of the Israelites ; also an elevation of the eastern 
 entrance. 
 
 2. A landscape view of the Tabernacle, as pitched before Mount Sinai. 
 
 3. A landscape scene of the erection of the Tabernacle at a stopping-place 
 in the Desert. 
 
 4. rVont views of the exterior of the Sanctuary, of the interior of the Holy 
 Place, and of the interior of the Most Holy Place, with one of the wall curtains 
 extended. 
 
 5. The furniture of the Tabernacle, all on a uniform scale. 
 
 6. The vestments of the Tabernacle :— Levitc, priest and high-priest in 
 official costume, with details of the last. 
 
II. There is, accompanying these pictures, a neat vohime of letter- 
 press, with appropriate wood-cuts, explaining and corroborating the 
 details of the lithographs, and constituting a complete exposition of the 
 whole subject. This is divided into chapters, treating respectively the 
 following branches of the subject : 
 
 1. An introduction to the Tabernacle, setting forth the occasion, method, and 
 purpose of the book. 
 
 2. The authorities on the Tabernacle, giving an account of the literature and 
 leading works on the subject, with the original sources of information. 
 
 3. The history Q{t\\^ Tabernacle, and of'the articles contained in it, from the 
 time of Moses to the Babylonian Captivity. 
 
 4. The structure of the Tabernacle, elucidating and vindicating the fabric 
 and mode of combination in minute detail, so that it could be perfectly recon- 
 structed from these specifications. This comprises the larger part of the volume, 
 which is not bulky in all ; and the particulars are given with a thoroughness and 
 exactitude not heretofore attempted. Everything is proved, on the plan pro- 
 posed, to come out with perfect exactness and propriety ; and the harmony, 
 compactness, beauty and stability of the edifice, as well as its convenience for 
 transportation, are a full demonstration of the correctness of the details. The 
 key of the puzzle has evidently been discovered. The Scriptural description is 
 shown to be true and definite to the last particular, and all concurrent statements 
 of other parts of the Bible are found to be consistent. The whole is given in 
 language free from technical scholarship, and intelligible to ordinary readers, yet 
 embracing the results of the best modern philology and archaeology. The author 
 has extraordinary advantages in this line, and has made the subject a study for a 
 life-time of professional pursuits in this direction. Oriental customs are intro- 
 duced, as throwing a flood of light on many points inscrutable to the older 
 explorers in this field. Among the most important discoveries of the author 
 under this head may be mentioned the form and adjustment of the " corner- 
 boards," a failure in which has led all previous interpreters astray at the foundation ; 
 the relation and application of the sixth goats'-hair curtain, which has never 
 before been explained in conformity with the phraseology of the sacred text and 
 the obvious needs of the case; the fitting size, the mode of suspension, and the 
 peculiar folds of the colored curtains, with the position of the figures embroidered 
 on them, and especially the distribution of their colors ; the shape and posture 
 of the cherubim ; and the style of the various pieces of apparatus and costume, 
 including the mysterious Urim and Thummim. 
 
5- Th.e symbolism of the Tabernacle has been treated with remarkable fullness, 
 and yet with great caution. The significance of the different emblems has been 
 based, not upon fantastic conjecture, or traditionary caprice, but upon Scriptural 
 warrant and sound common sense. The central meaning of the whole, and of its 
 several parts and elements, has been developed in such a way as cannot but com- 
 mend it to the piety and good taste of Christian believers. Among the most 
 striking discoveries in this department may be mentioned the functional import 
 of the gradually increasing sanctity of the several apartments, from the outer 
 court to the inmost shrine of the awful Majesty, with its cherubic figures standing 
 as sentinels at the entrance and around the walls ; the cherubic statues, as 
 representatives of the natural Xd^ws, of God, guarding the receptacle of His moral 
 law ; and above all and through all, the sacred colors, " blue and purple and 
 scarlet," always named in the proper Hebraic order, with the "gold" (yellow) 
 and the " fine linen " (white), spelling out the worthy hierogram of the Atone- 
 ment, " Heaven's royal blood purchases purity^' for the fallen race of man. 
 This central legend, emblazoned on every avenue to the divine Presence, and 
 also on the drapery of the pontifical plenipotentiary, silently proclaimed to the 
 devout worshipper the grand secret of the one true faith, devised in the eternal 
 counsels of the Almighty. 
 
 The work is timely for the elucidation of the International Sunday- 
 school Lessons of the present year, which embrace this portion of the 
 history of Israel ; and it will be indispensable to the equipment of every 
 minister's and Bible student's library for all time to come. 
 
 The price for both parts of the work complete is $5. 
 
 HARRIS, JONES & CO., Publishers, 
 
 PROVIDENCE R.I. 
 
THK 
 
 TABERNACLE OF ISRAEL 
 
 IN THE DESERT; 
 
 A COMPANION VOLUME TO TPIE POKTFOLIO OF PLATES, 
 
 EXPLANATORY OF THE PARTICULARS, 
 
 WITH DETAILED PLANS AND DRAWINGS, AND LETTER-PRESS 
 
 DESCRIPTIONS. 
 
 Bv JAMKS SXRONO, S.T.D., LL.D. 
 
 PROVIDKNCE, R. I. 
 
 1888. 
 
Copyrisht, 188S, by J^IMES STRONG-. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 L Introduction 1 
 
 II, Authorities 3 
 
 i. Ancient 3 
 
 1. Sacred 3 
 
 3. Non-Biblical 3 
 
 ii. Modern 4 
 
 1. General 4 
 
 2. Special 5 
 
 III. History 9 
 
 i. Ante-Sinaitic 9 
 
 ii. Mosaic ... 9 
 
 iii. Davidic 10 
 
 IV. Structure 12 
 
 i. Court 12 
 
 1. Circuit 12 
 
 3. Contents 17 
 
 (1.) Altar 17 
 
 (2.) Laver 19 
 
 ii. Fane 19 
 
 1. Walls 21 
 
 (1.) Planks 21 
 
 (2.) Sockets 23 
 
 (3.) Bars 25 
 
 (4.) Stays 25 
 
 (5.) Sheathing 26 
 
 2. Roof 26 
 
 (1.) Canvas 27 
 
 (2.) Supports .32 
 
 3. Hangings 33 
 
 (1.) Door-screen 33 
 
 (2.) Side-curtains 34 
 
 4. Furniture 40 
 
 (1.) Show-bread table 41 
 
 (2.) Incense-altar 44 
 
 (3.) Candelabrum 45 
 
 (4.) Trumpets 48 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 5. Additional Remarks 48 
 
 (1.) Manufacture 49 
 
 (2.) Transportation 49 
 
 iii. Shrine 51 
 
 1. Door-vail 51 
 
 (1.) Embroidery 51 
 
 (2.) Support 52 
 
 (3.) Position 52 
 
 2. Ark 54 
 
 (1.) Form 55 
 
 (2.) Cherubim 55 
 
 (3.) Contents 57 
 
 3. Perfumes 59 
 
 (1.) Powder 59 
 
 (2.) Paste 60 
 
 iv. Regalia 60 
 
 1. Levitical 60 
 
 2. Sacerdotal 61 
 
 (1.) Drawers 62 
 
 (2.) Tunic 63 
 
 (3.) Girdle 63 
 
 (4.) Cap 63 
 
 3. Pontifical (special) 64 
 
 (1.) Rol)e 65 
 
 (2.) Ephod 66 
 
 (3.) Breastplate 67 
 
 (4.) Urim 69 
 
 V. Symbolism 71 
 
 i. Proportion 73 
 
 1. Decimal (the fingers) 74 
 
 2. Septenary (the week) 74 
 
 3. Quadruple (part of seven) 75 
 
 4. Triple (remainder of seven) 75 
 
 5. Double (dualism) 75 
 
 6. Single (unity) 75 
 
 ii. Color 76 
 
iv 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 5. 
 
 PAGR 
 
 , Black (shade) 77 
 
 White (purity) 77 
 
 Blue (the sky) 78 
 
 Purple (royalty) 79 
 
 Crimson (blood) 79 
 
 Yellow (the sun) 79 
 
 Figure 81 
 
 Rectangular (regularity) 81 
 
 Round (symmetry) 81 
 
 Cherubim (natural law) 82 
 
 Arks (preservation) , 85 
 
 (1.) Of Moah (dimensions) 86 
 
 (2.) Of the Covenant (style) 87 
 
 (3.) Of bulrushes 88 
 
 Tables of the decalogue (moral 
 
 law) 88 
 
 . Ornaments (beauty) 90 
 
 Material (in construction) 91 
 
 , Wood (support) 91 
 
 Copper (durabilty) 92 
 
 , Silver (clearness) 92 
 
 . Gold (value) 92 
 
 , Linen (cleanliness) 92 
 
 . Wool (warmth) 93 
 
 . Goats' hair (compactness) 93 
 
 . Rams' skin (protection) 93 
 
 , Fur (softness) 93 
 
 . Rope (strength) 93 
 
 . Gems (hardness) 93 
 
 PACK. 
 
 V. Elements (in worship) 93 
 
 1. Water (regeneration) 93 
 
 2. Fire (zeal) 93 
 
 3. Flesh (substance) 93 
 
 4. Fat (choice) 93 
 
 5. Blood (life) 93 
 
 6. Flour (vigor) 93 
 
 7. Oil (richness) 93 
 
 8. Wine (cheerfulness) 93 
 
 9. Salt (wholesomeness) 93 
 
 10. Spice (acceptability; 93 
 
 vi. Sanctity (comparative) 93 
 
 1. Court (special ministry) 93 
 
 (1.) Laver (piety) 94 
 
 (2.) Altar (consecration) 94 
 
 2. Holy Place (functional priesthood) 94 
 (1.) Candelabrum (intelligence).. 94 
 (2.) Show-bread Table (conscien- 
 tiousness) 94 
 
 (3.) Incense-altar (prayer) 94 
 
 3. Most Holy Place (representative 
 
 high-priesthood) 94 
 
 4. Mercy -seat (deity) 94 
 
 vii. Revelation (gradual) 94 
 
 1. Shekinah (general theophany). .. 95 
 (1.) Cloud (outward guidance). . . 95 
 (2.) Mercy-seat (gnice) 95 
 
 2. Urim and Tliummim (inward 
 
 guidance) 95 
 
 3. Tables of the Law (ethics) 96 
 
COLORED LITHOGRAPHS. 
 
 PLATE I. Ground-plan of the Tabernacle, with Elevation of the Door- way to the Court, and 
 a Bird's-Eye Sketch of the Desert of Sinai and the Surrounding Regions. 
 
 PLATE IL The Tabernacle as pitched before Mt. Sinai. 
 
 Explanation^.— The view is from the North. The wide plain in the foreground is that 
 of er-Rahah. The central mountain in the background is .Jebel Musa (in the wider 
 application of the name), of red granite, seamed and cracked as if by fire ; and the 
 pinnacle immediately in front is Ras Sufsafeh. At the right is Jebel Ghubsheh, of 
 dark porphyry, with the valley of the Lejah between. At the left is Jebel ed-Deir, 
 inclosing the valley of the same name, so-called from the monastery of St. Catherine 
 situated in it. The tents scattered around are those of the leading Israelites, the 
 upright octagonal one being supposed to be that of Moses himself. (The regular 
 encampment around the Tabernacle is not here exhibited, as that arrangement 
 appears to have been made for the march at a later period than the first erection at 
 Sinai.) The plain has a few stunted bushes, and a couple of rills issue from the 
 valleys on either side of the middle cone. In the foreground is a side-view of the 
 Tabernacle (enough of the front being shown to give a general idea of its form), 
 surrounded by the Court. The cloudy Pillar is resting on the roof over the Mercy- 
 seat. A Levite is raking together the embers on the Altar of Burnt-offeiing, and 
 a priest is washing his feet at the Laver. Outside the high-priest is taking the 
 scape-goat to the man who is to lead it away into the wilderness. 
 
 PLATE III. Erection of the Tabernacle at a Stopping-place in the Desert. 
 
 Explanations. — The view is from the South. The background is the pass of Wady el-Ain 
 (in the heart of the Desert east of Mt. Sinai), so called from a spring that sends a small 
 stream through the valley.* The mountains rise about 3,000 feet perpendicularly. 
 The Levites are seen busy in unloading the wagons, rearing the walls of the Taber- 
 nacle, and bringing the.ijoles, the sockets and the various pieces of furniture. A 
 few priests (Aaron's sons) are sitting or standing by, superintending the work. All 
 are in the common Oriental habiliments of secular life, as the sacred order wore 
 their distinctive costumes only when on official duty. The ladder in the foreground, 
 obviously needful in adjusting the fixtures to the tops of the planks, is like those 
 depicted on the monuments as used by the ancient Egyptians in scaling the walls of 
 hostile cities. The cloudy pillar hovers in tlie air, indicating the spot for the 
 encampment. 
 
 * It is not certain that the main line of the Lsraelites, 
 including the Tabernacle, actually pa.ssed tlirough this 
 particular gorge, altliough they must once at least have 
 journeyed very near it; but it is strikingly graphic of 
 the character of the central region of the Sinaitic pen- 
 
 insula. All the features of the landscape, even to the 
 rainutiaj of the human feces cut by nature ui profile on 
 tlie edges of the left-hand rocks, are faithfully copied 
 from the original photograph. 
 
vi COLORED LITHOGRAPHS. 
 
 PLATE IV. Front vfews of the Tabernacle. 
 
 A. Exterior of the Sanctuary. 
 
 B. Interior of the Holy Place. 
 
 C. Interior of the Most Holy Place. 
 
 D. One of the Wall-Curtains (extended). 
 
 Explanations.— T\\Gse apartments are as they would appear from a slight altitude on the 
 East, and the scale of course is applicable only to the front openings, but the parts 
 in perspective are proportional. The stay-cords are removed so as to afford an 
 unobstructed view. The furniture is seen placed on fur rugs. The side-curtain 
 exhilnted is the second in order from the front on the right, and is shown as made up 
 but not hung. It must be borne in mind that the colors of the woollen woof on all 
 these vertical curtains are reduced in intensity by the white ground or cross-lines of 
 the linen warp, so that the violet shows as sky-blue, the purple as a deep marone, 
 and the crimson as a light cherry. 
 
 PLATE V. FUKNITUHE OF THE TaBERNACLE. 
 
 ^4. Altar of Burnt-offering, with its "Vessels." 
 
 B. Altar of Incense. 
 
 C. Silver Trumpets. 
 
 D. Laver. 
 
 E. Candelabrum, with its "Vessels." 
 
 F. Table of Show-bread, with its "Vessels." 
 U. Ark and "Mercy-seat," with the e;herubira. 
 
 PLATE VI. Vestments of the Tabernacle. 
 
 A. Levite (in working garb). 
 
 B. Priest (in sacred dress). 
 C High-priest (in full costume). 
 D. The Pontifical regalia (in detail). 
 
 i. Tunic, ii. Robe. iii. Girdle (extended), iv. Ephod (side view). 
 
 plate (back side, open). vi. One of the shoulder studs (full size). 
 
 h. Back. 
 Explanations. — The Levite holds the tools usual for putting up a tent (a mallet and a 
 pin), the priest the instruments of sacrifice (a knife for slaying the victim, and a 
 bowl for catching tlu; blood), and the high-priest the utensils for performing the 
 rites on the day of annual atonement (a censer and a bowl for blood).* The articles 
 of his apparel separately exhibited are of such a form or in such a position as could 
 not be fully shown on his person. The lettering on his frontlet and breastplate is in 
 the archaic Heb. character, sui)stantially after the style of the Siloam inscription 
 (the earliest extant, but the latent discovered), which we have accommodated to our 
 purpose by a somewhat greater uniformity in the size and .slope of the principal 
 strokes. 
 
 V. Breast- 
 a. Face. 
 
 * According to the niitural interpretation of Lev. xvi, 
 4, 23, 24, and the Rabbinic usage, the higli-pricst wore 
 only a special suit of plain (apparently unbloachod) 
 Uiun apparel (including the innermost girdle), when 
 he went into the Holy of Holies for these functions 
 (which required several distinct entrances into that 
 apartment— all of them, however, on that single day, 
 Heb. ix, 7), al.so when he gave the scape-goat into the 
 
 custody of the person (apparently WMthin the Court) to 
 take it away to the wilderness ; but for the sake of 
 distinctness we have, in our pictures, invested him with 
 the complete official attire in both cases, and have made 
 the latter act take place outside the Court. This is the 
 more allowable, inasmuch as ho was thus fully equipped 
 during the other services of that day. 
 
WOOD-CUTS. 
 
 FIGURE. p^gB. 
 
 1. The Jewish Utensils on the Arch of Titus at Rome facing 4 
 
 2. Pillar with Rods and Hooks 15 
 
 3. Altar of Burnt-offering, with the Grate drawn out 17 
 
 4. Wooden Walls of the Tabernacle , 20 
 
 5. Comparison of the tenons and mortises with the rounds of a ladder 21 
 
 6. Corner-phmk of the Tabernacle . 23 
 
 7. Socket of the Tabernacle 23 
 
 8. Arrangement of the Corner-sockets 24 
 
 9. ' ' Tache " and Ankle compared 25 
 
 10. Arab Tents in the South of Judah 27 
 
 11. Roof-curtains as made up 29 
 
 12. Rear Gable nearly closed by the Sixth Roof-curtain 30 
 
 13. Fold in the Roof-curtain at the Corner 31 
 
 14. Probable Form of the First and Third Tabernacles 33 
 
 15. Section of Plank with Attacliments 36 
 
 16. Side-curtain furnished with Loops 37 
 
 17. Arrangement of Side-curtain 38 
 
 18. Corner-folds in Side-curtain 39 
 
 19. Length of Colored loops by Triangulation 40 
 
 20. Table of Show-bread on the Arch of Titus 41 
 
 21. Transverse Section of Table of Show-bread. 42 
 
 22. Candelabrum on the Arch of Titus 45 
 
 23. Concentric Arrangement of the Ornaments on the Candelabrum 45 
 
 24. Comparison of each of the Enlargements on the Candelabrum with its natural Type. . . 47 
 
 25. Lamp and its socket 48 
 
 26. Cherubim of an Egyptian Shrine carried in a Boat by Priests 56 
 
 27. A Fellah Peasant 61 
 
 28. A Bedawin Sheik 61 
 
 29. Modern Oriental Drawers for a Gentleman 62 
 
 30. Modern Oriental Shirt 62 
 
 31. Modern Oriental Girdle (extended) 63 
 
 32. Modern Oriental Skull-cap : 64 
 
 33. Modern Oriental Turban (folded) 65 
 
 34. Ancient Egyptian Chief-Priest 66 
 
 35. Ephod extended 67 
 
 36. Twisted Chain 69 
 
 37. Restoration of Noah's Ark 89 
 
 38. Probable form of the Ark of Bulrushes 90 
 
 39. The Acacia Seyal facing 91 
 
THE TABERNACLE OF ISRAEL. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION TO THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 For more than thirty years the subject of this work has been an earnest study with 
 the Author, and in the course of his investigations and comi^arisons he has procured 
 and carefully examined every book of note treating upon it. In his article under 
 that head in the Cyelojxjedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature 
 he embodied in a condensed form the results of these researches up to that time 
 (1881), and he has since continued to pursue them with unabated interest. When 
 therefore the publishers of this work proposed to him, in May, 1887, the preparation of 
 a series of wall-sheets exhibiting the whole edifice and its connections on a large scale 
 and in its minutiae, together with a brief Manual elucidating the same, he could not 
 well decline so congenial a task, as it seemed likely to prove useful to Bible readers 
 and students, especially in view of the International Sunday-School Lessons embrac- 
 ing this topic. Accordingly he determined to explore the whole subject afresh, and 
 to sift every particular to the bottom, aided by all the light that modern erudition 
 and the latest researches can afford. This he has done faithfully and impartially, 
 and he has endeavored to set forth the results in as clear and simple, yet as scientific 
 and comprehensive language as he can command, with the best facilities of artistic 
 co-operation.* How far he has succeeded in unravelling the entanglements which 
 have hitherto baftled the skill and learning of interpreters, and in making the whole 
 plain to the average comprehension, the intelligent reader, who will take the pains to 
 follow him in his elucidations, will be able to judge for himself. He has here 
 brought together everything thus far ascertained, that he judges adapted to be of 
 service in conveying a just idea of that remarkable building, the first and (including 
 its later development, the Temple of Jerusalem) the only one immediately devised 
 and directly authorized by the Almighty himself as his place of special worship for 
 his chosen people. As such it has ever since held a conspicuous position in the eyes 
 and thoughts of saints, and in these later days of archaeological science it has still 
 
 * The lithofrraphs and engravings have been scrupu- 
 lously copied from photographs, sketches, and color- 
 ings made by the Author himself, carefully reproduced 
 and improved by an experienced and skilful draughts- 
 
 man under the Author's immediate superintendence, 
 and the most minute pains have been taken to make 
 them both graphic and accurate. 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 retained its hold upon the reverent curiosity of an intelligent world. Great pains 
 have been taken by learned men to restore it as fully as possible to the apprehension 
 of modern Occidentals ; and the present effort, it is hoped, will not be regarded as 
 over-ambitious in aspiring to do this more completely than heretofore for popular 
 purposes. The Author has no pet theory to estabhsh, nor any doctrinal influence to 
 bias him ; he has simply aimed to collect, weigh and combine the information afforded 
 by every source accessible, to incorporate whatever new features his own discoveries 
 and comparisons have introduced, and to present everything really pertinent in as 
 lucid and systematic a form as the topic allows.* He does not, in tliis little volume, 
 think it worth while to controvert the various opinions expressed by others, so much 
 as to indicate the conclusions which on the whole he believes will commend them- 
 selves best to the common sense of general readers, after they have been put in 
 possession of the facts in the case.f 
 
 * We have studied the utmost possible brevity in 
 our phraseology, and for the same reason have 
 thrown most of the minute discussion into foot- 
 notes. 
 
 f Some of the combinations, that require to be re- 
 solved in the reconstruction of this unique specimen 
 of architectural skill for a movable seat of worship, 
 will be found so elaborate and profound as to argue 
 a source higher than mere human ingenuity, and to 
 evince, to the devout inquirer, that pervading sim- 
 plicity and yet harmony which characterize whatever 
 is the product of divine contrivance. If it be not 
 
 deemed presumptuous in Saint Bernard of Clugny to 
 aver that he never could have composed his famous 
 "Jerusalem the Golden," in its peculiarly difficult 
 metre, without special inspiration, we trust that we 
 may not be charged with a lack of modesty in cher- 
 ishing the thought of some measure of that spiritual 
 aid in expounding this portion of Scripture, which 
 we believe the sacred penman more fully enjoyed 
 when he indited it. The Author— as he thinks he 
 may without irreverence be permitted to say — seems 
 to himself to have caught a gUmpse of that model 
 which was shown to Moses in the "mount of God." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 I, We naturally take these up in the order of time. 
 
 1. The most trustworthy, as well as the fullest and most definite source of infor- 
 mation concerning the Israelitish Tabernacle is of course the Bible, especially the 
 classic passage (Exod. xxv — xxviii), which minutely prescribes the construction of the 
 edifice and its apparatus, together with the parallel passage (Exod. xxxv — xl), which 
 describes, in almost the same words, the execution of the task. The phraseology of 
 the original record, although remarkable for its terseness, will be found, when 
 minutely examined, to convey or to imply precisely enough to guide the intelligent 
 reader in every important particular. 
 
 Considerable additional light is thrown upon the subject by the specifications 
 later made in the Scriptural account of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings vi ; 2 Chron. 
 iii, iv), including that seen in vision by Ezekiel (xl— xlii), both of which were modelled, 
 in all their most essential features, after the plan of the Tabernacle, as we shall have 
 occasion to see. Scattered notices are occasionally given elsewhere in Holy Writ, 
 which serve to confirm, complete or correct our inferences from these main fountains 
 of specification. 
 
 2. Of profane authorities in ancient times the principal one by far is Josephus, 
 who in his well-known description of the earliest sacred building of the Jews {Ati- 
 iiquiiies, III, vi, 2 — vii, 7), repeats, with some variation and a few original suggestions, 
 the statements of Scripture on the subject. 
 
 Very little information is contained in the Rabbinical writings of the Jews, 
 which could aid us in reconstructing the Tabernacle,* and none at all in the litera- 
 ture of any heathen nation of antiquity, except the Egyptians, whose temples were 
 evidently a type, but only in the most general sense, of the Tabernacle and the 
 Temple. For although both these edifices were expressly planned by the divine 
 Architect (Exod. xxv, 40 ; 1 Chron. xxviii, 11, 12, 19), yet the triple arrangement of 
 a shrine within a fane, and this again within an outer inclosure, was a marked feature 
 of the noted temples with which the Hebrews had become familiar in Egypt. It is 
 true that these structures, the remains of which have survived to the present day, 
 were built at a much later date than that of the Exode, but they are doubtless succes- 
 sors of earlier edifices resembling them in their main outlines. 
 
 * Paine (in his second edition) has given a full 
 translation, with copious annotations, of a curious 
 old Hebrew document anonymously entitled Sippur- 
 
 enu (i.e., "Our Record"), in which the unknown 
 author's opinions corroborate some of his own con- 
 clusions. 
 
4 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 In a similar way the sacerdotal regalia of the ancient Egyptians, and their sacri- 
 ficial inipleiuents, as depicted upon their monuments, give us a partial clew to the 
 intricacies of some of the Jewish priestly services and garments, especially that curious 
 article called the ephod., and its mysterious accompaniments. (See Fig. 34.) Like- 
 wise the sacred Ark, with the cherubic figures u])on it, is illustrated to some extent 
 in the hieratic boat sketched on the sculptures as borne in procession by the Egyptian 
 priests, and then dejiosited in the af7y?!?^m of their temple. (See Fig. 26.) Assyriology 
 also furnishes a few hints as to some particulars. 
 
 From a most unexpected quarter there has come a clear ray to determine some 
 of the vexed questions concerning the utensils of the Tabernacle, especially the 
 Golden Candelabrum. Delineations of the successors of these objects, taken by the 
 Komans on the fall of Jerusalem, appear upon the memorial arcli of Titus at Eome, 
 and are the more valuable as being imdoubtedly authentic, and carved by contem- 
 poraries. (See Fig. 1.) They are j^robably more elaborate, as was true of all the ap- 
 paratus in the Herodian Temple, than those in the Solomonic structure, and still more 
 so doubtless than the severe style of the earlier Tabernacle ; yet they serve a most 
 important use in deciding M'here particulars are elsewhere lacking or uncertain. 
 These specimens were copied l)y the indefatigable A. Reland in the last century, 
 when they were perhaps less dilai^idated than now ; and his drawings were printed 
 in his learned monograph on tlie subject {De Spoliis Templi, etc., Utrecht, 171H, 
 small 8vo ; 2d ed. by Schultze, 1775.) (See Figs. 20, 22.) This little work of Eeland, 
 like all liis other archaeological investigations, is well-nigh exhaustive of the special 
 topic on which it treats, so far as information was attainable in his day. The present 
 appearance of the Arch of Titus is shown with photographic exactness in many 
 published vohimes, and the actual remains are open to the inspection of every tourist. 
 
 Oriental usages, which, although ascertained chiefly by modern travellers, are of 
 so permanent a character that they may fairly be ranked with antiquarian researches, 
 aid us to a great extent in forming an accurate conception of the Tabernacle and its 
 a])pliances. 
 
 II. Writings of our own time are of course secondary in their authority on such 
 a subject as this, but they cannot safely be ignored. On the contrary the wise and 
 candid archaeologist will welcome and carefully weigh every new suggestion of other 
 minds, earnestly devoted to the solution of the many problems still undenial)ly left on 
 these difficult ])articulars. He may not, indeed he cannot, accept all their conclu- 
 sions, for they often widely conflict with one another, and not unfrequently contradict 
 plain inferences from the language of the ancient record, or probable necessities of 
 the case. 
 
 1. Among the works of a general antiquarian character, that bear specially upon 
 this topic, we first mention, as probably the most important, K. W. F. Biihr's Syni- 
 holik des Mosaisehen (Tw^^-?/,*? [Symbolism of the Mosaic Worslii])] (Heidelberg, 2 voXb. 
 8vo, 1837-39 ; 2d ed. 1874), which, with much learning and judiciousness, discusses 
 most of the architectonic as well as symbolic (piestions relating to the Jewish Taber- 
 nacle (i, 50), and has been the chief treasure-house foi- more recent explorers in the 
 
MODERN SOURCES OF INFORMATION. S 
 
 same line. The subject is treated in most works on Hebrew Antiquities, such as 
 those of H. Lund (Ilamburg, 1695, 1738, 8vo), and J. L. Saalschutz (Konigsb., 
 1855-6, 2 vols. 8vo) ; also in the critical commentaries on Exodus, especially those 
 of M, Kalisch (London, 1855), C. F. Keil (translated, Edinb., 1866), and J. G. Mur- 
 phy (reprinted, Andover, 1868) ; and of course in all Bible Dictionaries, from C'almet 
 to Herzog. Kitto, in his Pictorial Bible (notes on Exodus), and Pailloux, in his 
 Monographie du Temple de Salomon (Paris, 1885; chaps, xi and xii), have made 
 some attempt at a reconstruction of the Tabernacle ; but they have elicited little if 
 anything new or valuable on the subject. 
 
 On special points, besides the work of Reland, noticed above, there are several, 
 all in the olden style, of which the most important is that of J. Braun, Yestitus 
 Sacerdotuiii HehrcBorum [The Clothing of the Hebrew Priests] (Leyden, 1690, small 
 4to ; 2d ed. much improved, Amsterdam, 1698). Braun's treatise fails chiefly, like most 
 similar ones of his time, from lack of the light which modern travel and research have 
 shed upon the subject. Its mode of discussion is rather from the European than the 
 Oriental point of view. A similar criticism is applicable to the otherwise complete 
 dissertation of Antonius Bynseus on ancient Hebrew shoes {De calcels Ilebnmj'um, 
 Dort, 1682, 12mo; 1715, 8vo), which has some pertinence here. The treatise of Dr. 
 S. I. Curtiss, Jr., entitled The Levitical Priests (Edinburgh, 1877, 8vo), is a reply to 
 the objections of the destructive critics (Colenso, Kuenen, etc.) against the authentic- 
 ity of the Pentateuch founded on the alleged discrepancies in the statements con- 
 cerning the Mosaic cultus, and therefore discusses the archeology of the subject but 
 incidentally. 
 
 2. The earlier monographs on tliis subject, such as those of Gr. Peringer {Historia 
 Tabernacidi Mosaici, Upsala, 1668, 8vo), C. Mel {Grimdliche Besckreihimg der 
 Stiftskutte, Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1709, 4to), Conradi {De TabernacuU Mosis Struc- 
 tura, Offenbach, 1712, 4to), S. Van Til {Coniinentarius de Tdheriiaculo Mosis, Dort, 
 1714, 4to), A. Driessen {Mosis Talernacxdum, Utrecht, 1714, 4to), B. Lamy {De 
 Tabernaculo Foederis, Paris, 1720, fob), A. Schultens {Mysteritun Tabeniaculi 
 Mosis, Franeker, 1729, 4to), and J. G. Tympe {Tahernaculi e Monumentis Descrip- 
 tio, Jena, 1731, 4to), being based almost exclusively upon traditionary or conventional 
 interpretation and speculation, have long since become wholly obsolete. The same 
 remark applies with nearly equal force to most of the essays on special points con- 
 nected with the Tabernacle, such as those of J. J. Leone {De CJiend)inis, Amsterdam, 
 1647; Helmstiidt, 1665; in the original Spanish, Amsterdam, 1654, 4to), the same 
 author, Del Area del Testam,e nto {Amiiterdmn, 1653, 4to) ; C. Geissler {De Cherubim, 
 Wittenberg, 1661, 4to), A. Calov {De Urim et Thumiiiim, Wittenberg, 1675, 4to), 
 G. Thym {Labrum Aeneum, Schwandorf, 1675, 4to), D. Weimar {De Suffitu Aro- 
 matico, Jena, 1678, 4to), G. D. Ziegra {De Oleo Unctionis Saero, Wittenl)erg, 1680, 
 4to), J. B. Werner {De Propitiatorio, Giessen, 1695, 4to), G. Stillmann {De Cande- 
 labro Aureo, Bremen, 1700, 4to), J. ab Hamm {De Ara Interiore, Herborn, 1715, 
 4to), H. G. Clemens {De Labro Aeneo, Utrecht, 1725; Groningen, 1732, 8vo ; also 
 in Ugolino's Thesaurus, xix), A. Clant {De Labro TabernacuU, Groningen, 1733, 
 
6 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 4to), C. L. Schlicliter {Be Mensa Facierum, Halle, 1738, 4to ; also in Ugolino's 
 Thesaurus, x), C. G. F. Wolf {De Urim et Thummim, Leipsic, 1740, 4to), C. L. 
 Schlicliter {De Lychnucho Sacro, Halle, 1740, 4to), C. W. Tlialemanii {De Nube 
 super Area, Leipsic, 1752, 4to ; 1771, 8vo), J. F. Stiebritz {De Urim et Thummim, 
 Halle, 1753, 4to), C. L. Sclicliter {De Sujjitu Sacro Ilebreeorum, Halle, 1754, 4to), S. 
 Eau {Nahes super Area Foideris, Herborn, 1757 ; Utrecht, 1760, 4to), J. K. Velt- 
 husen ( Yon den Cheruhinen, Brunswick, 1764, 8vo), W. F. Hufnagel {Der Cheruhhin, 
 Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1821, 8vo), J. J. Bellermann {Die Urim und Thummha, 
 Berlin, 1824, 8vo), T. P. C. Kaiser {De CheruUs Mosaicis, Erlangen, 1827, 4to), C. L. 
 Hendewerk {De Seraphim et Cherubim, Kunigsburg, 1836, 8vo), G. ^m\i\\ {Doctrine 
 of the Cherubim, London, 1850, 8vo), and A. McLeod {Cherubim and the Ajmcalyjjse, 
 London, 1856, 8vo), the majority of which we have directly perused, besides numerous 
 disquisitions in more extended archaeological works, in commentaries and in period- 
 icals. 
 
 Of later treatises expressly on the Jewish Tabernacle as a whole, the following is 
 a nearly complete list, comprising those which we have personally and minutely ex- 
 amined. 
 
 (1.) Symbolik der Mosaischen Stiftshiitte [Symbolism of the Mosaic Tabernacle]. 
 Eine Yertheidigung Dr. Luther's gegen Dr. Bahr. Von Ferdinand Friederich, 
 Pastor zu St. Johannis in Wernigerode. Mit 23 Tafeln Abbildungen (Leipzig, 
 
 1841, 8vo, pp. 369 and vi). This, as the title states, is in opposition to Biihr's ideal- 
 istic symbolism, and reduces the Tabernacle to an enlargement of the human body, 
 the proportions of which are fantastically compared with it. 
 
 (2.) The Tabernacle in the Wilderness; the Shadow of Heavenly Things. Four 
 Engravings, Coloured, and Inlaid, with Gold, Silver, and Brass, according to the 
 Texts of Scripture, With Explanatory Notes. By W. G. Rhind (2d edition, London, 
 
 1842, small folio, pp. iii and 36). This is Init a more elegant reproduction of the 
 older schemes, plans, and figures, with a few Scriptural and practical elucidations. 
 
 (3.) Lectures on the Typical Character of the Jewish TahernacU, Priesthood, 
 and Sacrifce, Preached during Lent, 1850. By Forster G. Simpson, B.A., Curate of 
 Ickworth, Suffolk (London, 1852, 12ino, pp. viii and 335). This, as the title shows, 
 is a general exposition of the Levitical economy, from the popular Christian point of 
 view, and therefore enters but slightly into critical details. 
 
 (4:.) Die Stiftshiitte, von Wilhelm Neumann (Gotha, 1861, 8vo, pp. vi and 173). 
 This elucidation proceeds almost entirely upon the analogies of Assyrian anti(juities, 
 which are far less synchronous and familiar with the Israelites than those of Egypt. 
 The details are wrought out with much ingenuity, but are often highly grotescpie. 
 None of the essential problems of the structure are really solved. 
 
 (5.) Die Mosaische Stiftshiitte [The Mosaic Tabernacle], by Prof. Dr. Ch. 
 Joh. Riggenbach; with three lithographic Plates (Basel, 1862; 2d ed. 1867, 4to, ])p. 
 63). This is a brief, but scholarly treatise, presenting the essential features of the 
 Tabernacle in a clear and succinct manner, l)ut not attem})ting to solve all the abstru- 
 sities of the subject. 
 
MODERN SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 7 
 
 (6.) Solomon's Temple ; or, the Tabernacle ; First Temple ; House of the King, 
 or House of the Forest of Lebanon; Idolatrous High Places; the city on the Mount- 
 ain (Rev. xxi) ; the Oblation of the Holy Por'tion ; and the Last Temple. With 
 21 Plates of QQ Figures, accurately copied by the Lithographer from Careful Draw- 
 ings made by the Author, T. O. Paine, LL.D., a Minister of the New Jerusalem 
 Church (Boston, 1861, large 8vo., pp. 99 ; 2d ed. greatly enlarged, with new title, 
 1885, pp. 200). This is by far the most imposing and profound work on the 
 sacred edifices of the Jews hitherto published. The author is a careful scholar, and 
 an acute thinker, and he has grappled with the difficulties of the Tabernacle in a 
 masterful way. We regret our inability to coincide with all his conclusions, ^ but 
 we gladly accept many of them as the only ones that appear to meet the exigencies 
 of the case. He is singularly reticent on the symbolism of the subject. 
 
 (7.) The Holy Vessels and Furniture of the Tabernacle of Lsrael, by H. W. 
 Soltau, author of "An Exposition of the Tabernacle;" " the Priestly Garments and the 
 Priesthood ; " etc, (London, 1865, oblong 4to, pp. viii and 67). With ten colored 
 plates. Also, The Tabernacle of Israel Illustrated. By II. W. Soltau (London, 1870, 
 oblong 4to, pp. 22). With nine colored plates. These are splendid little volumes, 
 but lacking in critical value. They are altogether popular in their character. 
 
 (8.) The Tabernacle and its Priests and Services described and considered ivi 
 relation to Christ and the Church ; with diagrams, views and wood-cuts : hy William 
 Brown (2nd ed. Edinb. 1872, 8vo, pp. xv and 168). This is an honest attempt to 
 elucidate the whole subject treated, and is executed with a very creditable degree of 
 earnestness and precision. Some of its suggestions are original and ingenious ; but in 
 many points it singularly fails to meet the just requirements of the case. The 
 resources at the writer's command appear to have been limited, and his conclusions 
 are therefore liable to be overthrown by a wider range of induction. 
 
 (9.) History and Significance of the Sacred TabernacU of the Hebrews, by 
 Edward E. Atwater (New York, 1875, 8vo, pp. xiv and 448). With Illustrative 
 Plates. This work contains little that is original, and therefore contributes but 
 slightly to the elucidation of the subject beyond its predecessors. It is, however, a 
 fair popular presentation of the theme, without aiming at any very critical purpose. 
 The mechanism of the structure is very imperfectly wrought out. 
 
 (10.) The Temples of the Jews, and the Other Buildings in the Haram Area at 
 Jerusalem, by James Fergusson, Esq., D. C. L., F. R. S., Y. P. R. A. S., etc. 
 (London, 1878, 4to, pp. xviii and 304). Illustrated by many Plans and Engravings. 
 This superb volume treats but incidentally of the Tabernacle, summarizing the 
 results previously arrived at by the author in his History of Architecture, and in his 
 article on the Tabernacle in Dr. Wm. Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. As a pro- 
 fessional architect, and a ^v^•iter of much scholarly attainment, his views are entitled 
 to great consideration. They are all ingenious, some of them well-founded, but others 
 
 * His mode of forming tlio "corner bo.irds" I adjoining side boards) deranges the harmony of the 
 (liinging them whole, by means of rings, to tlio | building, and makes a misfit of both sets of curtains. 
 
8 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 preposterous. The book as a whole is infected with an excessive leaning to subjective 
 opinions in favor of modern styles of architectiire, which often disparages the ancient 
 authorities. 
 
 (11.) Ham-^lishl'tm^ the Wonderful Tent ; an account of the Structure^ Slyni- 
 fication^ and Spiritual Lessons of the Mosaic Tahernacle erected in the Wilderness of 
 Sinai: by Kev, D. A. Kandall, D.D. Illustrated by several plans and views (Cincin- 
 nati, 1886, 8vo. pp. xlv and 420). This work, as the author himself states in his pref- 
 ace, " is not intended as a book for scholars and critics." It is a popular and pleasing 
 presentation of the main features of the subject, chiefly in the form of a series of 
 imaginary dialogues or lectures by a learned and devout Rabbi, whom the author 
 actually met during a journey through the Sinaitic Desert. No great amount of 
 research or fresh information, of course, is to be expected from its scope and purpose. 
 
 (12.) W. E. Stephens, of St. Louis, Mo., circulates " Christ in the Tabernacle," an 
 engraving, reduced by photo-lithography from a large colored lithograph, entitled 
 " The Tabernacle in tlie Wilderness," published by W. F. Broom, 25 Paternoster 
 Square, London. It represents the Tabernacle (in the old style, with no details) as 
 pitched on the plain of Mt, Sinai, with the tents of the tribes of Israel about it. 
 
 Besides the works enumerated in the above review, we are aware of the existence of 
 only the following that bear directly upon the general subject ; and of these, although 
 we have been unable to procure a copy, we know enough to be satisfied that they con- 
 tribute nothing material to the elucidation of the Tabernacle : P. D'Aquine, Disser- 
 tation dn Tahernacle (Paris, 1623, 4to ; and later) ; J. J. Leone, Afhoeldlnge van den 
 Tahernackel (Amsterdam, 1647, 4to; the original Spanish, ibid, 1654, 4to) ; J. 
 Recchiti, Chokrnath ham-Mishkan [Wisdom of the Tabernacle] (in Hebre\y, Mantua, 
 1776, 4to) ; J. Kitto, The Tahernacle and its Furniture (London, 1849, 4to) ; J. 
 Popper, Der Bihlische Bericht iXher die Stiftshutte (Leipsic, 1862, 8vo) ; T. Wan- 
 germann, Die Bedeutung der Stiftshutte (Berlin, 1866, 8vo.) 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 I. It appears (Exod. xxxiii, 7) that the name " Tabernacle of the Congregation " * 
 was originally applied to an ordinary tent, probably the one officially occupied by 
 Moses himself ; and that this was at first set apart by the token of the divine pres- 
 ence at its door-way as the regular place of public communication between Jehovah 
 and the people. (See Fig. 14.) This was prior to the construction of what was 
 afterwards technically known as the Tabernacle, wliicli of course superseded such a 
 temporary arrangement. 
 
 II. Soon after the arrival of the Israelites in the centre of the Sinaitic mount- 
 ains, Moses was directed by Jehovah to prepare a special building for his worship, 
 according to a pattern shown him during his stay of forty days on the summit of the 
 mount. Accordingly orders were innnediately issued for contributions to this end, 
 the materials were freely offered by the people, a chief artificer, " Bezaleel, the son 
 of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,"" with "• Aholiab, the son of Aliisa- 
 mach, of the tril>e of Dan," as his assistant (Exod. xxxi, 2, 6), was selected to have 
 immediate charge of the task, and after about eight months' labor, the Tabernacle, 
 with all its equipments, was completed and erected on the first day of the first month 
 (Nisan) of the second year after the departure from Egypt (Exod. xl, 17). The 
 cloudy Pillar of the divine Shekinah doubtless indicated the precise spot of its loca- 
 tion by resting over the central object of the entire worship, the sacred Ark beneath 
 the Mercy-seat. During the journeys and the halts in the Wilderness, as well as 
 throughout the campaigns in Moab, the Tabernacle marked the head-quarters of the 
 Israelitish host, and on the arrival in Canaan it accompanied Joshua in most of his 
 expeditions against their enemies. In all these migrations it was taken doA\ai piece- 
 meal, carried on veliicles constructed for the purpose and drawn by oxen, in charge 
 of the priests assisted by the Levites, and was re-erected at every stopping-place. 
 (See Plate III.) The position of the several tribes of Israelites was regulated by 
 divine prescription around it, l)ot]i on tlie march and in the encampment, the signal 
 
 * The Heb. phrase here emploj-ed is oliel moed, lit. 
 " tent of meeting," which, however, is often used 
 synonymously with mishkdn ha-e duth, lit. " dwelling 
 of the assembly," to designate the edifice itself. 
 Strictly speaking, tiie terms " tent" (ohel) and "tab- 
 ernacle " {mishkdn) are found to be carefully discrimi- 
 nated (as we shall eventually see), denoting respect- 
 ively the canvas roof and the wooden walls of the 
 compound structure; never for both, except as the 
 
 one implies the otlier; and absolutely never for 
 each otlier. The expression, "tent of meeting" 
 (often falsely rendered "tabernacle " in the A. V.), is 
 especiallj- appropriate from the fact that the repre- 
 sentatives of the congregation of Israel were required 
 to assemble for the divine commands at the "open- 
 ing" (Heb. pethach, A. V. "door") of the tent; for 
 there was no mishkdn or wooden part at the front of 
 the building. 
 
10 
 
 HISTORY OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 for starting or lialting being the motion or the resting of the mute guide, the Pillar 
 cloudy by day and tiery by night.* In the latter part of Joshua's administration it 
 was set up at Sliiloh (Josh, xviii, 1), where it remained during the troubled i)eriod of 
 the Judges, down to the days of Eli,t when the sacred Ark was taken out of the 
 building (1 Sam. iv, 4), and never returned. It is probable that the timber of 
 the wooden part of the editice (the curtains of course having been often renewed) 
 was by this time so worn and decayed (although of durable wood and thickly 
 plated with gold) as to be unservical)le, and Talmudic tradition speaks of its re- 
 placement by a permanent stone structure, traces of which, it is thought, are still 
 discoverable on the site of Sliiloh (Conder, Tent-worh in Palestine, i, 8-i). However 
 that may be, there are no further distinct indications of the existence or locality of 
 the original building, although evidences occur of the transfer of the worship, under 
 Samuel's administration, successively to Mizpeh (1 Sam. vii, 6), and elsewhere (1 Sam. 
 ix, 12 ; X, 3 ; xx, 6 ; Psa. cxxxii, 0). In David's day the show-bread was at one 
 time kept at Nob (1 Sam. xxi, 1-6), which implies the existence there of at least one 
 of the sacred utensils of the Tabernacle ; especially as the priests largely lived there 
 (xxii, 11), and some part of their residence appears to have served, in so far at least, 
 the purpose of a sanctuary (xxi, 7, 9) ; and even down to the close of David's reign 
 the " high place that was at Gibeon " possessed some fragments of the original Tab- 
 ernacle, with its altar of burnt-offering (1 Chron. xvi, 39 ; xxi, 29 ; comp. 1 Kings 
 iii, 4 ; 2 Chron. i, 3-6). This is absolutely the last mention of the edifice itself. 
 
 III. Meanwhile a rival establishment to the one last named had been set up by 
 David on Mt. Zion at Jerusalem, whither he had finally transported the sacred Ark,:}: 
 and gathered around it the sacerdotal ministrations in a wqw sanctuary, especially con- 
 structed for it, but which, as it is simply called a tent (1 Chron. xv, 1 ; xvi, 1 ; 2 Sam. 
 vi, 17, A. V. "tabernacle"), would seem to have lacked the wooden walls of the 
 earlier one (2 Sam. vii, 2 ; 1 Chron. xvii, 1). (See Fig. 14.) This of course was in 
 turn superseded by the famous Temple not long afterwards erected by Solomon, into 
 which was doul)tless gathered all that remained of the original furniture of the Mo- 
 saic Tabernacle (2 Chron. v, 5). The Candelabrum, however, if still extant, was 
 replaced, in this edifice, by ten others, probably of a more gorgeous style (1 Kings 
 vii, 49), with at least a repeating of the altar of incense and the table of show-bread 
 (1 Kings vii, 48). The Laver, having probably long since been broken up, was also 
 
 * As a slowly-biirninw pyre (Exod. iii, 2) shovva 
 white like smoke in the dayliglit, but red like flame 
 at night. Occasionally (Exod. xiv, 20) it was dark on 
 one side, and bright on the other. 
 
 f From the narrative in 1 Sam. iii, it would seem 
 that the original court was replaced or at least occu- 
 pied by permanent dwellings for the ministrant 
 priests (see Kcil, at the place). 
 
 J This central object of the Jewish worship, after 
 its seven months' adventures among the Philistines 
 (1 Sam. vi, 1) under Eli. had boon deposited at Kirjulh- 
 
 jearim(l Sam. vii, 1), where it remained twenty years 
 (ver. 2) until Samuel's establishment at Mizpeh 
 (ver. 6). After its removal by David, first from 
 Kirjath-jearim (where by some means it had got back 
 meanwhile apparently by way of Bethlehem [comp. 
 Psa. cxxxii, 6; 1 Sam. ix, 14] to the house of 01)ed- 
 edom, and afterwards to Jerusalem (2 Sam. vi; 
 1 Chron. xiii — xvi), we have no record of its leaving 
 the Holy City, except for a few liours on the 
 breaking out of Absalom's rebellion (2 Sam. xv, 
 24-29). 
 
FORTUNES OF THE FURNITURE. 1 1 
 
 magmficentlj replaced (1 Kings vii, 23, 27). On the demolition of the Temple by 
 Nebuchadnezzar's general, such pieces of the sacred furniture as had survived all 
 previous changes and catastrophes probal)ly shared the fate of the other valuables 
 there, being all carried away to Babylon (Jer. lii, 18, ID), whither some articles of the 
 kind had already preceded them (2 Chron, xxxvi, 7). There they remained till the 
 downfall of that city (Dan. v, 2, 3), when the conqueror Cyrus delivered them to the 
 Jewish "prince of the exiles" (Ezra i, 7-11), and they were among the treasures 
 soon afterward permitted to be transported to Jerusalem (Ezra v, 14, 15 ; vii, 19), where 
 they safely arrived under Ezra's administration (Ezra viii, 33). They seem at this time, 
 however, to have consisted exclusively of the smaller but very numerous " vessels " for 
 sacred uses, and no mention is made, in any of these later enumerations, of the Ark or 
 the more important pieces of furniture. Evidences of a tradition appear in much later 
 Hebrew literature to the effect that, on the capture of Jerusalem, or perhaps rather 
 its final despoliation, the Ark was hidden away by Jeremiah, to be restored only on 
 his return with the final dominion of Israel ; but this is doubtless unfounded. The 
 precious palladium of the Holy City (1 Sam. iv, 3) seems to have attracted the cupid- 
 ity of some one of the foreign or domestic marauders who at various times violated 
 the sanctity of the shrine (2 Kings xii, 18 ; xviii, 16 ; 2 Chron. xxv, 24 ; xxviii, 24) 
 down to the period of the Babylonian invasion (2 Kings xxiv, 13). There is distinct 
 mention of the Table of Show-bread in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxix, 18), 
 and in that of Josiah allusion is perhaps made to the autograph copy of the Law 
 originally deposited in the Ark (2 Chron. xxxiv, 1.5), but after this date all direct 
 traces of any of the sacred apparatus constructed in the Desert vanish from history.* 
 
 *The few extra-Biblical notices of the furniture of I nacle, will be considered in treating of their original 
 the Herodian Temple, some p'cces of which may construction. (See Chap, iv.) 
 possibl}' have been the same as those of the Taber- ( 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 In this, the main portion of the present vohime, our aim will be to explain as 
 succinctly as possible the various parts of the sacred edifice and their adaptation to 
 each other, chiefly from the Scripture record, accompanied by suitable diagrams, 
 without entering into any unnecessary controversy of the opinions of others who 
 dift'er from us as to the proper mode of reconstruction. Our chief purpose through- 
 out is not simply to justify our own delineation, but rather to aid the reader in his 
 conception and apprehension of it. If it shall then appear consistent, it will be its 
 own best vindication. 
 
 The sacred narrative begins with a^r^^scription of the central object of sanctity, 
 the Ark, and proceeds outward to the less holy precincts ; but, as ours is a 6?<?scription, 
 we pursue the reverse order, in accordance with modern methods. The inspired 
 writer develops his subject from an interior point of view, but common mortals can 
 only look upon it from without. 
 
 I. The Court was a space inclosed around the Tabernacle itself in the midst of 
 each camping-ground, for the exclusive use of the priests and Levites in their sacred 
 ministrations, and was always so arranged as to face the East. The first encampment 
 on which it was laid out was of course immediately in front or north of Mt. Sinai (as 
 in Plate II), where the fine plain of Er-Kahah stretches on an average a mile and a 
 half wide and about three miles long — besides its continuation, through side-valleys, 
 to the very foot of the majestic hills on all sides towering about 3,000 feet sheer 
 above it. The central peak, directly opposite, is now called Kas Sufsafeh ( Willow 
 Top, from a small tree of that kind in a cleft of its summit), and is doubtless the 
 very spot — plainly visible in the clear atmosphere to the whole camp at its base — 
 where the Law was delivered amid flashes of lightning; while the rear peak — 
 somewhat higher, but hidden at this point of view by its forward fellow — is still des- 
 ignated as Jebel Musa {Moses's Mount), being no doubt that on which the IIel)rew 
 lawgiv'er held his prolonged interview with Jehovah. 
 
 1. This outer (and only) court of the Tal)ernaele was 100 cubits long and 50 wide 
 (Exod. xxvii, 9, 12, 18), or, reduced to English measure,* an oblong of about 172 
 by 86 feet. (See Plate I.) 
 
 * We may liere state, once for all, that our estimate 
 of the lerigtii of the Heljrcvv ciil/it, in this treatise, 
 is the same as that finally adopted by the late cele- 
 brated Kiryptologist, Sir John Gardner Wilkinson, 
 namely, 20.G25 inches or 1.719 feet [Ancient Egypt- 
 ians, Harper's ed. ii, 258). This substantially agrees 
 
 with the following ancient specimens of the cubit 
 still extant, which the author has personally exam- 
 ined and measured. 
 Nilometer at Elophantine f average). ..20.627 inches. 
 
 Copper Rule in Turin Museum 20.4fi9 " 
 
 Wooden Rule in Turin Museum 20.5()3 " 
 
 Stone KuK' in Turin Museum 20.623 " 
 
PILLARS OF THE COURT. 
 
 The area was inclosed by a curtain or lianging, of corresponding length, sus- 
 pended upon pillars 5 cubits high (Exod. xxvii, 18). These fence-posts, as we would 
 call them, were doubtless of acacia (" shittim," sing. " shittah "), like the other wooden 
 portions of the edifice, and probably round, as their type in nature (a tree), and 
 economy of weight for a gi\'en degree of strength, seem to require. We may safely 
 estimate their diameter at one fourth of a cubit, or about 5 inches. Like the other 
 columns of the building, they appear to have been of the same size from top to bot- 
 tom. Their foot was held in place by a socket or plate * of copper ( A. Y. incorrectly 
 " brass," for zinc, which is used in that alloy, was unknown to the ancients),f evi- 
 
 The Turin copper cubit-rule lias evidentl}^ slirunk 
 in cooling from the mould in which it was cast. The 
 wooden one mny have worn away somewhat. The 
 stone one is rather irregular at the edges of the ends. 
 The cubits marked on the stairway at Elephantine 
 differ considerably from each other. Other cubit- 
 rules exist varying, according to published measure- 
 ments, from 20.47 to 20.65 inches. An approximation 
 to the exact standard is all that can now be determined. 
 
 The above cubit-rules at Turin, together with oth- 
 ers preserved in the various museums of Europe and 
 elsewhere, have been carefully delineated and ana- 
 lyzed by R. Lepsius {Die aU-dgyptische Elle und Hire 
 Eintheilung, Berlin, 1865, 4to), who estimates the an- 
 cient Egyptian full cubit, from these specimens and 
 a comparison of the dimensions of the Pyramids (pre- 
 sumed to be in even cubits, as given by ancient wri- 
 ters, and proportional, both outside and in), as equiv- 
 alent to 1 foot and 8| inches English (p. 5), or very 
 slightly in excess of the conclusion adopted by us. 
 (The paper, however, on which they are printed has 
 shrunk in drying from the lithographic press, st) that 
 they are f of an inch shorter than the actual length. 
 This is confirmed by the fact that he computes the 
 entire cubit, on tlie same plan, at 525 millimetres, 
 i. e. 20.67 inches.) That the Hebrew cubit was the 
 same, can hardly be questioned. The Egyptian cubit- 
 rule was divided into 28 equal digits (finger-breadths), 
 the first 15 of which were graduated into fractional 
 parts (from the half to the sixteenth respectively). 
 Four digits made a imlm (hand-breadth, exclusive of 
 the tliumb); three palms made a small span, or three 
 and a half a large span, four palms a foot, five palms 
 an elbow (from the wrisi), six palms a short (or, " mod- 
 erate," i.e. medium-sized person's) cu&(7 (including the 
 length of the palm only), and seven palms the full (or 
 " royal," i. e. full-sized man's) mhit, from the tip of tlie 
 middle finger to the elbow, i. e. the entire lower 
 arm. Thus each of the parts, as well as the whole, 
 was determined b_v a natural type (Rev. xxi, 17). 
 These subdivisions were regularly numbered from 
 
 right to left, and most of the surfaces were embel- 
 lished with emblematical and mylhological liiero- 
 glyphics. The favorite shape was that of a flat rule 
 with one edge beveled, the digit marks being incised 
 on most or all of the faces, and the fractions on the thin 
 edge. None are jointed, for folding. The distinction last 
 noted, namely, between the scant and the normal 
 cubit, seems to explain the remark in Ezek. xliii, 1 3, 
 "The cubit is a cubit and an hand-breadth," i. e. the 
 full cubit, and not the short one, is intended (so in 
 Ezek. xl, 5). 
 
 *The Heb. word (ver. 10-18) is eden, "a base," 
 used also of the similar underpinning (as we shall 
 see) of the Tabernacle walls, and elsewhere only of 
 the foundation of the earth (Job xxxviii, 6), or the 
 pedestal of a statue (Cant, v, 15). Tlie weight of the 
 superstructure, or a slight excavation, would settle 
 these somewhat into the ground, and thus prevent 
 the foot of the entire structure from sliding. The 
 old-fashioned idea (apparently corrected under the 
 rendering "socket"), that they were hollow pointed 
 receptacles, is an utterly impracticable one : for such 
 could not have been driven accurately (to fit the ten- 
 ons) in the hard gravelly and stony soil of the Des- 
 ert, and they would soon have been battered to 
 pieces ; nor would they have been of any use, since 
 the tenons themselves might as well have been 
 pointed, and driven in at once. 
 
 f The monuments show that the ancient Egyptians 
 were ^miliar with the processes of metallurgy, and 
 the mines of Surabet el-Khadim, in the desert of Sinai, 
 are known, from old papyri, as well as the debris and 
 inscriptions in the vicinity, to have been worked by 
 them from a very early period. It is probably lo 
 these operations that the book of Job (chap, xxviii) 
 refers, a work which Moses himself, who doubiless 
 often witnessed the miners during his exile in Mid- 
 ian, is believed to have edited. The copper was 
 smelted, no doubt on the spot, from tlie malachite 
 there obtained. There would, therefore, be no diflB- 
 culty in the Israelites effecting these castings at Sinai. 
 
14 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 dently laid flat upon the ground, doubtless with a mortice or hole (probably square, 
 in order to prevent the pillar from revolving) in the centre, to receive a correspond- 
 ing (copper) tenon in the end of the pillar. They were stayed upright by cords 
 (Exod. XXXV, 18) fastened to pins (xxvii, 19)* of copper driven into the ground, 
 which M^ould be necessary both on the inside and on the outside ; while the curtains 
 with their attachments (especially the rods presently to be considered) would keep the 
 tops at a proper distance apart, and the corners would brace the whole line. There 
 were 60 of these pillars in all, namely, 20 on each side, and 10 on each end, with an 
 equal number of sockets (ver. 10-12). This allows exactly 5 cubits' space between 
 the pillars (from centre to centre), the corner-pillars of course being counted only 
 once (and set half their thickness nearer the adjoining ones), whether in the side or 
 the end.f Accordingly the eastern or front end is said to have 4 such spaces in 
 
 *The Heb. word is yether, everywhere used of a 
 tent-pin. It was probably round and pointed, witli 
 a head or notch to keep the cord from slipping 
 off. 
 
 fThis disposition of the pillars, which is the mod- 
 ern workmanlike method in dealing with fence-posts, 
 harmonizes the numbers and dimensions of the sacred 
 narrative, and meets all the proprieties in the case. 
 The question raised as to the mode of reckoning is 
 a mere dispute about words, which has led some to 
 make more and some less than 60 posts, and many to 
 assign fractional and even diff'erent spaces between 
 them. The exact truth is that the corner posts be- 
 long one half to the side and one half to the end (and 
 so of tlie door-way posts and their wings), so that the 
 language of the sacred writer is strictly correct. In 
 counting the pillars of the respective sides of the 
 rectangle and those of the door-way, both extremes 
 are neither included nor both excluded, but (as every 
 one's experience must have taught liim to do in such 
 cases) one is included and the other excluded. A 
 careful inspection of hotli accounts (Exod. xxvii, 9- 
 16; xxxviii, 9-19) shows that the number of the 
 pillars is never predicated of the sides of the court, 
 but always either of the court itself or (usually) of 
 the ha,ngings ; and so likewise not of the opening of 
 the door-way, but of its screen. This justifies the 
 phraseology, inasmuch as the curtains, being contin- 
 uous, would count (ao to speak) the spare.i rather 
 than the pillars whicli they represented. Or perhaps 
 we may more clearly apprehend the reason of this 
 mode of reckoning, if we bear in mind that it was 
 prescriptive and constructive, and not as erected; 
 the materials being indicated — so many pillars pre- 
 pared for such a length of curtain, care being taken 
 not to duplicate or omit anything. The execution of 
 Mie directions was left to the common-sense of tlie 
 workmen, and the interpreter has need to exercise 
 
 his own in the exposition. We will tind a similar 
 enumeration employed, for the sake of uniformity, in 
 the loops attaclied to the exterior curtains of the 
 building; and Matt, i, 17, may be cited as an anal- 
 ogous case. 
 
 That tiie above interval is the true one is rendered 
 certain by the length of the door-way curtain, 20 cubits 
 for -4 pillars (xxvii, 16; xxxviii, 18, 19), as well as by 
 tiiatof each of the side-curtains, 15 cubits for 3 pillars 
 (xxvii, 13, 14; xxxviii, 14, 15), thus making up the 
 entire end of 50 cubits for 10 pillars (xxvii, 12, 13; 
 xxxviii, 12, 13). The corner pillars of the door-way 
 are not counted twice, although both the colored and 
 the plain curtains hung on them ; but, precisely as in 
 the case of the corner pillars of the court, where the 
 two sections of curtains meet, they are accurately at- 
 tributed one half to either side of the dividing line in 
 their middle. This is the only way in which the door- 
 way can be brought in the centre of the front, as it 
 evidently was meant to be. There were clearly 10 
 spaces of 5 cubits each, from the centres of tlie pillars 
 severally. Any other distribution is complicated and 
 unnatural. In fact, aside from the question of the 
 regularity of spacing, the only consistent and uniform 
 method of counting the pillars possible is to include in 
 each enumeration one of the means, but not the other; 
 for if both be included, tliere will really be but 98 
 around the whole court, since two of the corners must 
 be counted twice; or, if both extremes be excluded, 
 there will be 104 in all, since the four corners must be 
 left out altogether; similarly on the front, if both 
 extremes be included on the entire lino, as well as at 
 the entrance, there will bo but 8 in all; or if both be 
 excluded there will be 12. Paine arbitrarily assumes 
 that both extremes are to be included in the sides of 
 the court, but excluded from the ends; yet lie is 
 compelled to include one extreme only in the side- 
 curtains of the front end. 
 
PILLARS OF THE COURT. 
 
 15 
 
 the middle for a door-way (20 cubits wide), and 3 spaces or 15 cubits on either side of 
 these (ver. 14-16). From the parallel passage (Exod. xxxviii, 17, 19) we learn that 
 all the pillars were capped with silver, probably a curved plate to protect the top. 
 Two other parts or appendages to these pillars are mentioned, namely, " hooks " and 
 "fillets," both of silver (ver. 10, 12, 17). The former of these* obviously were to 
 serve the purpose of holding up the other parts of the screen, and the latter f can 
 only be a rod., not designed to sustain the curtain by means of loops or rings in its 
 top edge, no such contrivances being anywhere mentioned in the text (as they inva- 
 riably are whenever used) ; but intended to keep the tops of the posts at a proper dis- 
 tance apart, being hung upon the hooks, apparently by means of eyes at each end 
 (these last implied in the statement of their corresponding hooks, just as mortices in 
 the sockets are taken for granted to fit the tenons of the posts and planks). The 
 hooks were set one each in the middle of the round face of the pillar a little below 
 the cap, and probably another near the bottom. The stay-ropes on either side might 
 readily be fastened around the top of each pillar by a hitching-noose in the middle, 
 which the hooks would keep from slipping down. 
 
 The curtains thus hung upon the pillars were sheets of " fine twined linen," ;{: 
 
 * Heb. vav, tlie name of the sixth letter of the al- 
 phabet, formed thus, 1, wliicli indicates the sliape of 
 the hook or peg, being driven horizontally into the 
 pillar. It was probablj' made of wire, or at all events 
 round. Paine (for a reason apparent below) figures 
 the antique style of the letter (adopting this form, V), 
 but this will make little difference, for in old inscrip- 
 tions it appears in forms not essentially different 
 from the above printed shape (for example on tlie 
 Moabitic stone quite as often thus, W, and in the very 
 earliest specimen hitherto discovered, namely tlie 
 Siloam inscription, exclusively thus \', which is sub- 
 stantially the same as on old coins, thus^). 
 
 f Heb. chashuk, something " fastened," i. e., a pole ; 
 used only of this object, and a word of similar form 
 chishshuk, of the spoke (A. V. "felloe") of a wheel 
 (1 Kings vii, 33). As the rods of the Tabernacle 
 door-way were overlaid with gold (Exod. xxxvi, 38), 
 and were consequently not solid metal, but only a 
 wooden pole incased (like the bars of the planks to 
 be presently considered), these silver rods were prob- 
 ably constructed in a similar manner; and the eyes 
 at their extremities for the hooks must have been 
 driven into their ends. Paine inserts the hooks up- 
 right in the tops of the pillars, and hangs the curtains 
 upon the rods; but this arrangement, by drawing 
 the curtains partly around the pillars, sliortens them 
 and prevents their hanging smooth. We shall also 
 see that it will not apply to the description given of 
 the inmost screen, called "the vail" by way of 
 eminence. The etymology of the words is no objec- 
 
 tion to placing the hooks 
 than the knobs. 
 
 lorizontally, any more 
 
 Fig. 2.— Pillar, with Rods and Hooks. 
 
 I Heb. shetih moshzdr, lit. "white twisted " cloth, 
 i. e., bleached material of two-stranded thread, doubt- 
 less of flax. Shesh seems to denote any very while 
 substance, and is applied even to marble (Esth. i, 6; 
 Cant, v, 15). Tiie proper word for linen is had, 
 which as distinguished from shesh would be the un- 
 bleached stuff of its natural color. The fineness of 
 the thread is not involved in either term. 
 
16 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 of unusual body and brilliancy (i. q. duck), probably sewed endwise together so as to 
 form a continuous screen from the door-way all around the corners to tlie door-way 
 again. This would most conveniently be hung on the outside of the pillars, and being 
 5 culjits wide (Exod. xxxviii, 18),* it would clear the ground, if stretched smooth by 
 eyelets in the upper and lower edges for the hooks. The door-way curtain, 2<» cubits 
 long, in the middle of the eastern end, however, was a different kind of stuff", " blue, 
 and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework " (ver. 16), i. e., 
 as we were the first to interpret it, the warp (or lengthwise threads) of bleaclied linen 
 cord, and the woof (or filling) of alternate bars (running as upriglit stripes) of wool 
 dyed blue-purple (violet),t red-purple (Tyrian),:}: and crimson (cochineal),§ with hand- 
 embroidery superimposed.! From their mode of attachment it is clear that none of 
 these curtains (not even that of the door-way, which is explicitly stated to have been 
 
 * From this passage it appears that all the curtains 
 around the court were of the same lieight. The sin- 
 gular expression there used, " The lieight in the 
 breadth," means that the height was occasioned by 
 tlie width of the cloth, which ran horizontally. 
 
 In the arrangement which we have adopted, all the 
 rods (or rails we might call them) for this fence are 
 of the same lengtli, inasmuch as tliey are carried 
 entirely across the corner-posts, and these latter are 
 set wholly within the line. It is only necessary to 
 liave the single hook in these posts (at the extreme 
 Jingle of course) not driven in so far into the post, 
 i. e., projecting farther from its face. 
 
 f Heb tekeleth, the helix ianthiiia, a very thin, flat 
 and coiled, round shell, found on the Mediterranean, 
 the envelope of a colorless, jelly-like animal, which 
 when cruslied or pvmctured emits a beautiful violet 
 liquid. 
 
 ^ Heb. (irgamdn, the mwex brandaris, a large spiral 
 shell, found in the Mediterranean, a particular part 
 of the animal inhabiting which contains a creamy 
 fluid, that turns a brilliant purple after exposure to 
 the air. 
 
 § Heb. shani, often with the addition of toldatli, a 
 worm or grub ; the coccus ilicis, a parasite on the Tyr- 
 ian oak, the wingless female of which furnishes the 
 kerines of commerce, and yields a rich red color, very 
 closely resembling that of the cocciis cacti or true 
 cochineal (wiiich came from Mexico), being somewhat 
 less brilliant but more permanent. 
 
 II It should be noticed tha* in neither case is the 
 substance, ofwiiich these two parts of the fabric 
 was composed, explicitly mentioned. (Compare the 
 enumeration of the same materials first in cliap. 
 XXV, 4.) That it was first woven in a loom, and af- 
 terwards worked with a needle, is obvious. Besides 
 tliis the different colors only are named. The 
 '• bleached" was the basi.s, that i.s, the warp, us being 
 
 the stronger, and for this purpose " double-twisted." 
 That it was linen is to be inferred from the fact that 
 it was bleached. On the other hand wool only will 
 take rich colors well, especially animal dyes (the two 
 purples are from shell-fish, and the bright-red from 
 an insect). The cross bands of these three shades of 
 red (as we may style them) would be softened by the 
 admixture of the white foundation. On these the 
 embroidering was performed, as the contrast would 
 thus be very effective. The color of the embroidery 
 would, we presume, be yellow, of silk thread, we 
 suppose (as gold is not mentioned here), apparently 
 on the " right " or outer side only. The figures do 
 not seem to have been cherubim, as these are men- 
 tioned in connection with the inner tapestry only, 
 where they would be more appropriate. We are for- 
 bidden by the second commandment (although not 
 yet promulgated) to think of any actual object, 
 and must therefore conjecture that the needlework 
 consisted of purely fancy patterns, sucli as abound 
 in Oriental tapestries, ceilings and rugs — perhaps 
 what is known as " mosaic." The order of the col- 
 ors, as systematically named, leads us to conceive that 
 the violet stripe was first, the purple in the middle and 
 the crimson last, the wliite underneath and the yellow 
 over the whole. The three primary colors (blue, red 
 and yellow) are thus represented, but not in tlioir 
 prismatic order. The symbolism is of a less scientific 
 nature, as we shall eventually see. The rain-bow has 
 its own symbolism (Gen. ix, 12-16), but it is entirely 
 cosmical. Josephus suggests {Antiquities, III, vii, 2) 
 that the linen was the warp, but he says nothing about 
 the woof, nor the order of the colors; he seems to 
 have tlionght these were only used for tlie embroid- 
 ery: "It [the high-priest's robe] is embroidered with 
 flowers of scarlet, and purple, and blue [reversing the 
 colors], and fine-twined linen ; but the warp was 
 nothing but fine hnen " (Wliislon's translation). 
 
A L TA R OF B URNT- FFERINO. 1 7 
 
 rt single piece) were intended to be parted or to slide for admission ; entrance could 
 therefore only be effected by lifting them at the bottom and passing under them (as 
 they were 5 cubits, or more than 8-|- feet, high), and this moreover was not i)ossible 
 with any degree of facility (on account of the tightness of the long lines) except at 
 the door- way, wliere the break in the continuity of the curtain and its comparative 
 shortness allowed it to be easily raised, especially at the (lower) corners. 
 
 2. Within this limited but sufliciently capacious area, besides the principal object, 
 the Tabernacle itself, there were only two others normally belonging to it, namely, 
 the "■ Brazen Altar," and the Laver. 
 
 (1.) The former of these, often styled the Great Altar (in later literature), or 
 more appropriately the Altar of Burnt-offering, to distinguish it from the smaller 
 Altar of Incense, was made strong and light for convenient transportation, tliut* 
 
 Fig. 3. — Altar of Burnt-offering, with the Grate drawn out. 
 
 superseding all former structures of the kind, but not exclusive of still larger 
 earthen or stone altars, as in subsequent times (Exod. xx, 24, 25). The one under 
 consideration was a hollow box'* of acacia (shittim wood), 5 cubits square, and 
 8 cubits high (Exod. xxvii, 1, 8), cased all over its surface with sheets of cop- 
 per (ver. 2). It had a "horn" (i. e. an upright, tapering projection) at each cor- 
 ner, apparently formed by a triangular extension of the sides at their junction 
 (ver. 2). This was an ornamental and significant, rather than a strictly needful 
 appendage. An essential addition was the grate, f consisting of a copper net- work, X 
 movable by a copper ring in each corner (ver. 4), and placed below the top of the 
 
 * •' Hollow with boards " (xxvii, 8 ; xxxviii, 7), Heb. 
 nebuh luchoth (lit. " a hollow [bored through, like a 
 tubular column, Jer. Hi, 21] of slabs [a different 
 word from that used for the planks of the Tabernacle 
 walls])." Their thickness was no doubt some defi- 
 nite proportion of a cubit, as we shall find all the 
 dimensions about the structure to be (since, as Paine 
 justly remarks, " A carpenter always works by his 
 
 rule-measure "); in this case probably, one-eighth, or 
 about 2| inches — not too great for so large a box, 
 and one exposed to much hard service. 
 
 f Heb. mikbdr, lit. " plaiting," used only of tlii$ 
 contrivance ; but a kindred term, makher. is once ap- 
 plied to a coarse cloth (2 Kings viii. 15). 
 
 I Heb. resheth, a term constantly applied to a net 
 for catching animals. 
 
18 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 altar, lialf-waj down the inside (ver. 5). It thus appears that there was no cover to- 
 the altar at all, and probably no bottom, but only the grating, evidently for the lire, 
 across it at the middle ; and this latter w^as supported by sliding through slits in the 
 opposite sides of the altar, the rings projecting outside.* Through these rings were 
 passed the copper-cased side-poles used for carrying the whole on the march like a 
 hand-barrow (ver. 6, 7 ; comp. xxxviii, 5-7), while the grate was held fast by the 
 rings and staves. The entire surface of the altar was therefore sheeted with copper 
 inside and out, including the horns, so that the heat could not affect it ; and the 
 jjriests standing about it could conveniently manage the sacrificial fire, sliding the 
 grate far enough out to take up the ashes that fell through it. The flame would be 
 concentrated by being confined within the upper part of the altar-box, and sufiicient 
 air to keep up a draught would enter by the crevices around the grate, especially 
 those left to allow the rings to pass througl 
 that purpose, if found to be necessary.f There was 
 clined plane to reach it.:j: (See Plate Y, A) 
 
 The utensils named (ver. 3) in connection M'ith the Altar, all of copper, are 
 "pans to receive [i. e. remove] the [greasy] ashes of the sacrifices,"§ shovels (for tak- 
 ing them up), basins (for holding the blood of victims, with which the horns of the 
 altar were smeared), flesh-hooks (for handling the roasting sacrifices, and managing 
 the fire), and fire-pans (for carrying coals for incense or other purposes).! 
 
 The Great Altar probably stood in the centre of the open space of the court. 
 
 or additional holes might be made for 
 no occasion for steps or an in- 
 
 *Tliis is the arrangement of Paine in the last fdi- 
 tion of his woric, and entirely obviates the serious 
 objections against all previous interpretations and 
 conjectures. The Heb. word rendered "compass" is 
 karkob, an obscure one, used only of this particular 
 object, and designates the upper margin of the altar 
 (which, as we shall see, was entirely different from 
 that of the Altar of Incense). The word rendered 
 "midst" is Wt. half, as often elsewhere. Since the 
 rings were cast (like those of all the otlier pieces that 
 were similarly furnished — for this is expressly stated 
 of all except the Incense-altar [and the wall-planks], 
 and " made " is there equivalent to " cast," as appears 
 from a comparison in the other cases) and therefore 
 solid, they must iiave been attached to the grate 
 (which was likewise ca=t) by means of staples upon 
 its face (as the Heb. invariably has it, in this as well 
 as all the other cases). 
 
 f As the altar stood in the open court, and the 
 fuel was above the centre of the broad fire-box, an 
 ample supply of air would come in over the sides for 
 ordinary purposes of combustion ; and for the greater 
 part of the daj', and during tiie wliole night, the fire 
 was to be merely kept smoldering alive. On extraor- 
 dinary occasions, the current would naturally be in- 
 creased Vjy excavating openings under the sides, and 
 
 these could conveniently be closed by a stone at. 
 pleasure. A mound of earth might be raised on 
 either side for ascending to the top whenever nec- 
 essary. 
 
 :};This altar was doubtless set directly upon the 
 ground, and so might not inappropriately be OJilled 
 "an altar of earth" (Exod. xx, 24). The gold-plated 
 pieces of furniture indoor were probably (as Paine- 
 suggests) placed upon fur rugs spread upon the 
 ground. These skins were no doubt the same, or 
 at least of the same character, as those that (as we 
 shall eventually see) were used to cover up the sacred 
 furniture on the march. 
 
 § Ileb. dmhsfien, a special word for these fatty 
 ashes. 
 
 HFrom the fact (Num. xvi, 38, 39) that similar ves- 
 sels to these last (Heb. mnchtoth, receptacles for lire, 
 A. V. "censers") on one occasion (apparently not 
 very long after the removal from Sinai) were readily 
 used as additional plates for the Altar of Burnt-offer- 
 ing (probably on the edges of the fire-pot, where the 
 wear would soonest tell), it would seem that these- 
 were simply square copper sheets folded at the cor- 
 ners (in gores like modern sheet-iron pans), and fur- 
 nished with a plain handle (doubtless of the snme,. 
 merely riveted on). 
 
THE LAVEli. 
 
 19 
 
 about lialf-way between tlie entmuce and the Tabernacle itself,* (where it would 
 be convenient of access to all worshippers, and leave room enough for the sacrifices). 
 Upon it was maintained a perpetual fire of selected wood, except of course wliile on 
 the march. t 
 
 (2.) Midway of this latter interval (Exod. xxx, 18), still in the medial line, stood the 
 other conspicuous piece of apparatus for the service, namely, the Laver, which would 
 tliere be innnediately at hand for the priests to bathe X before entering the Sanctuary, 
 or approaching the Altar (ver. 19-21). It consisted of two parts, tlie Laver proper, § 
 and its Foot |[ or pedestal. Neither the form nor the size is given.^ Both parts were 
 obviously round, as the vessel was in fact merely a bowl with a base connected by a 
 tapering neck, like a flat goblet. That it was shallow, and raised biit little f:-<jiii the 
 ground, may be inferred from its use, which was to wash the feet as well as the 
 liands ; and tliat it was comparatively small may be inferred from the fact that it was 
 not intended for washing the entire person (ver. 19, 21). It was prob.ibly about two 
 cubits in diameter, and one and a half cubits high. Like all the utensils of the court, 
 it was of copper, but in this case apparently somewhat alloyed ; for it was a casting 
 made of the metallic mirrors contributed by tlie female members of the congregation 
 ( 'cxxviii, 8), such as the Egyptian ladies are known to have used.** (See Plate Y, B.) 
 
 II. The Sanctuary or sacred fabric itself was situated at the front edge of the 
 
 * Exod. xl, 29 is not determiuative of Uie exact 
 spot. 
 
 fThe Arabs who conduct travellers through the 
 Desert of Sinai always keep up a fire during the 
 niglit with the drift-wood or brush which the winter 
 rains bring down from the sides of tlie mountains. 
 This is partly for company and partly for a sense of 
 protection against surprise. ■ The monkish local 
 guides who escort tourists over the summit of 
 Sinai are in the habit of touching a match to any 
 dry shrub that they meet on the way; which seems 
 a sort of reminiscence of tlie burning bramble that 
 Moses saw. But the wild-sage bushes, with which 
 the plain and hill-sides are dotted, arc unmolested, 
 altliough they stand quite dr}', but still perfectly re- 
 taining their green color to the middle of March. 
 
 X Heb. rachdt.f, used of laving either the whole 
 body, or any part. 
 
 § Heb. Mi/or, a cooking dish, used generally of a 
 pot, basin or pan. 
 
 II Heb. ken, lit. a " stand " or support, evidently an 
 expansion of the shaft, probably with a turned-up 
 rim so as to catch the drip from a faucet is the upper 
 reservoir; for Orientals wash the liands by pouring 
 water upon them from a ewer, and not by plunging 
 them into a basin, which would defile the whole. 
 
 T[ Something, however, may be deduced from the 
 etymology of the Heb. terra, and its use in other pas- 
 sages. It is derived from a root that seems prima- 
 
 rily to mean excavation by hammering, and this would 
 naturally yield a semi-globular hollow, which form is 
 confirmed by the convenience for a lavatory, like a 
 wash bowl or basin, and by the similar shape of tiie 
 molten sea and the smaller lavers, which took its 
 place in the Temple (1 Kings vii. 30, 38, 40. 43 ; 
 2 Kings xvi, 17; 2 Chron. iv, 6, 14), and wliiili are 
 denoted by the same word. It is elsewhere applied 
 to a chafing-dish for live coals (Zech. xii. 6), and to a 
 platform or rostrum (2 Chron. vi, 13), which, altliough 
 probably covered (as the other utensils seem not to 
 have been), doubtless had the same urn-like form, ami 
 could not have been high, since no steps are spoken of 
 in connection with it. In 1 Sam. ii, 14, it is named first 
 of four kinds of receptacles for boiling fiesh, which 
 seem to be enumerated in the order of their size, but 
 could not have diflered very much in their sliape; 
 namely, kiy or (prob. a caldron, A. V. " p.in " here), 
 dud (a large pot [lit. boiler]. Job. xli, 20 ; Psa. Ixxxi, 6 ; 
 "kettle," here, "caldron," 2 Chron. xxxv, 13; also a 
 "basket," 2 Kings x, 7 ; Jer. xxiv, 2), kalldchath (from a 
 word that seems to indicate pouring; a kettle, A. V. 
 "caldron," iiere and in Mic. iii, 3). awA parur (from 
 a root axi^mfiCimi o[' holloiuing by fracture. -A deeppr/n, 
 as rendered in Num. xi, 8; "pot" here and in 
 Judg. vi., 19). 
 
 ** W\\\i\\i?,on {Ancient Egijptiam. ii, 345-7). These 
 specula were of various nietal>^, usually mixed, but 
 not always nor properly bronze. 
 
20 
 
 ST RUG TUBE OB' THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 rear lialf of the entire inclosure, probably leaving equal spaces on either side and 
 behind between its walls and those of the Court. It consisted of two portions, called 
 respectively the Holy and the Most Holy places, the former occupying the forward 
 room, and the latter one half the size in depth behind it (as will eventually appear). 
 
 p=^f^^=^^ r^j 
 
 Flu. 4.— Wooden Walls of tho Tabernacle. 
 
WOODEN WALLIS. 
 
 21 
 
 As botli these were of tlie same widtli and general construction, we may most con- 
 veniently consider them together in point of architecture, and afterwards discuss their 
 special features separately. (8ee Plate IV.) 
 
 1. The walls (which distinctively composed the miskkdn or "Tabernacle") were 
 of a character, like all other parts of the edifice (if so we may term this migratory 
 temple), to be easily taken down and re-erected whenever the divine .signal should be 
 given to that effect. (See Fig. 4.) 
 
 (1.) They essentially consisted of planks or "boards''* of the acacia or shittim 
 wood't before mentioned, each 10 cubits long, and 1^ cubits broad (xxvi, IH). 
 Their entire surface was plated with sheets of gold. Twenty of these formed each 
 side- wall (vers. 18, 2(»), held in a perpendicular position (ver. 15) by means to be 
 described presently, each plank having two tenons % in the foot to attach it securely 
 to the ground as in a sill. The rear planks were 8 in all (ver. 25), of which 6 
 were like the foregoing (ver. 22), and 2 of peculiar construction for the corners (ver. 
 23). To form each of these last, a plank exactly similar to all the rest was divided 
 
 * Heb. sing, keresh, as being litiun out ; used only 
 of tliese planks and of the deck of a vessel (" benches," 
 Kzok. xxvii, 6). They were in fact almost logs, like 
 floor-timbers. The " boards " of .\xvii, 8 are a differ- 
 ent word in the original, being that usually rendered 
 " table," when this means merely a plate or slab. 
 
 but in tiie cognate languages is applied to the rounds 
 of a ladder, and seems to mean regularly occurring, 
 i. e., at equal intervals (for this is the most essential 
 feature of ladder rounds); and thus we liave arranged 
 them, except those of the corner-plank, whicli are like- 
 wise two, but necessarily in a sonievvhat different 
 
 HHHHHHHRRBHHHHRB 
 
 Fui. 5.— Comparison of the Tenons and Mortices of the Wall-planks with the Rounds of a Ladder. 
 
 f The (Arabic) f<eyal, common in the Sinaitic desert, 
 a thorny tree of moderate size, with firm and durable 
 wood, closely resembling our yellow locust. The 
 bark is smooth, and that of the lirabs yellow, like 
 the ailanthus. (See Fig. 39.) 
 
 X Heb. sing, yad, a "hand," as often elsewhere ren- 
 dered. The analogy of the other curtain posts leads 
 us to conclude that they were of solid metal (therefore 
 small) like that of the sockets, i. e. in the present case 
 silver. Tliese tenons are said to bo "set in order," 
 Heb. meslndlah, a word that occurs nowhere else in 
 Heb. (except in shaldb, a "ledge," 1 Kings vii. 28, 29), 
 
 position. In the parallel passage (xxxvi, 22) it is ren- 
 dered "equally distant," and this is confirmed l)y a coin- 
 cidence which can hardly be accidental. If these tenons 
 (and the corresponding mortices) were equi-distant, 
 they would be f of a cubit apart (from centre to 
 centre) or about 15^ inches, which actually is the 
 most convenient and customary space between the 
 rounds of a ladder. This correspondence to tlie natural 
 type is illustrated by the annexed diagram. (Sec 
 Fig. 5.) Tlie tenons were probably square, so as to 
 keep the sockets from revolving out of line, and of 
 silver, so as to match the sockets. 
 
22 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 throughout its length into two parts, one of them two-thirds of a cubit wide, and the 
 other the remaining live-sixths of a cubit wide ; these parts were then joined together 
 
 at right angles by the edges, so as to 
 form a "corner-board," externally | 
 of a cubit on each side (one way that 
 width already, the other | plus |, be- 
 cause including the thickness of the 
 associate plank), and internally | of a 
 cubit each way (one side being that 
 width of itself, and the other f minus 
 J, as excluding the thickness of the 
 attached plank).* These corner- 
 planks, being applied flush to the 
 other rear-planks, but extending 
 around the corner over the rear edge 
 and part of the breadth of the last 
 side-plank, completely fulflll the con- 
 ditions of the case, and yield a satis- 
 factory solution of several otherwise 
 inexplicable problems. («.) The thick- 
 ness of the planks themselves is 
 proved (by the above calculation) to 
 have l)een | of a cubit, which agrees 
 with the statement (ai)parently from 
 tradition or conjecture) of Josephus 
 (" four flnger-breadths," Antiq, III, vi, 3). {h.) The requisite (interior) dimensions 
 of the two apartments (Holy and Most Holy places) are secured. The proportional 
 decimal character of all the measurements in the Court and its structures, and 
 especially of the Sanctuary itself, and indeed the correspondence with these portions 
 in the subserpient Temple (which were doubles of them, 1 Kings vi, 2), point clearly 
 to the conclusion that the width of the building (inside) was one-third its length ; so 
 that the Most Holy place was exactly square, and the Holy i)lace just twice as long 
 as it M-as broad. The six full planks of the rear of the Holy of Holies (6 X 1| = 9), 
 ad<led to that part of the s])lit plank at eadi corner not taken up in covering the edge 
 of the last side-plank (2 x [|— | = |] = 1), make exactly the 10 cubits called for.f 
 
 (N. W. anj^le.) 
 
 * This joint'ng of the corner-planks is suggested by 
 Keil and adopted by Brown, but is )'et of little avail 
 with them, in consequence of the excessive thickness 
 .■issigncd V)y them to the plunks themselves, although 
 the latter writer makes the corner lap over the side. 
 So near have some plans come to the correct solution 
 ofihis i)art of the problem, without effectually ac- 
 complishing it ;it last. 
 
 f It is riotewiirthy Ihiit the (limcnsious of the Tab- 
 
 ernacle itself aro nowhere explicitly given, but are 
 left to be infenod from a combination of the details; 
 because, as we oi)ino, there would be uncertainty as 
 to whether the internal or the external size were 
 meant. Accordingly measurements are definitely 
 given with regard to the Court, the Ark. the Table, 
 and the two Altars because there could be no doubt 
 on this point concerning them. This shows the 
 minute carefulness of the sacred doscr'ption. 
 
CORNER PLANKS. 
 
 Moreover, in this way the corner-joint is neatly closed, which would other- 
 wise show on the side, instead of the end of the rectangle, as usual with joiners ; 
 and the whole angle would also be greatly strengthened as well as ornamented 
 by the overlapping on the longer side, (c.) This clears up the obscure phrase- 
 ology employed (ver. 24) concerning these corner-planks, "And they shall be 
 ■coupled together beneath [lit. And they shall become twinned from as to down- 
 ward], and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring [lit. 
 and together they shall become whole upon its (the compound plank's) head 
 toward the one (or first) ring] ; " which plainly means that the two half-planks were 
 to be jointed together from bottom to top, and were likewise 
 fastened by the same endmost ring (namely, that of the rear 
 side-plank). By inspecting the annexed diagram (Fig. 6), it will 
 be seen how exactly true this last peculiarity was ; for the first 
 bar-ring of the side-planks at the corner must have passed 
 entirely through the overlap of the rear plank, and the ring 
 (when the bar was passed through it) would hold the corner 
 firmly together. This was a very important fact (especially at 
 the top) in a structure destitute of a frame-work.* 
 
 (2.) In order to receive the tenons in the ends of the planks, 
 sockets of solid silver were laid upon the ground (corresponding 
 to those of copper for the Court), two for each plank (xxvi, 19). 
 As each socket weighed one talent (xxxviii, 27), Paine has 
 ingeniously calculated their size as being half a cubit square, and 
 Presuming that the mortice-holes (probably -^ cubit, or about 
 
 Fio. 7.— Socket of the 
 TahcriiMole. 
 
 a. Top. 6. Edge. 
 
 )f a cubit thick, t 
 
 * In the adjustment which we have adopted it will 
 be seen that the planks are held together laterally 
 (so as not to be parted by the strain of the end stays) 
 by the roof-canvas, whicli is buttoned down close on 
 the knobs all around the three sides (and across the 
 front likewise); but at the rear corners (which are 
 held together by tliis arrangement of the corner- 
 planks) this security is unnecessary, and therefore 
 (on account of the slit or notch in the selvedge at 
 that point, as we shall eventually see) it is there dis- 
 pensed with. 
 
 f "We arrive at the same result by a different calcu- 
 lation. Eacli socket, if solid, would contain -^^ of a 
 cubic cubit (4 X ^ X l\ or 365.6 cubic inches (^V X 
 [20.625 = 20|] % But from this must be deducted 
 the mortice ( [yV X tV X iJ X [20f] ^), or 5.6 cubic 
 inches, leaving exactly 360 cubic inches of silver for 
 the socket. Now, as a cubic inch of silver weighs 
 2,652.8 grains (at 62° F.), the socket would weigh 
 955,008 grains. Again, as there are 3,000 shekels in 
 a talent, and a shekel weighed about 280 grains 
 (original standard), the talent or socket would weigh 
 about 840,000 grains ; which sufficiently agrees with 
 
 the former product, especially as some alloy (0.138 
 parts of copper) was probably added to liarden the 
 metal. We note that the estimate of 280 grains to 
 the shekel is exactly that of the Assyrian standard 
 (Madden, Jewish Coinage, p. 264, note). This subject 
 has been greatly confused by writers not observing 
 that tlie shekel was (eventually) a coin as well as a 
 weight, and that its value tlierefore greatly varied in 
 the different metals (gold, silver, and copper) used for 
 money, as well as in different periods. The ancient 
 specimens that exist have also been worn by circula- 
 tion. The earliest Jewish shekels extant are of the 
 age of tlie Maccabees, and were struck on the debased 
 Phoenician standard of 220 grains to the (silver) shekel, 
 equivalent to the Greek (etradrachm, which was itself 
 originally much higher, and was lowered in the 
 Ptolemaic period to 260 grains. Tlie ancient native 
 Egyptian metrology was related to the Hebrew in 
 measures but not in weights. The silver shekels of 
 Maecabaean date in the British Museum at London, as 
 we have ascertained by personal inquiry, weigh sev- 
 erally 220. 216.5. 215, 213.2 and 213 grains, accord- 
 ing to the degree of wear ; there is also a half-shekel 
 
24 
 
 STIWCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 \\ inch, square) M'ere in the middle of the sockets, and the (centre of tlie) tenons | of 
 a cubit from tlie edge of the plank, the sockets would leave a space between them 
 of ^ of a cubit, except those of the corner planks, which, if (like all the rest) they 
 were 2 to each (as the total demands, 96 in all, xxvi, 19, 21, 25 ; besides one under 
 each of tlie four columns that supported the vail, ver. 32 ; xxxviii, 27), would nicely 
 lit in between those of the adjoining planks, as in the annexed diagram. * 
 
 \///u.</////A \,/^aa,^//uA 
 
 Fui. S.— Arrangement of the Corner Sockets. (S. W aiifrlt.) 
 
 of tlie same metal and age, which weiglis only 90.1 
 grains, being very much worn. Copper shekels usu- 
 ally exceed these specimens very greatly in weight. 
 Most or all of the silver shekels sold to travellers in 
 Palestine are imitations, and genuine copper shekels 
 are exceedingly rare. A co{)per (really bronze) double 
 Btater (so to call it) or tetradrachm (adopted as an 
 equivalent in weight for a quadruple shekel) of the 
 period of the Ptolemies (the obverse has only the 
 Ptolemaic conventional head of Alexander the Great 
 as Jupiter Amnion, and the reverse tlie title " of 
 Ptolemy king," with an ciagle grasping thunderbolts, 
 and the indeterminate mint-mark ddia between its 
 legs), obtained by the Author from the natives at 
 Gaza (where it may possibly liave been struck, see 
 Head, Manual of Greek Numismatics, p. 680), weighs 
 1051 grains, although considerably worn; which 
 yields about 2G3 grains to the shekel. The gold and 
 
 silver coins of the Ptolemies gradually decline in the 
 successive reigns from 265 to 174 grains to the 
 drachm or shekel (Poole, Catalogue of Egyptian Coins 
 in the British Museum, p. 1-120). The Greek coinage 
 of the Seleucidse, during the same period, exhibits a 
 similar deterioration from 265 to 200 grains (Poolo, 
 Cat. of Syrian Coins in the Brit. Mus., p. 1-112). The 
 copper currency of course was less subject to the 
 temptation to fall off from the standard, which thus 
 appears to have stood, at the Macedonian conquest, 
 at not less than 265 grains to the shekel. We can- 
 not therefore safely fix it lower than 280 grains to 
 the shekel for the time of Moses. 
 
 * Our arrangement is the only one hitherto pro- 
 posed that makes all the sockets of the same size and 
 proper form and in their places without interference 
 with one another. Lack of uniformity would have 
 caused great confiisidn and delay. 
 
BAIiS Am) RINGS. 
 
 23 
 
 (3.) For the purpose of keeping the planks in line, three series of bars were pro- 
 vided, made of acacia-wood overlaid with gold, to pass through rings of gold stapled 
 into the face of the planks outside (xxvi, 26-29). There were live bars (in three rows) 
 for each bent, the middle one continuous for the whole stretch, * and the upper and 
 lower ones divided into two lengths (of course in the middle, and prol)ably dowelled 
 Avith a pin in the adjoining ends).f The diameter of the bars and rings not being given, 
 (nor indeed the size of any of the bars and rings of the edilice and furniture), we may 
 suppose these to have been stout sticks (probably ^^ of a cubit in diameter), :{: as two of 
 them were very long, and all were exposed to a severe strain. The upper and lower 
 courses were probably set as near as possible to the extremities of the planks, i. e. (as 
 we shall see) about the middle of the last cubit. From the above noticed mention of 
 a " first ring " in the case of the corner-plank, we infer that each had two of these 
 rings. § 
 
 (4.) The whole structure was doubtless stayed with cords and tent-pins, which 
 would be conveniently fastened to the copper knobs || in the planks, set in the outer 
 face one cubit (as we will hereafter see) below the eaves, as a point of attachment 
 likewise for the roof-curtain (ver. 11, 13), to be presently considered. These tent- 
 pins, like those of the court-posts, were no doubt of copper ; and we presume shorter 
 
 * Ver. 27. The last clause should be rendered, 
 " Five bars for the planks of the side of llie Taber- 
 nacle, [namely] for the two flanks [i.e., ends of the 
 rear] westward." These bars, of course, were round, as 
 tliey were passed tlirough rings (Heb. sing, tabdaf.h, 
 sometliing impressed, hence a finger or seal ring ; the 
 same word used of all the other circular rings of the 
 Tabernacle furniture). A plausible mode of arranging 
 them is to make them in five rows, the middle or third 
 one passing through the centre of the planks them- 
 selves; but there are insuperable objections to this: 
 (a.) It disagrees with the text, for this bar would not 
 tlien pass through rings at all (ver. 29, "rings [of] 
 gold [for] places [lit., " houses "] for the bars ") ; and it 
 would no more '' reach from end to end" than all the 
 others, (b.) Unless the planks were made inordi- 
 nately thick, this bar (evidently of the same size and 
 material as the rest) would have to be made so slender 
 lliat it would break with its own weight : and in any 
 case it would be impossible to push it through so long 
 an aperture. 
 
 f So Josephus understands the case {Antiq. III., 
 vi, 3), for he occasionally lias a good suggestion, 
 although he makes a sad bungle of most of tlie de- 
 scription. 
 
 X If the bars are thus made of the same size as the 
 pillars and tent-poles, they will exactly continue the 
 slope of the roof canvas over the eaves at the same 
 angle as the peak. They will be partly buried in the 
 side-wrap of the corner-planks, but enough of the lat- 
 
 ter will remain notcut away for the requisite strength, 
 on account of the necessary projection of the staples 
 for the rings. 
 
 § The careful reader will note that the text dis- 
 tinctly constructs the two corner-pliinks out of two of 
 the rear planks only, not each of them out of a rear 
 plank and a side plank combined. It also speaks of 
 but one set of rings in this connection, namely, those 
 intended for the bars. Again, it will be perceived that 
 the rear has 16 sockets assigned to it, and each side 
 40 ; therefore the overlap of the corner plank has no 
 extra socket, and it needs none, for it rests on the 
 last side socket. 
 
 II Heb. sing. Mres (erroneously rendered A. V. 
 "tache," i. c. hook), which Paine ingeniously com- 
 
 8 
 
 Fig. 0.— Tache and Ankle Compared. 
 1. Natural Form. 2. Typical Form. 3. Artificial Form. 
 
 pares with its kindred karsol, the ankle, from the strik- 
 ing resemblance to the latter as viewed from behind. 
 See the remarks on these fixtures farther on. 
 
26 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 stays of the same kind were attached to the gold knobs on the inside, as tlie roof can- 
 vas would not be a sufficient support. 
 
 (5.) The only otlier attachment to the planks, here to be noticed, was a double 
 blanket* of peltry on the outside, doubtless suspended on the curtain-knobs, and evi- 
 dently intended to cover the joints, and thus keep out the wind and rain, like a 
 shingled weather-boarding, or the tarred-paper sheathing of modern houses (ver. 14 
 and i)arallels). It consisted of a sheet of fur from some kind of animal, f doubtless 
 with the hair side inward next to the gold face of the planks, and another of ram- 
 skin, dyed red, over it, with the hair side out, so as to shed the rain from the eaves.;}: 
 Their dimensions are not given because, the skins being of indeterminate size, so 
 many of them as were found necessary were to be stitched together for the purpose. 
 They of course extended to the top of the planks, slits (like button-holes) being made 
 in them (as their toughness would allow) for the reception of the knobs on which 
 they Imng. 
 
 2. As to the roof, the first question that necessarily arises is, whether the edifice 
 liad a peak or was flat-roofed. This is definitely settled by the single word tent,% 
 which is distinctively applied to the upper portion of the structure, erected " upon " 
 the Tabernacle walls (xl, 19), and which by no possibility of usage, in any language, 
 can mean anything but a canvas covering with a peak. The necessity of shedding 
 rain, and the invariable style of BedaM'in encampments, moreover fix this as an incon- 
 trovertible pi'inciple of architecture in such cases. An Oriental house-roof of mortar, 
 clay, etc., is entirely another affair, not to be thought of here, [j 
 
 *Heb., makseh, a covering, applied only to this par- 
 ticular thing and to a precisely similar service (as we 
 shall see) in Noah's ark (Gen. viii, 13), although the 
 root from which it is derived frequently occurs of 
 clothing or other envelopes, especiall}- for the sake 
 of concealment. It was a perpendicular sheeting. 
 
 fHeb. tdchash, (A. V. "badger," R. V. "seal"), 
 usually tliought to be some marine creature, but pos- 
 sibly the Angora goat, noted for its fine long silky 
 fleece. (See p. 78, note.) 
 
 X In all tlie passages where these are mentioned 
 the Heb. term millemalah (lit. " from as to upward "). 
 which lias unfortunately been rendered simply 
 "above," but means /?-07n the top downward (\\\i& the 
 water of the Flood, Gen. vii, 20, which was 15 cubits 
 deep from the surface to the summits of the sub- 
 merged mountains), stands at the end of tlie clause 
 in the original, and applies to both sheets of skin. 
 The position assigned thorn by all writers previous 
 to Paine, namely, on the wof, is too absurd to be enter- 
 tained for a moment. 
 
 § Heb. ohel, constantly used of a canvas tent ; but 
 unfortunately rendered " covering " in the A. V. in 
 this case (K.xod. .xxvi, 7, etc). We might securely 
 rest upon this ground of evidence, were it the only 
 
 one; but those who have any doubt of its sufficiency 
 will find it impregnably fortified by the subsequent 
 adjustments, especially the breadth and arrangement 
 of the roof-curtains. Yet Fergusson and Paine alone, 
 among our predecessors, have had the scientific in- 
 sight to perceive this obvious implication and necessit}^ 
 A fiat roof would have become mouldy and rotten 
 irretrievably the first month of winter, especially with 
 the fur robes piled on the top. Moreover, how un- 
 sightly would have been a mere box, like a coffin with 
 a pall over it! A fiat canvas roof, however tightly 
 stretched, must have sagged so as to catch tons of 
 water, if impervious ;• breaking the canvas, and indeed 
 causing the whole structure to collapse. Or if, as is 
 more probable, the rain would penetrate tiio canvas 
 bowl (so to speak), it would deluge the apartments, 
 especially the Most Holy place, where no one was 
 allowed to enter, even for the purpose of lifting the 
 roof with a rod. .so as to allow the water to run off. 
 In ever}' point of view, the Hat-roof scheme is utterly 
 impracticable. 
 
 II Nearly all the proposed jilans of the Tabernacle, 
 being on the flat-roof principle, fail to make any ade- 
 quate provision for securing either set of curtains, or 
 indeed for disposing of tiiom at all, Kvon Fergusson, 
 
BO OF CANVAS. 
 
 27 
 
 (1.) Accordingly we liave an account of the roofing material, wliicli is goat's-liair 
 canvas (i. e. camlet), exactly such as is employed for Arab tents to-day, l)eing gener- 
 ally of a foxy-black or brownish hue (Cant, i, 5). It was woven in 11 pieces, each 30 
 cubits long and 4 wide (ver. 7, 8), and these breadths were joined * into two 
 
 Fio. 10. — Arab Tents in the Soutli of Judah. (From a photograph.) 
 It will be perceived, from the whit* stripes on one of these tents, that the cloth runs horizontally. 
 
 although, as a professional architect, he perceives the 
 necessity of a peak -roof, is obliged to extend the roof- 
 sheets into unwarranted wing-slopes, and to furl the 
 others in rolls at the gables, where they would soon 
 mildew and decay. The misery of all these devices 
 is that they bring the precious Vail in the worst 
 possible place, namely, directly under the gap in the 
 roof occasioned by the union of tlie curtains by means 
 of loops and S or C hooks. To pile the •' tachash " 
 and ram skins on the top, in order to stop the leak, is 
 a pitiful contrivance. The " taches," the true mean 
 ing of which Paine was tlie first to point out, are the 
 key to tlie whole situation, as they afford a firm sup- 
 port to all the connections. Tlie Revised Version 
 renders them " clasps " at a venture (or from Whis- 
 ton's Josephtis) ; but these would be unsuitable for 
 loops, and do not mend the matter. The rain-fall 
 during the showers in the winter on the Sinaitic pe- 
 ninsula is often prodigious (Palmer, Desert of the Ex- 
 odus, p. 33, 129, 177, Am. ed.), and snow occasionally 
 
 falls to the depth of several inches in the valleys 
 about Mt. Sinai (Ridgaway, The Lord's Land, p. 80.) 
 In March, 1874, the Author, with his party, was over- 
 taken by a snow storm at Mt. Sinai, of such severity 
 as to compel them to take refuge in the convent there 
 for several days. Writers who think only of the dry 
 season have little knowledge in the case. 
 
 * Heb. chabdr, to associate together as companions, 
 (A. V. "couple,") evidently by sewing into a sheet 
 (ver. 10, wlierea derivative of the same verb is used): 
 so also of the side curtains (ver. 3). The same verb 
 indeed is used to denote the junction of the two 
 sheets on the knobs (ver. 6, II), because they are 
 there also united by the edges, although in a different 
 manner. If the intention had been simply to join 
 the two sections of each set of curtains into one im- 
 mense sheet, they would of course have been sewed 
 together at once, like tlie individual breadths, instead 
 of resorting to the clumsy and imperfect seam by 
 means of loops and hooks, as interpreters have done. 
 
28 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 separate sheets, one containing 5 and the other 6 of the pieces of cloth (ver 9). Tlie 
 extra or sixth " curtain " or breadth of the second sheet was emplo}-ed for a pecuhar 
 purpose, namely, not as a part of the roof-covering, but to be wrapped across the 
 front and rear gables.* In order to do this it must have been attached to its fellow- 
 breadths not by the selvedge, like the others, but at the end of the lowest or (eave) 
 breadth.f AVe have therefore two goat's-hair sheets, each 30 cubits long by 20 wide, 
 but one of them with extensions (or " L parts " so to speak), one twice as long as the 
 other, in the manner of the diagram on tlie folloM^ing page. (See Fig. 11.) 
 
 Again, as these elongations of one of the breadths were to be folded across the 
 gables, the other breadths must likewise run liorizontally, but along and upon the roof. 
 For this purpose they would be exactly long enough (for the 20 planks, each \\ 
 cubits wide, make also 30 cubits), and their combined widtli (20 cubits) would like- 
 wise be exactly broad enough to go over the ridge, and buckle down over the knobs 
 in the planks.^ This last fact is very important, for there M^as no other provision 
 
 * That this is the true meaning of tlie expression in 
 Exod. xxvi, 9, " And slialt double [Heb. kajthal, to 
 " fold," without regard to the number of thicknesses ; 
 for it is used of repetition indefinitely] the sixth cur- 
 tain in the forefront [lit. " towards the front of the 
 face "] of the Tent [not " Tabernacle," as in the A. V. ; 
 for there was no wooden wall, or Tabernacle part, 
 in the front of the building]," is clear from the use 
 of >,he same phrase to describe the position of the en- 
 graved plate on the high-priest's head-dress (Exod. 
 xxviii, 37), " upon the forefront," certainly not across 
 the back of his head. In ver. 12. accordingly, the ex- 
 pression is very different. "[As to] the remnant [lit. 
 " overflow," i. e. extended flap] that remaineth [lit. 
 '• the superfluous," i. e. jutting out on this end] of 
 [lit. " in "] the curtains of the Tent [i. e. roof-part], 
 half of the [not '' the half," as in the A. V.] curtain 
 that remaineth [lit. as before, "tlie superfluous," 
 i. c. jutting out portion on the end] shall [or "thou 
 slialt"] hang [lit. cause to "overflow"] over [lit. 
 " upon "] the backside of the Tabernacle [i. e. wall- 
 part]." Nor is either of these two parts of the sur- 
 plus or sixth roof-curtain the same with that part 
 immediately afterwards described (ver. 1.^). " And a 
 [rather " the "] cubit on the one side [lit. " from this "], 
 and a [lit. "the"] cubit on that side [lit. " from tliat"], 
 of that which remaineth [lit. "in the superfluous," 
 i. e. excess] in the length [not parallel with the 
 eaves, but across them] of the curtains of the Tent 
 [i. e. roof-part], it [omit this word as ungraminat- 
 ical, not found in the text, and misleading] shall hang 
 [lit. "be overflowing "] over [lit. " upon "] the sides 
 of the Tabernacle [i. e. wall-part], on this side [lit. 
 " from this "] and on that side [lit. "from that''], to 
 cover it." Mark that in ver. 9 only so much of the 
 
 sixth curtain is to project at that end as is necessary 
 to fold (once) across the front (i. e. 10 cubits) ; while 
 in ver. 12 half (10 cubits) of the residue (20 cubits) of 
 the curtain projecting at the other end is to be folded 
 (twice, but separately reckoned, as we shall see) 
 across the rear; and still again, iu ver. 13, tliere is a 
 (different) excess of one cubit to be folded down each 
 side. This last "length of the curtains of the tent" 
 is not reckoned horizontally, but vertically, as 
 "breadth" is in xxxviii, 18; in both cases height 
 being really meant. 
 
 Note that the preposition here employed is 'el 
 (A. v., " in "), which means a flexure in a liorizonial 
 direction ; not 'al, which would have indicated vei'tical 
 motion. With this agrees the other distinctive term 
 here added, namely, mdl, which is lit. cut off, i. e., an 
 abrupt and perpendicular surface. The extra roof- 
 curtain, therefore, was neither spread nor furled over- 
 head, or on either side, but was used to inclose the 
 upright gables in front and rear. 
 
 f Paine was the first writer, from Josephus down, 
 to suggest an endwise union of either set of Taber- 
 nacle curtains; but he joins this sixth roof-curtain 
 wholly at the end of its fellow, folding all of it across 
 the rear of the building, for which it is more than 
 enough, although he makes the Tabernacle 12 cubits 
 wide by 29^ long (inside mcasinvmcnt), or 12 J- wide by 
 30 long (outside) — both disproportionate numbers. 
 
 :j: If the peak be an isosceles triangle of 70° (a 
 sacred number) at tlie apex (giving 55^° at each of the 
 other vertices, a very proper slope for ii roof), the 
 base being 10^ cubits (i. e. the width of the room, 
 plus the thickness of the walls), each side of the roof 
 will be exactly 9 cubits wide, and tliesc with the cubit 
 below each eave will make up the required sum. 
 
ROOF CANVAS. 
 
 29 
 
 (unless possibly a pin at each end of the middle bar) to prevent the tops of the planks 
 from parting laterally (as the strain of the transverse stay-cords at the ends of the 
 line would certainly make them do), except the stretching of this roof -canvas across 
 their face. Moreover this roof-canvas stretched tight across the ridge would keep 
 the whole of the building from parting, under the outward strain of the stay-cords 
 directly opposite. 
 
 066666666666666C66i6G 
 
 '(i()b(i(](iU'!i 'i fi f: fj fi ' 6 liLbH 6 ' iu trfrHir6%t-trfrfri b 
 
 Fig. 11.— Roof-curtains as made up and furnished with Loops. 
 a. Five breadths. 6. Six breadths. 
 
 The sixth or surplus breadth of the larger roof -curtain, as we have seen, was 
 folded across the bottom part of each gable, partly closing this triangle, and prevent- 
 ing the draught of air through the rooms (which were otherwise entirely open in the 
 front peak).* As it was 30 cubits long (like all its fellows), one third of it w^as suf- 
 ficient to do this, single-fold ; f and this gives us a clew to the peculiar significance of 
 
 * The reader should note how important a purpose 
 the extra roof-sheet also served in covering the other- 
 wise exposed top of the rear planlcs and their attach- 
 ments. Uniformity in this respect is maintained all 
 around the three sides of the edifice. 
 
 f The peak, if an angle of 70°, as we haveassumed, 
 would be very nearly 7^ cubits perpendicular height 
 
 above the tops of the planks, and the gable curtain 
 would rise 3 cubits high above them, so as nearly to fill 
 up the rest of the triangle, in the manner shown by the 
 annexed diagram (Fig. 12). The opening at the peak 
 was needed for light and ventilation, serving both as 
 a window and a chimney ; but a full current of air 
 would have put out the lights of the candelabrum. The 
 
so 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 tlie word here translated "double."* It suggests that the curtain in question was. 
 actually laid on " double thickness " (as we say) ; in other words, that the other part 
 of it was employed in repeating the same process, simply by reversing the operation 
 of folding. This additional security against^ the weather was doubtless extended to 
 the other roof-curtains, and that will effectually, readily and consistently dispose of 
 the remaining or smaller sheet of 5 breadths. The whole roof, in short, was of double 
 canvas, like the " fly " over the best modern tents. 
 
 The lower edge of each sheet was buttoned securely over the curtain-knobs by 
 means of loops f (doubtless likewise of goat's hair, probably twisted into cord) attached 
 to the selvedge (ver 10). X The fact that each sheet had 50 of these, while there 
 
 gores at the top of tlie folds (occasioned by the slant of 
 the roof) would be tucked in between the two layers 
 of roof-canvas. The small gores at the corners of 
 tlie eaves (occasioned by the extra width of the 
 planks beyond tiie peak) may be covered by extend- 
 ing the skin-blankets a little above the tops of the 
 
 Fig. 12. — Kear Gable nearly close<l by the sixth Roof- 
 curtain. 
 The front gable was partly closed in like manner, but by a single 
 fold. 
 
 planks, where they would likewise be lield between 
 the layers of tlie roof-canvas. (See Fig. 13.) In the 
 same manner they probably lapped around the front 
 edges, so as to be buttoned to the hooks in the end- 
 posts of the door-way. If any further support were 
 needed for the front fold of canvas, it might also be 
 buttoned to an extra hook in the central post. It 
 should be observed tliat these immaterial points are 
 left to the discretion of the builders. 
 
 *Heb. kaphdl (noted above), which properly means 
 to " lurap around," Vjut is frequently used in the sense 
 oC dupHcalion, and sometimes in that of continued 
 reiteration. 
 
 f Ileb. only in the plu. lulaotii {\'\t. "windings"), 
 nooses, used solely of this particular thing, and a kin- 
 dred word lulim, a spiral staircase (1 Kings vi, 8). 
 These loops were probably rove through eyelets in 
 the edges of ilie curtains; those of the roof-canvas 
 apparently liaving the fnds merely tied together in a 
 
 ring, and those of the side drapery knotted at the 
 back. (Compare Fig. 16.) 
 
 j;. The language here used is peculiar, •' Thou shalt 
 make fifty loops on the edge [lit. "lip"] cf the one 
 [rather " first "] curtain [i. e. breadth], that is out- 
 most [lit. " extreme "] in the conphng [i. e. sheet, as 
 sewed together], and fifty loops in the edge of the 
 curtain that coupleth the second [rather, "(namely,) 
 the second coupling"]." This cannot well mean 
 merely, as understood by most interpreters, that eacli 
 sewed sheet had fifty loops on one of its edges; 
 lor besides the circumlocution to express so simple- 
 an idea, they would then he cxactlj' alike in this re- 
 spect, whereas the phraseology expresses consider-^ 
 able difference between them. With Paine, we take 
 the statement to signify that each sheet, as applied 
 to the huildin-g, covered the space occupied by that 
 number of loops, reckoning the whole circuit of tlie 
 roof, from one front corner round the sides and 
 back, to the opposite front corner; in other words, 
 the 50 loops of each sheet include the rear, as being 
 necessary' in order to complete their circuit: and in- 
 asmuch as this was double, the inner fold is attributed 
 to the elongated inner sheet, of which it was actually 
 a part, and the outer fold to the outer sheet, of which 
 it was the complement. This mode of estimation is 
 favored by the reference, in the passage itself, to the 
 extremities of the line of measurement. The uniform- 
 ity of proportion was thus maintained, although the 
 sheets themselves were unequal, and their attach- 
 ments varied accordingly. 
 
 For the sake of convenient comparison wo place 
 here, in parallel columns, an exact translation of tliis. 
 and the remarkably similar, yet characteristically dif- 
 ferent, account of the other set of hangings for the 
 same structure (ver. 4, 5), which we will presently 
 consider in detail. The words in the parallel account 
 (xxxvi, 8-18) are identical (in the original) except aa 
 to tense. 
 
ROOF CANVAS. 31 
 
 were but 50 of the knobs in all to which they were attached (ver. 11), confirms our 
 position that the curtains were double, one being fastened on directly over the other. 
 If all these 50 loops had been sewed on a single edge of 30 cubits' length, they 
 would not only have been greatly crowded (occurring about half-a-cubit apart), but 
 would also have been out of harmony with all the other associated spaces. The cubit in 
 the span of the canvas across the roof was carried down (as already noticed) over the 
 eaves, and served to close the joint perfectly, shedding the drip to the ram-skins 
 (ver. 12).* 
 
 Fold in the Koof-curtain at tlie Corner. 
 
 The cut exhibits the outer layer of the canvas at the north-west angle, the little gore at the left-hand top of the 
 rear wrap being brought out of the tuck under the side (or roof) curtain's edge, so as to show it. The inner layer 
 goes under this, coinciding with it, and the double blanket of skins between them. 
 
 Roof curtains (Exod. xxvi. 10.) Side curtains (Exod. .xxvi, 4, 5). 
 And thou shalt make fifty And thou shalt make loops of 
 liiops upon the lip (edge) of the violet on the lip (edge) of the 
 first curtain [as] the endniost first curtain from an end in the 
 in the joining, and fifty loops joining, and so shalt thou make 
 upon the lip (edge) of the cur- in the lip (edge) of the curtain 
 Lfis] in the endmost in the sec- 
 ond joint. Fifty loops shalt 
 thou make in the first curtain, 
 
 tain [as] the second joining. 
 
 and fifty loops shalt thou make 
 in the end of the curtain which 
 [is] in the second joint; the 
 loops receptive one toward the 
 other. 
 
 The two Heb. terms carefully used in the above 
 
 passages for distinguishing the two kinds of margin 
 
 which every piece or sheet of cloth necessarily has, 
 
 must not be confounded, as they seem to be by every 
 
 interpreter whom we have consulted, namelj^, saphdh 
 
 (lit. lip, A. V. " edge"), which is tlie selvedge or lateral 
 
 (woven) margin; &nd kaiseh (lit. end, A. V. "edge"), 
 
 or its equivalent katsdh (lit. end, A. V. " selvedge"), 
 with its derivative kitsyon (lit. endwise, or endmost, 
 A. V. "uttermost," "utmost"), which denotes the 
 raw edge or terminal (cut) margin. The lip is the 
 natural border of the mouth (which is not a gash in 
 the face), while tlie other term (from kaisdh, to dip off") 
 is the abrupt end. 
 
 It is to be borne in mind that the rear laps of the 
 r«of-curtains, although exactly one third the length 
 of those on the side of the building, require each 8 
 loops, instead of 7, in order to meet the correspond- 
 ing knobs, which are closer together at the corner 
 tlian elsewhere. (See Fig. 11.) 
 
 * This " superfluity " or overl.Tp (different from that 
 of ver. 12) is said to be "in the length of tiie cur- 
 tains," because it showed vertically when hung. 
 
32 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 (2.) The roof was obviously sustained by an extension upward of tlie central 
 door-post (soon to be considered) in front of the entire Iniilding, and no douljt by a 
 similar one in the rear, with probably a third in the middle of the whole edifice. These 
 served as tent-poles, and their heads were probably bevelled on a curve so as not to 
 perforate the canvas. They were of course stayed by extra ropes near the top, doubt- 
 less by means of a noose, kept from slipping down (as in the court-posts) by an ad- 
 ditional hook, which last would likewise serve to receive an eyelet in the edge of the 
 roof-canvas at the peak. There is no evidence, as there was no need, of any other 
 posts or cross-ropes (or cross-poles), nor of a ridge-pole (or ridge-rope), which is not 
 customary in Arab tents.* 
 
 Compare tlie converse expression in xxxviii, 18. The 
 length of the exterior or roof curtains is given accord- 
 ing to the ifiside dimensions of tlie building, as we 
 shall see is done with great exactness also in the case 
 of the interior or wall curtains. But as the outside 
 of the building was of course larger than its inside 
 {\>y the thickness of the walls), tlie extra length of 
 roof -canvas falls short considerably (namel}', | [at the 
 front] + f [at the rear, where the corner-board is 
 doubled] = 1| cubits in all) in wrapping across the 
 gable three times. To meet this deficiency we must 
 suppose that a notch or slit (tlie raw end of course 
 bound or hemmed to prevent ravelling) was made in 
 tlie edge of this extension at the corner, running up 
 sufficiently to meet the slope of the roof (i. e. about 
 1^ cubits), and this break in the continuity of the 
 looped edge facilitates the attribution of the loops of 
 the dissevered selvedges to the under and the outer 
 layers of the roof canvas, which we have seen to be 
 required in order to maintain uniformity in the num- 
 ber of the loops ; especially as tlie layers were put 
 on separately, with the skin-blankets between them. 
 If it be asked, Why was not this sixth roof-curtain 
 made a liitle longer at once, so as to cover the 
 corners completely? we reply that this would not 
 only have deranged the uniformity of dimensions 
 (a point which we shall see is important in the 
 symbolism— where no odd fractions are permitted), 
 hut would also have caused a larger, and thicker 
 gore at the corner than could have been neatly 
 tucked in between the layers of the roof-canvas, 
 especially as tlie extension must then have been 
 made at least two cubits longer, to wrap (four times) 
 over the bars and rings of the corner, and all this sur- 
 plus would be accumidated in the gore. The trian- 
 gular gap at the corner may be covered by carrying up 
 the blanket of skins sufficiently above the tops of tlic 
 planks; and the I'ulness thus occasioned in their 
 short gore may be relieved by a slit of their fold like- 
 wise at that point (wliicli could not be done in the 
 
 longer fold of the roof-canvas without dissevering it 
 entirely). (See Fig. 13.) The ridge remains precisely 
 30 cubits long, and this regulates the length of the 
 roof-canvas. Tiic ends of the roof-sheets, it will be 
 observed, are maintained square, and the tent-poles 
 perfectly plumb, while the rear gable is a little wider 
 at the bottom, so as to cover the tops of the planks. 
 An extra hook or two may be inserted in the teut-pole 
 to support the upper edge of this front and rear lap, 
 and one also in the edge of each front plank, if neces- 
 sary ; for the number of hooks (and of their corres- 
 ponding eyelets) is nowhere stated. 
 
 Paine, to whom, as above acknowledged, we are 
 indebted for this segregation of the eleventh roof- 
 curtain and its loops, is unable to use it to advantage 
 because he makes the building twelve cubits wide in- 
 stead of ten. He has therefore not enough ma- 
 terial to wrap across the front gable, but too much 
 to wrap twice across tlie rear gable. The six surplus 
 cubits of curtain must therefore, on his scheme, be 
 folded away between the side layers, and go unfur- 
 nislied with loops, although they occur in the very 
 middle of the looped portion, without anything to 
 mark the break in the continuity of the loops. 
 
 * A ridge-pole would have been excessively heavy 
 if stout enough to prevent any sag, and a ridge-rope 
 wo\ild have been no stronger than the canvas itself 
 Arab tents have ordinarily nine perpendicular poles, 
 arranged in three rows, of three each, which corre- 
 spond respectively to the ridge and the two eaves. 
 The roof-canvas is merely thrown over their tops, 
 extending in a long slope on all the four sides to the 
 ground, to which it is stretched tight by cords and 
 pins. The entrance is simply by raising a flap of this 
 canvas, which in the day-time and line weather is 
 kept open by an extra pole or two standing obliquely 
 outward like an awning. The interior is divided into 
 two apartments (tlie front usually for the men, and 
 the rear for the women) by a screen stretched 
 • ilotig the middle lino of poles. All this is exactly 
 
FRONT SCREEN. 
 
 33 
 
 3. The interior hangings of the building were of a far finer texture than tlie roof- 
 curtains, 
 
 (1.) The entrance was closed by a screen precisely like that of the outer Court 
 (xxvi, 36), supported by 5 pillars in exactly the same manner, except that they were 
 overlaid entirely with gold (hence requiring no separate caps), and that the hooks 
 were of gold (ver. 37), the sockets (and of course the tenons) being of copper. We 
 presume that these pillars were of the same form and size also, both with each other 
 and with those of the Court, and we have already supposed the central one to be car- 
 I'ied up to the height requisite to support the peak. 
 
 Placing the first and the fifth pillar as close to the walls as the side-curtain will 
 
 analogous to the arrangement of the Tabernacle, ex- 
 cept that the walls supply the place of the side rows 
 of poles, and that the partition is thrown further 
 back. 
 
 onalioYm^ with one central post, and the others dis- 
 posed circularly around it, the outer walls falling per- 
 pendicularly from them to the ground, and braced by 
 the usual cords and pins. This strikingly approaches 
 
 Fig. 14.— Probable Form of the Fu-st nnd Third " Tabernacles." (See pages 9 and 10.) 
 The Vail is seen across the middle ot the tent, corresponding to the partition between the men's and tlie women's apartments. 
 
 The central tent-pole among the Bedawin is the 
 general receptacle of loose utensils, wliich are hung 
 upon it, as was the practice among the ancient As- 
 syrians (Layard, Nineveh, ii, 214, Putnam's ed.). It t 
 would be a most convenient place for suspending the 
 s;icerdotal wardrobe, when not in use (Lev. xvi, 
 
 ■r^). 
 
 Occasionally, especially on the outskirts of civiliza- 1 
 tion, we meet with an Oriental tent that has an octag- \ 
 
 the plan of the Tabernacle, and we have suggested 
 that the tents temporarily erected for sacred purposes 
 by Moses and David may have been of this descrip- 
 tion. (See Fig. U.) One such is exhibited in the 
 photograph from which Fig. 10 is copied, and another 
 with a wing curtain also. This form has the advan- 
 tage of greater compactness of space for the head- 
 room afforded, and may serve to distinguish the 
 residence of a noted personage. 
 
34 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 allow,* we have four openings left of about of 2 cubits each (or 3^ feet) in the clear, 
 which is ample for a person to pass througli. The pillars of course were stayed fore 
 and aft by cords and pins, but needed no bracing laterally, as the rods held the tops 
 equidistant, and tlie side walls kept the whole line from falling either way. 
 
 (2.) The wall drapery, already several times referred to, 'consisted of ten pieces 
 of cloth woven of the same materials as the door-way screens, but in this case only 4 
 cubits wide, and 28 long ; sewed together into two large sheets, and buttoned with loops 
 (of violet [cord]) f to golden knobs in the walls, altogether analogously to the roof- 
 curtains (xxvi, 1-6 ; xxxvi, 8-13)4 These two sheets are explicitly said to be 
 exactly alike, and to be similarly furnished with loops ; hence, borrowing the hint 
 from the duplication of the roof-canvas, we presume they were intended to be hung 
 double along the walls.§ If so, they were sewed together endwise, like the fifth and 
 sixth cloths of the larger roof -sheet. || This completes the system of double house 
 
 *Tlie two copper sockets for these pillars (or posts) 
 may be set adjoining the silver sockets of the planks, 
 with a small interval between as a mortice to receive 
 the copper tenon. The rear tent-pole will exactly 
 fall between two silver sockets, and its copper socket 
 may be sunk below them out of sight. 
 
 f In the case of the roof-curtains, as we saw, the 
 material of the loops was not specified, because it 
 would be taken for granted as being the same with 
 tlie simple material of the curtains themselves. But 
 in the present case there is need of stating which of 
 the two materials, linen aod wool, that composed the 
 side-curtains, was selected, and, again, which of the 
 three colors used indyeing it was chosen. As they were 
 made of twisted (i. e. two-stranded) cord, and this again 
 of either single or double tliread, the three colors could 
 not have been employed in equal proportions in their 
 composition (nor would such a mottled color have 
 been suitable in itself or consonant with the other 
 colored objects), and of the three the cerulean was 
 far the most appropriate on the overlaid background 
 (" blue and gold "). But there was another and more 
 imperative reason for the use of "blue" (violet) as the 
 color of these loops : they were always attached (as 
 we shall eventually see) to (or near) the upper cor- 
 ners of the violet stripe in the cloth, the eyelets, 
 through which they were rove, being set entirely 
 within that color. The only exception to this rule 
 (so obviously proper; for violet loops on a different- 
 colored edge would liavc been unseemly, when in 
 plain sight) is in the extreme corners, where there is 
 no violet stripe to be shown, and where the union is 
 concealed by the two folds coming together, as do the 
 ends of the loops also. The stripes of different colors, 
 woven, are maintained of uniform width and succes- 
 sion in the same piece of cloth, as must have been 
 done in weaving tlicni. (See Fig. IG.) 
 
 X See the comparison of the language used respect- 
 ing these two series of curtains, as given above and 
 below. 
 
 ^ This suggestion is countenanced by the special 
 Heb. word emplo^'ed to denote their combination, 
 makbil (xxvi, 5; xxxvi, 12, only; A. V. "held," 
 " take hold "), lit. " causing to receive," being the par- 
 ticiple of a causative conjugation of the verb kahal, 
 usually rendered " to receive." The reader should 
 note that tlie loops " take hold one of another " (as 
 the A. V. in xxvi, 5), not " held one curtain to 
 another" (as the A. V. in xxxvi, 12). They fail 
 directly upon each other, being duplicated like the 
 curtains themselves. 
 
 II This last named fact is the final justification of 
 the singular phraseology (as previously exhibited) 
 designating the resemblances as well as the differ- 
 ences between the two sets of curtains. They alike- 
 had 50 selvedge loops in the entire course of each 
 layer as put on the building ; the " coupling " or com- 
 bination, meant in this connection not being that of 
 sewing together into one sheet (as in xxvi, 3, 9; 
 xxxvi, 10, 18), but that of bringing the corresponding 
 sheets over each other in the erection (as in xxvi, 6 ; 
 xxxvi, 13). Hence the use of the term "endmost" 
 curtain (i. e. the piece sewed at the end of its neighbor, 
 and not at the side or selvedge, like the rest) only in 
 speaking of the first sheet of the roof-covering; where- 
 as it (or its equivalent "end") is applied to both side- 
 sheets. The terms " first " and " second " here, as 
 applied to the " curtains " or the " couplings," mean 
 not those previously described as five-breadth or six- 
 breadth sheets (for with regard to the roof-canvas the 
 smaller one is named first, whereas here it is the 
 larger that is thus designated), but tliose laid on first 
 or second, i. e. the under and the outer layer respect- 
 ively. 
 
DOUBLE COVERINGS. 
 
 35 
 
 coverings for every closed part of the edifice — a twofold blanket of skins on the out- 
 side of the walls, like a weather-boarding ; a twofold drapery of linen-and-wool ^ on 
 their inside, like a wainscoting ; and a twofold canvas of camlet on the roof and rear 
 gable, like a shingling. All the front-coverings were single, as here the structure was 
 strictly a tent. We observe incidentally that both sets of " curtains," although sub- 
 stantially duplicated, as if sufficient for two such structures, are pointedly said (ver. 
 6, 11) to be so brought together by the knobs as to form " one tent " and one " taber- 
 
 Wenote, in order to exemplify the exactitude char- 
 acteristic of this whole text (although at first sight 
 almost unintelligible), that the description of the side- 
 curtains is repeated (with some intentional variation) 
 in both accounts, although their arrangement was 
 really very simple ; while that of the roof-curtains, 
 wliich were more complicated, both in themselves, and 
 especially in the numeration of tlie loops, is but once 
 given in each accotmt. The reason for this lies not 
 merely in the circumstance that the former are men- 
 tioned earlier in the sacred narrative, and therefore 
 more fully and explicitly, while the latter, coming in 
 immediately afterwards, are given more briefly and 
 vaguely, as if but a repetition of the other in all subor- 
 dinate points not clearly specified; but it is also be- 
 cause definiteness of meaning requires it. In the case 
 of tlie side-curtains, we have at large the color of the 
 loops and their selvedge position— two points, connect- 
 ed by the significant requirement that in both tiiese 
 respects the two sheets be exactly alike; and then 
 -follows a more minute specification of two particu- 
 lars, namely, tlie number of tlie loops (the two sheets 
 again corresponding in tliis, but so obviously that the 
 addition of " likewise " is unnecessary), and their 
 sheet distribution (this latter of course also corres- 
 ponding with the same item previously stated in 
 another form) ; but to compensate for omitting " like- 
 wise " in this verse, the comprehensive remark is sub- 
 joined, that when superimposed on each other the 
 two sets absolutely tally. In the case of the more 
 summary but equally accurate account of the roof- 
 curtains, on the other hand, we have the correspond- 
 ing elements of these two propositions relative to each 
 sheet blended, so that there are four facts of resemb- 
 lance brought out, as before, but not eight, for so many 
 do not here exist ; and the account, unless prolix in 
 niinutiie to a degree and in a manner repugnant to this 
 document, must epitomize the account, leaving the 
 reader to make out the meaning by a careful adjustment 
 of all the details and the whole connection. Accord- 
 ingly we have a succinct statement of the number and 
 position of the loops on each sheet, as they appear 
 when the sheets are put togetlier ; the color and ma- 
 terial — the only different elements — being here taken 
 
 for granted. Now had the arrangement of the curtains 
 and their loops been so similar as most interpreters 
 make them, the writer would have simply repeated 
 the description of the side-curtains (varying of course 
 only the circumstances of material, size and number), 
 as he does in other instances of correspondence (for 
 example, the two altars); or he would have simply 
 abridged it, as he does in other instances (for example 
 the several door-screens and posts). But he could 
 trutlifully do neither, because there were important 
 differences to which he must allude, however briefly ; 
 and these are accordingly implied, but not specifically 
 dwelt upon. It is inevitable that these almost oc- 
 cult distinctions should create ambiguity and puzzle 
 the student. For this very reason we have devoted 
 so much space to their elucidation, as they materially 
 affect the reconstruction ; and the conventional modes 
 of disposing of these curtains, especially the colored 
 ones, have led only to hopeless conjectures, false 
 exegesis and impracticable restorations. This part of 
 the structure has truly been the pons asinorum of in- 
 terpreters. We have faithfully tried to guide the un- 
 prejudiced reader safely over the quagmire, ourselves 
 thankful to have found so stable footing. We are 
 now prepared therefore to present the following as a 
 free version giving the correct meaning of the two 
 passages in parallel columns. 
 Side curtains (Exod. sxvi, 4, 5.) Roof curtains (Exo<l. .xxvi, 10'. 
 
 Thou sh.ilt make loops of vio- Thou shalt make fifty loops 
 
 let [cord] on the selvedge of the on the selvedge of the under 
 
 under curtain [-stuff ruining all curtain [-stuff, including the 
 
 along] p.ist [each] end [-seam] corresponding portion of the 
 
 ill the [combined] sheet; and piece sewed] endwise in the 
 
 thou shalt do the same on the [combined] sheet ; and fifty 
 
 selvedge of the curtain [-stuff, on the selvedge of the curtain 
 
 that runs similarly] endwise in [-stuff, which forms] the upper 
 
 the upper [combined] sheet; [combined] sheet [including in 
 
 fifty loops in the under curtain like manner the corresponding 
 
 [-stuff], and fifty in the end portion of the endwise piece], 
 [-wise] curtain [-stuff] which is 
 in the upper [combined] cloth — 
 the loojis to coincide with each 
 other. 
 
 *Not limey-wonlsey (the shaatnez of Lev. xix, 19; 
 Deut. xxii, 11), in which the thread is composed of 
 these two materials carded and spun together. 
 
36 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 nacle," respectively. Tliis would surely have been an inappropriate remark, if botli 
 had been stretched single overhead, as has been done by interpretei-s from Jose])lius 
 to our own day.* 
 
 A notable dignity, however, is given to these side-curtains, beyond the beauty 
 of the door-way curtains so far mentioned, which they otherwise exactly resembled 
 in fabric, by their embroidery of "cherubim of cunning work" (xxvi, 1 ; xxxvi, 8), 
 instead of the simple ti-acery upon the other colored hangings. Leaving the dis- 
 cussion of the form and character of these figures till Ave meet them as statues over 
 the Ark, we have here to consider how the curtains themselves were adapted to so 
 bold a delineation, f As they were each twice as long as the entire circuit of 
 
 the three walls, they must in some way liave 
 been gathered in (for the straight lines character- 
 
 Fio. 15.— Section of Wall-plank witli Attach- 
 ments. 
 
 *Thal the dark goat's-hair curtains, and the party-colored 
 wool-and-linen ones were not applied to the entire edifice in 
 tlie same manner is certain from the distinction expressly 
 made everywhere in tlie sacred text as to their purpose and 
 use. The former constiiuted the sloping roof and the triangu- 
 lar gables of its "tent" part {oliel xxvi, 7, "for a tent [A. Y.. 
 inexactly " covering"] upon the tabernacle; " 11, "couple thu 
 tent together; " 13, " curtains of the tent; " yet carefulh', vcr. 
 13, the eave breadlli only of one cubit is to "hang over the 
 sides of the tabernacle; " and ver. 12, similarly the rear gable), 
 while the latter adorned the upright walls of the " taberna- 
 cle " part (mishkdn, vor. 1, 6). No portion of either set was 
 spread horizontally; for the building had no floor but liie 
 ground, and no ceiling but the roof. Indeed, as even the I'hi- 
 glish reader will see, a cloth stretched so as to form a liori- 
 zontal surface is never called a "curtain; " nor in any other 
 position than a vertical one (partly so at least) can it appro- 
 priately be said to be " liung." Note, however, that each " cov- 
 ering" of skin began at the top, {milkmalah) on the "tent"' 
 part (ver. 14), i. e. between the two layers of the roof cur- 
 tains, although, as it continued downward, of course it was 
 mainly on the upright walls of the tabernacle. The same dis- 
 tinctions are nice!}' repeated in the subsequent statements 
 (x.xxvi, 8, 13, 14, 18, 19; xl, 19). 
 
 f Imagine the depicting of such awfully mysterious objects 
 in all varieties of incongruous and impossible attitudes — some 
 aslant, some horizontal, some actually upside down, all over 
 the ceiling and walls of a sanctum like this! Yet that would 
 certainly result from the position ordinarily assigned these 
 tapestries, unless the figures were embroidered upon them so 
 displayed as to appear upright. If they had i)cen worked upon 
 the festooned pnrt of tlin curtains they must have looked as 
 if decapitated. This shows the necessity, when reproducing 
 the Tabernacle in a manner that could be operated, of taking 
 into account a multitude of considerations not usually tiiought 
 of 
 
 The special emi)hasis laid upon the injunction, "See that 
 thou make all things according to the pattern shown tliec in 
 
SIDE CURTAINS. 
 
 37 
 
 istic of the building and especially of all the other hangings, are not in accord with 
 festoons ; nor will the thick and firm material admit of these).* The problem is how 
 to arrange the folds in such a manner as to exhibit the cherubim perfectly and in a 
 becoming posture. They would naturally be embroidered crosswise of the cloth, like 
 
 First Curtain. 
 
 Fig. 16. — Wall-curtains E.xtended and Furnished with Loops. 
 
 Three of the curtains only, those at the beginning, the middle and the end of the series exposed to view, are here exhibited. The 
 intermediate ones (the second and the fourth) may easily be imagrined, as they are of similar character. (See Plate IV, D.) The letters 
 " V," " p," and " c " designate the violet, the purple, and the crimson stripes respectively, which read (after the Hebrew orderi from 
 right to left. 
 
 the diiferent-colored bands, and would thus show standing, as the breadth of the stuff 
 (somewhat over 6 feet) would conveniently correspond to their height (supposing 
 them to have substantially a human form). Hence it is important that the folds of 
 the curtain should be disposed regularly, so that the " fulling in " would conceal 
 
 the Mount," as well as its repetition on several 
 occasions (Exod. xxv, 9, 40; xxvi, ."JO; Xum. viii, 
 4), shows that many minor details were left out 
 of the oral description to be supplemented by 
 that ocular exhibit. Interpreters are therefore war- 
 ranted and even required to exercise their ingenuity 
 in discovering the most natural, simple, consistent 
 and effectual mode of supplying these particulars. It 
 is not sufficient for them, any more than it was for the 
 original fabricators, to say that the thing was doubt- 
 less done in some suitable way; the precise manner 
 must be pointed out or else conjecturally adopted. 
 
 * Tiie heavy and hard (" double-twisted ") thread 
 of the linen warp (which, it should be noted, took all 
 the strain, and this was very considerable, especially 
 in the door-screens; certainly causing them to sag 
 greatly but for this fact) would partly bury itself in 
 the looser texture of the woollen woof (whicli is not 
 said to be " double-stranded," as it would in that case 
 liave been too thick), but would at the same time 
 materially stiffen these threads also. We may furtlier- 
 more observe that the under course of the side cur- 
 tains would exactly follow the folds of the outer one, 
 and thus aid in maintaining them in a graceful shape. 
 
38 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 and distort the figures as little as possible.* If the loops be made of pieces of cord 
 each 2^ cubits long (those in the corners proportionately less), with the ends fastened 
 on the selvedge the same distance apart for each cord (so as to open flat with the 
 cloth), and an interval of | of a cubit between the ends of adjoining cords, it will be 
 found t that 50 loops will exactly take up the entire 140 X cubits of each curtain- 
 
 Anaiij'onieut of Side Curt:i 
 
 sheet, including 4 corner-loops each occupying -^^ 
 
 of a cubit at the ends and middle; 
 while the folds will (except at the corners) each be | of a cubit wide (when hung), 
 with a nearly smooth panel of the same width between them, suflicient for 
 
 'herub 
 
 Finall}' tlie embroidered figures would greatly stiffen 
 the panels. We may add that the droop at the bot- 
 tom of the fiilled-in part of the curtains would not 
 be sufficient to account for the difference between 
 their height and that of the Vail, even if the folds 
 included the whole excess of length (i. e. without 
 any flat panels) ; so that long loops would in any 
 case be necessary. 
 
 * We presume that the cherubim were embroidered 
 only on the outer curtain, as tlioy could not be seen 
 on the inner one. If, however, it be thought necessary 
 
 to have the two precisely alike, this may be effected by 
 simply reversing the order for the inner set of cur- 
 tains; the figures then appearing on the face ue.\t to 
 tlie wall, and beginning at the southern front, where 
 they will fall exactly in due place under those of the 
 outer curtain as above detailed. (Sec Fig. 16.) 
 
 f We have proved this estimate by actual experi- 
 ment, and we will (below) confirm it in a striking 
 manner. 
 
 \ This number of itself, being exactly twice the 
 circuit of three sides of the interior of the Sanctuary, 
 
WALL CURTAINS. 39 
 
 with folded arms and wings, or for the body of one with the wings extended.* (The 
 annexed diagrams will illustrate these measurements, and the method of forming the 
 
 Fia. 18. — Corner-folds in Wall-curtaiiis. 
 
 plaits.) Hence the curtains were not so long as those intended for the roof, which, 
 if attached to each other in the same manner, would each yield 10 cubits more than 
 
 sutrgests lliat the curtains in question were intended 
 to be so applied. The degree of their fulness, how- 
 ever, remains to be accounted for. 
 
 * It will moreover be perceived that the loops, if 
 so adjusted, will of themselves hold the plaits in good 
 shape, when the curtains are hung on the knobs. 
 They will also show much better with their ends 
 parted into a triangle than if hanging straight down 
 
 from the knobs. The two folds adjoining each corner 
 will require less cloth for a proportionate degree of 
 fulling, on account of the narrow spaces there afforded, 
 as we shall see presently ; but they will project about 
 as much as their neighbors. The careful reader will 
 furthermore discover that the reduction of these 
 shorter plaits near the corners, together with the 
 omission of one entire plait (but not one Ippp) in the 
 
40 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 can be tlnis disposed ol* Tlie number of loops was determined by that of the knobs 
 on wliich they were suspended ; namely, 50 of gold (ver. 6), and therefore smaller 
 than those of copper for the outside of the planks, and inserted lower down, but in 
 all other respects exactly corresponding to them. The number of the knobs again 
 was tixed by that of the planks, and is therefore 20 for each side, 6 for the rear, and 
 
 i • ^ i 
 
 Fig. 19.— Lengtli of Side-loops by Triangulatioii. 
 The numbers indicate the proportion of the parts of the triangles. 
 
 2 for each corner, requiring the total of 50, the knobs (except at the corners) being 
 placed as near as convenient to the front edge of each side-plank, and in the middle 
 of each rear-plank.f The height of these knobs from the ground fixes the length 
 of the loops, and will be determined when we come to consider that of the inner Vail. 
 4. The only other articles mentioned as essential to be placed within the front 
 apartment or Holy Place were three, which we Mall here consider in detail. 
 
 very corner, precisely accounts for the fact that tlie 
 cubits in the lengtii of the curtains are less than 
 three times the number of loops (140 not 150), 
 although each plait (with the alternate panel) requires 
 three cubits of clotlj. This is proved by a short cal- 
 culation. An irrpgular knob being set in the rear 
 edges of the last side-plank (in order to prevent the 
 curtain from passing the corner diagonall)^, vi^itliout 
 penetrating to the angle itself), instead of the adjoin- 
 ing side-plank (tliere being none such), there is a loss 
 there (witii respect to the space usually covered) of 
 \ of a cubit (i. e. twice the distance of the knob from 
 the edge, which we put down as -j'j of a cubit). In 
 like manner tliere is a loss of half a cubit in the rear 
 part of the corner-plank {\ — y\), the last item being 
 the half cubit of the rear plank that shows inside, 
 minus the three spaces usually allowed for the knobs 
 from the edge of these three consecutive planks, 
 which here are not saved. Hence we have the for- 
 mula: 3 X 2 (1 + ^ + ^ = If) = 10. We are the 
 first to explain fully and satisfactorily the cau.se of 
 this exact length of these curtains, wiiich is so singu- 
 lar among the other numbers and dimensions of the 
 edifice, and especially different from that of the roof- 
 curtains. In Fig. 19 we submit another mathematical 
 demonstration of its affurncy. 
 
 Finally, we may call attention to the fact, under 
 this arrangement, that the edge of the curtains at the 
 entrance will fall back a little farther from the front 
 edge of the first plank than if the loops hung perpen- 
 dicularly, and this is desirable in order to keep it out 
 of the weather; and this again will allow a closer 
 juxtaposition of the door-post to the side-wall, as is 
 helpful in order to keep the former from swaying, 
 since they are not fastened together by a hook (as 
 in the case of the Vail). 
 
 * The curtains were evidently meant to be " fulled 
 in " to exactly half their entire length. The folds on 
 the inside of the planks thus correspond, by their cor- 
 rugation, to the Heece on the outside; and in both 
 instances, as already pointed out, they are duplicated. 
 
 ■)• This calculation serves likewise for the coi)per 
 knobs on the outside, except that the loops will there 
 be shorter, and botii ends of each fastened together, 
 so as to form simple button-holes (so to speak) closely 
 clasping the knob.s, and stretching the curtain per- 
 fectly smooth. It must be borne in mind that in both 
 sets of knobs, two will be needed in each corner- 
 plank, one at the front edge, and another at the angle, 
 in order to keep the curtain uniform. This brings 
 the inside corner knobs nearer their neighbors, as 
 already taken into account. (Sc Figs. 11, 16.) 
 
TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 
 
 41 
 
 (1.) The first of these on tlie right or iiortli side (probably about midway) was 
 
 It was made of acacia-wood, 
 
 2 cubits long, 
 
 
 the Table of Show-bread * (Exod. xl, 22). 
 1 broad, and 1^ high,t overlaid (doubt- 
 less the entire surface when put together) 
 with gold (xxv, 23, 24; xxxvii, 10, 11). 
 As a table it consisted, of course, of a top, 
 sides, and four legs ; the first of the given 
 length and breadth, exclusive of an orna- 
 ment to be considered immediately ; and 
 the last of the given dimensions, less the 
 thickness of the top. This last we may 
 estimate at somewhat less than what we 
 have assumed for the boards of the Large 
 Altar, let us say J^ of a cubit (about 1^ 
 inch stuff). The top had a " crown ":{: or 
 moulding of gold (apparently wood, plated 
 with gold), evidently running all around 
 the edge (but outside of the latter), and 
 projecting above the top, to keep articles 
 placed upon the table from slipping off: 
 we may estimate this piece as the same 
 thickness (at the base, narrowing to one 
 half at the top), and ^ of a cubit (or about three inches) broad (i. e. projecting one 
 half its width above the table-top). The sides are called "a border" § or plain panel, 
 being a hand-breadth (J of a cubit) wide, and ornamented by another "crown" or 
 moulding (this time hkewise projecting out like the other, and similarly placed, but 
 narrower, so as to be flush with the bottom of the side, and therefore included in its 
 breadth), both plated with gold (ver. 25). The legs or " feet " (which we would 
 make ^ of a cubit square, their whole length), were apparently morticed into the sides 
 (as usual now-a-days) ; for in the remaining directions concerning a carrying apparatus 
 (precisely like that of the Large Altar, except that gold w^as to be used instead of cop- 
 per), the rings, evidently stapled like those of the Tabernacle planks, are spoken of 
 as being fastened into the tops belonging to (A. V. incorrectly " on ") the legs, and 
 simply parallel w^ith (" over against," i. e, longitudinally in a line with) the sides (ver. 
 
 
 bid. 20. 
 
 -Table of Show-bread on the Arc 
 (From Reland.) 
 
 of Titus. 
 
 * Lit. table of the Face (i. e. Jehovah's presence), or 
 table of the arrangement (of loaves), or the pure table 
 (in distinction from a domestic or common one). 
 
 f This proportion between the length and the 
 height is accurately maintained in the sculptured 
 form on the Arcli of Titus. Oriental tables, it should 
 be remembered, are usually quite low, being adapted 
 to persons sitting on the floor, and not upon 
 clinirs. 
 
 X Heb. zer, lit. cincture, i. e. cornice; used only of 
 
 this ornament on the Table and the Ark, and the 
 Incense-altar. The Great Altar had no occasion for 
 this additional rim, as it had no top or cover. The 
 " cove " (or hollowed bevel) of the moulding of course 
 was on the upper and outer side, making a neat 
 finish all around the edge. 
 
 § Heb. misgereth, lit. inclosure; used only (as an 
 architectural term) of this tiling, and of a similar 
 panel on the pedestals of the Temple lavers (1 Kings 
 vii, 28-36; 2 Kings xvi. 17). 
 
42 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 
 26, 27). The whole table, like all the other pieces of furniture, was simple and plain 
 as possible, and strong for service. 
 
 The bread placed upon the table is called in the Heb. face bread (show-bread), 
 because set as before Jehovah's presence (ver. 30). Particulars concerning this are 
 given in Lev. xxiv, 5-9. It was made of fine (wheat) 
 Hour,* baked in twelve loaves,f containing each one fifth 
 of an ephah of flour (or about four quarts), which, if as 
 pongy as good raised bread, would yield an enormous 
 bulk, but probably, being more compact, was much less 
 in size, say 12 inches in diameter and 4 inches thick — 
 still a large family loaf. X They were arranged " (in) 
 two rows, six (to) the row," § which Jewish tradition, as 
 well as the dimensions of the table, indicates to mean in 
 two piles of six each, set of course lengthwise of the 
 table ; and thus if the piles were in immediate contact 
 with one another (as the necessity of mutual support in 
 so tall a column, and the close association of the 12 tribes 
 thereby symbolized, would indicate), they Avould leave a 
 free margin of 4^ inches at each side, and 9 inches at each end (exactly proportional 
 to the respective dimensions of the table-surface, and the whole a shapely mass 2 feet 
 long, 2 high, and 1 foot broad). It is generally conceded that the loaves were placed 
 upon the bare|| table, without any plate or cloth. They were removed every Sabbath 
 to be eaten by the priests exclusively (and that in the Sanctuary only); and were then 
 i-cplaced by fresh loaves (1 Sam. xxi, 6), which had been prepared over night by the 
 Levites (1 Chron. ix, 32). (See Plate V, F.) 
 
 No othei- substance 1" is mentioned as being set upon the table, except " pure " ** 
 frankincense, which, as it is said to be placed " upon each [lit. " the "] row," ff but 
 only " to [or " for "] the bread " (ver. 7, where the A. V. incorrectly renders the 
 
 Fig. 21. — Transverse Section of the 
 Table of Show- bread. 
 
 * Doubtless unleavened, but beaten up light, like 
 " Maryland biscuit." 
 
 f A. V. "cakes," Heb. sing, challdh, lit. perforated 
 (affording color to the idea that it was punctured, as 
 sacrificial cakes were among some ancient nations; or 
 more likely, as is often done by modern bakers, who 
 prick biscuits, partly for ornament, and partly because 
 the steam is supposed to escape the more easily in 
 baking), used only of sacrificial cakes (or as in 2 Sam. 
 vi, 19, of something resembling them); therefore not 
 the ordinary thin wafer-like loaf of Oriental bread, 
 yet doubtless round and flat, but much thicker and 
 more daintily put up. The best idea of these cakes 
 is perhaps afforded by similar sacred loaves repre- 
 sented on tlie Kgyptian monuments (see Wilkinson, 
 Anc. Egyptians, i, 2GG, where nearly all the articles 
 and utensils enumerated in the Scrij)turo list as be- 
 longing to the Table of show-bread arc depicted) ; we 
 
 must be on our guard, however, against supposing 
 that these are the models of those in the Taber- 
 nacle. 
 
 \ Five of them were sufficient for hungry David 
 and his companions, perhaps for several meals (I Sam. 
 xxi, 1-6). 
 
 § Heb. maareketh, lit. arrangement, used only of 
 this particular thing, and hence (as seen above) taken 
 at last to denote it technically. 
 
 II Heb. tnhor, "pure," i. e. in this case naked. 
 
 •[f A dish of salt appears to have been added ni later 
 times, according to the Septuagint and Philo (eomp. 
 Lev. ii, 13, which, however, refers to sacrifices on 
 the Altar of Burnt-ofFeriug). 
 
 ** Heb. zak, luiadullpratcd, like the transparent oil 
 used for the candelabrum (Lev. x.xiv, 2). 
 
 ff We observe incidentally that this confirms the 
 above arrangement of the loavea in piles. 
 
VESSELS OF THE TABLE. 
 
 43 
 
 latter preposition " on "), appears to have been (as was most appropriate) deposited 
 not directly npon the loaves themselves, but in vessels for that purpose, where it could 
 be conveniently renewed as fast as it should be consumed by the daily ministrations at 
 the Altar of Incense (ver. 7). These vessels are doubtless the same as the censers * 
 (mentioned in the same connection, A. Y. "spoons"), i. e. incense-cups, not employed 
 for burning the incense in (which was done in fire-pans, and moreover this was merely 
 fi-ankincense), but smaller than the receptacles of the same name presented by the 
 l)hylarchs at the dedication (Num. vii, 14 and following) for keeping the incense in 
 bulk. A different set of utensils connected with the Table were jarsf (A. Y, 
 " dishes "), evidently for the oil used to replenish the candelabrum adjacent, similar 
 to the larger silver vessels of the same name (A. Y. " chargers ") presented by the 
 phylarchs on the above occasion, which also contained oil (Num. vii, 13, etc.). They 
 probably w^ere tall vessels with a narrow mouth for emptying. Another kind of 
 utensil were jugs:}: (A. Y. "covers"), which, as they were used to make libations with 
 (A. Y. " to cover withal "), were doubtless for wine, § with a spout for pouring ; and 
 closely connected with them were still a different class of vessels, perhaps smaller 
 pitchers 1| (A. Y. " bowls "), for the immediate sacriiicial act. None of these vessels 
 seem to have had either handle or cover, although most of them might be thought to 
 require closing in order to keep out flies, dust and other impurities ; and especially 
 the incense-cups, to prevent evaporation of the aromatic powder. It must be borne 
 in mind, however, that a cover w^ould be inconvenient for the priest to remove, and 
 the vessels appear to have been intended to hold only a comparatively small quantity 
 at a time. The saucers for the frankincense M'ould diffuse a pleasant odor during the 
 week, and what was left in them was burned (on the Great Altar) every Sabbath (ver. 
 7-9), together with what was not eaten of the stale loaves. Indeed there was not 
 room for large utensils on the Table, but as there would appear to have been but two 
 (the plural is used of them all) of each kind (that number being stated with regard to 
 the incense cups, which, however, were set on the top of the piles of bread), we may 
 readily accommodate one of each of the three other kinds on either end of the Table.l" 
 All these vessels were of gold entirely pure, as was the overlaying of the Table itself, 
 and indeed all the gold employed in the Sanctuary and its apparatus.** 
 
 *Heb. slug, kaph, lit. the pabn of the hand, a 
 saucer. 
 
 f Heb. sing, kearah, lit. deep vessels, spoken only 
 of this article, mentioned above and in the parallel 
 list. Num. iv, 7. 
 
 X Heb. sing, kasdh, lit. a round vessel, spoken only 
 of this article as mentioned in these passages and in 
 1 Chron. xxviii, 17 (A. V. "cups"). 
 
 § Wine was poured out as a libation (Heb. nesek, a 
 pouring, A. Y. "drink-offering," as unfortunate a ren- 
 dering as " meat-offering " for an oblation of flour) 
 in connection with many sacrifices on tlie Great 
 Altar. To drink wine within the sacred precincts 
 was a capital crime (Lev. x, 9). 
 
 II Heb. sing, menakkith, lit. libation cups, occurring 
 only of this article in this passage and in Jer. Hi, 
 19. 
 
 T[ The two bowl-shaped utensils depicted as stand- 
 ing upon the table of show-bread on the Arch of 
 Titus at Rome are regarded by Edersheim (77ie Temple, 
 etc., p. l."4) as tlie mortars used for compounding the 
 sacred incense. If intended to represent the vessels 
 for oil and wine regularly set on the table, they are 
 of a much later pattern than those of the Tab- 
 ernacle. 
 
 ** Some alloy (to harden the metal) might be neces- 
 sary in the plates of tlie Tabernacle walls, which wers 
 subject to great wear. 
 
44 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 (2) The next piece of furniture that we meet in glancing around the Holy Place 
 is the Altar of Incense, which stood in the middle line, immediately in front of the 
 Vail that separated the room from the Most Holy (Exod. xxx, 6 ; xl, 5 ; Lev. xvi, 
 18), a position which is further proved by the fact that incense was daily oifered upon 
 it l)y an ordinary priest (Exod. xxx, 7-10), whereas the Holy of Holies was entered 
 but once a year by the high-priest alone. Yet it was popularly reckoned as belong- 
 ing to the Most Holy Place (1 Kings vi, 22 ; Heb. ix. 4), apparently on account of 
 its great sanctity. (See Plate V, B.) 
 
 In construction (Exod. xxx, 1-5 ; xxxvii, 25-28) it was very similar to the Table 
 of Show-bread, being a simple box (probably of boards of the same thickness), two 
 cubits high, with a top (destitute of a grate, because no fire came directly in contact 
 with it), one cubit square, and horns (precisely like the Large Altar); and was en- 
 tirely overlaid with gold (doubtless inside and out). It had a moulding around the 
 edge (but none below this), and rings w^ith staves to carry it, exactly like the Table of 
 Show-bread.* There were no utensils specially belonging to it. The only use made 
 of it was to burn incense upon it every morning and evening (as above). 
 
 (3.) On the left or south side of the Holy Place, directly opposite the Table of 
 Show-bread (Exod. xl, 24),t stood the third piece of furniture ; namely, the Candela- 
 brum (A. Y. " candlestick "), the construction of which is minutely described (xxv, 
 31-40; xxxvii, 17-24). It was hammered round,:}: out of sheets § of pure gold, and 
 weighed (inclusive of its utensils) one talent (i. e. 136.4 pounds avoirdupois). The 
 mode of its manufacture indicates that it was hollow, and Josephus affirms that this 
 was the case {Antlq. Ill, vi, 7). || Its size is not given, but Jewish tradition assigns it 
 a height of about 5 feet, and a breadth of about 3|-. On the Arch of Titus it meas- 
 ures 2 feet and 9 inches high by 2 feet broad ; but the figures there delineated are 
 not life size, and the proportion with the Table of Show-bread on the same sculpture, 
 as well as with the men there exhibited, yields a size about the same as the above 
 tradition. We may therefore fix the entire height (including the base) at about three 
 cubits, and the entire breadth (spread of arms) at abont two cubits. This would be 
 
 * From tlie fact that the rings in this case are stated 
 to have been set ''beneath the moulding-corners," 
 wliich is not said of the otlier pieces of furni- 
 ture so equipped, we couchidethat tliere was a slight 
 space between them in those cases, but none in this. 
 The reason for this difference was not simply because 
 the Altar of Incense was the smallest, but because 
 the Table of Show-bread had tioo such mouldings, and 
 the bar would be symmetrical!}' placed half-way be- 
 tween thorn ; while the Groat Altar had no moulding 
 at all; and in the case of the Ark, although it had 
 but one moulding, and tliat in the same place as the 
 others, yet the staples for the rings would have come 
 so near the upper edge of the side (not there 
 strengthened by a top fastened to them), as to be in 
 danger of tearing away the wood, especially since the 
 honvv stone tables of Ihc L:i\v wore to be carried inside. 
 
 f From this language, in the absence of any ex- 
 plicit statement, as well as from the congrnity with 
 the dimensions of the room, and with convenience in 
 serving, we conclude that the position of V)oth those 
 pieces of furniture was with their length running east 
 and west. 
 
 X Heb. mikshah (A. V, " beaten work "), which 
 seems lit. to mean rounded, like a pillar (Jer. x, 5, A. 
 V. "upright") ; applied also to the silver trumpets 
 (A.V. "of one" or a "whole piece") and to the cheru- 
 bim on the Mercy-seat. 
 
 § The parts might perhaps have been cast as plain 
 tubes, but they could then not have been wrought 
 into shape, for no anvil could have been introduced 
 into their sinuosities. 
 
 II This view is corroborated by the term (Hob. 
 kaneli, lit. a reed) used for the " brandies." 
 
O LDEN CANDELA BR UM. 
 
 4S 
 
 suitable to its location and use. As to its general form, the principal question is, 
 whether the arms were in the same plane and of equal height ; and this may 1)e re- 
 garded as settled in the affirmative by the representation on the Arch of Titus, which, 
 although copied from that of the llerodian Temple,* is doubtless a correct transcript 
 
 Fig. 22. — Candelabrum on the Arch of Titus. (From 
 Reland.) 
 
 Fio. 23. — Concentric Arrangremunt of 
 the Enlargements of the Candelabrum.t 
 
 * Tradition asserts that this candelabrum, after un- 
 dergoing various migrations from Rome to foreign 
 lands and back again, was finally lost in the Tiber 
 during an invasion of the Gauls. (See the original 
 authorities and their language in full, as cited bj- 
 Reland, De Spoliis Templi, chap. 13.) At all events it is 
 certain that the sculptor must have had the original 
 or a careful drawing of it before him. If it be thought 
 that Titus would scarcely have had time to remove 
 the candelabrum from the Holy Place (although he 
 seems to have done so with tlie Table of Sliow-bread) 
 during his hasty survey of the sacred apartments 
 while the rapid conflagration was in progress (Jo- 
 sephus. Wars of the Jews, VI, iv, 7), tlie one actually 
 rescued and represented on his arch may possibly be 
 one of those wliich tradition reports as the present of 
 the convert to Judaism, Helena, queen of Adiabene, 
 which were kept in an ante-room of the Temple 
 
 porch. This may perhaps account for its difference 
 from the Mosaic type. But in any case it must be 
 borne in mind that the postexilian candelabrum was 
 but a reproduction from memory of that in the Tab- 
 ernacle. 
 
 ■j- It will be perceived that each section of the sem- 
 icircles of winch these lines are the radii (like a fel- 
 loe in a half-wheel of which the lines are the spokes) 
 is composed of two members: the shank (a plain 
 tube) and tlie bulb (or swell), and that each has a 
 third part or base (a circular double flange, as a 
 means of connection, lience an actual joint) only 
 where it is united to a different kind of piece ; namely, 
 at the bottom and top of the central shaft and of the 
 six arms, including tlie intersections of the shaft with 
 the arms. There were therefore exactly 10 (screwed) 
 joints (covered by as many caps) in the entire piece 
 (exclusive of the seven movable insertions of the 
 
46 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 of the Sinaitic one, except in its ornamental features (especially the octagonal base, 
 with figured panels). (See Plate V, E.) 
 
 In detail the candelabrum consisted of three parts, each of which was made of a 
 single piece of metal ; namely, a straight central stem, three pairs of semicircular 
 branches on either side, and seven burners ; each of the first seven components being 
 a round pipe with three kinds of ornamental enlargements at certain points, corres- 
 ponding to each other in a radiate manner ; all these elements being substantially 
 represented, in a more ornate style, on the Arch of Titus.* The main axis (Ileb. 
 yarek, lit. thigh, A. Y. " shaft ") was no doubt spread out (like a trumpet) at the base, 
 in order to give a firm support. It had four swellings (Heb. sing. geUa, lit. cui^va- 
 ture, A. V. " bowl "), which were almond-shaped (i. e. the nut [not the blossom, 
 for which this term is never used], or ovate, or tapering from a head, hke a goblet 
 or wine-cup, for which the former word is elsewhere used, Gen. xliv, 2-17; Jer. 
 XXXV, 5), and are named first as rising immediately from the base and from the three 
 intersections of the branches, and therefore are found (but only three of them) on 
 each branch also as springing from the intersection like a new base.f (See Fig. 24.) 
 Kext in order on the main shaft at these intersections respectively are the same 
 number of coronets (Heb. sing. Jcaphtor, lit. chapUt. A. Y. " knop "), i. e. doubly-flar- 
 ing circlets, like the capital of a column (Amos ix, 1 ; Zeph. ii, 14), evidently below 
 the intersection of the branches, as they do not appear on the branches themselves 
 (except one at the summit, as a fresh departure), but corresponding to the expanded 
 base (a single flange as terminal in this direction). ;{: Once more there was a like 
 number of finials (Heb. sing, perach, lit. hlosso7ti, A. Y. " flower "), like a bud just 
 ready to burst into bloom (Isa. v, 24 ; xviii, 5 ; Nah. i, 4 ; besides an architectural or- 
 nament of a like form in the Temple, 1 Kings vii, 20 ; 2 Chron. iv, 5), i. e. globes or 
 receptacles for the arms and burners ; and these (which of course belong to the 
 branches likewise) we have drawn in a bulb-like form with a corolla, aided by the 
 
 lamps in tlieir sockets), namely, the triple one at 
 each of the three intersections (where the ends of 
 the arms passed through the shaft on either side [as 
 the tinu^e or " knop " permitted by widening the 
 neck of tlie shaft just attiiat point; at the same time 
 bracing the end of tlic arm], and were screwed into 
 each other), and the four junctions of the almond- 
 shaped " bowls " with the terminal " flowers." The 
 "knops " or joint-covers are accordingly an integral 
 part of the compound ''bowls" or whole pieces, that 
 support the entire segment. If (as we have sup- 
 posed) the pieces were made of sheets, there would 
 be a seam the whole length of each, which would of 
 course be on the back-side of the shaft, and on the inner 
 curve of the arms. These might be soldered together 
 (and the screws at tiie joints likewise be thus dis- 
 pensed with), if the art of soldering gold were then 
 known. 
 * Josephus explicitly states ( Wars, VII, v, 5) that 
 
 the candelabrum displayed by Titus at his triumpii 
 differed considerably in some particulars, but never- 
 theless it must have been substantially of the nor- 
 mal type. 
 
 f This appears to be the meaning in xxv, 35 ; x.xxvii. 
 21 ; for if the end of the branch were inserted simply 
 into the stem, it would have cut it entirely in two, 
 both being doubtless of the same diameter. We liavo 
 therefore inserted the arms into the " flower " (of 
 which, as well as the " knop," there are .said to be 
 four [i. e. one at each intersection, and one at the top] 
 in the shaft, but only one in each arm [i. e. at the 
 top]), which affords a sufficient enlargement at the in- 
 tersection (i. e. not above it [for then tliere would have 
 been ai least two on each arm], nor yet [like the 
 " knops "J below it). 
 
 :}; The same moaning attaches to the proper name 
 Cophtar, from the cliaplct-like form of the island 
 Crete or (still better) Cyprus. 
 
ORNAMENTS OF THE CANDELABRUM. 
 
 47 
 
 spherical remains on tlie Arcli of Titus. Finally come the lamps themselves (He1>. 
 sing, ner, lit. a light, often used of a " lamp "), which of course were of the type uni- 
 versally prevalent in the East; a flat, round or oval dish (usually of terra-cotta, but here 
 of gold), with a handle (like that of a cup) at the blunt end, and a hole for the wick 
 at the pointed end, while in a depression between is a larger central hole for pouring 
 in the oil. In the present case we presume they were deepened into a cylindrical form 
 
 Fig. 24.— Comparison of each of the Enhirgementson the Candelabrum with its natural Type, 
 a. Almond (1) and " bowl " (2) ; b. Cliaplet (1) and *• knop " (2) ; c. Bud (1) and " flower " (2). 
 
 at the base, so as to fit in the lamp-holders at the tops of the Candelabrum, and not 
 easily fall ofiF.* The wick was made of threads of linen (from the cast-off pontifical 
 garments, it is traditionally said), and the oil was from hand-crushed and cold-strained 
 olives (Exod. xxvii, 20). The lamps were lighted at the time of the evening sacrifice 
 (Exod. XXX, 8), and extinguished, filled and trimmed at the time of the morning sacri- 
 fice (Exod. XXX, 7 ; 1 Sam. iii, 3). They are traditionally believed to have held each 
 half a " log," i. e. a little more than half a pint. (See Fig. 25.) 
 
 The utensils mentioned for this last-named service, being those already referred 
 to as made out of the same gold as the candlestick itself, were shovels (Ileb. sing. 
 machtdh, lit. coal-pan, A, Y. " snuff-dish," being the same word used for the [copper] 
 fire-pans of the Great Altar, Exod, xxvii, 3, etc.; the [gold] one of the yearly atone- 
 
 * Such seem to be represented on the monuments of Egypt (Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, 2nd ser., ii, 37G). 
 
48 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 ment, Lev. xvi, 12 ; and " censers " generally), i. e. vessels for bringing live coals 
 from the Great Altar with ; and tongs (Heb. always dual, tnalhtchdyim, lit. double 
 takers), i. e. tweezers for pulling up the wick, and holding the coal while blowing it 
 to light the lamp. These utensils were carried by the othciating priest to the Court, 
 where the tongs would be cleansed, and the coal-pan refilled for further use. 
 
 (4.) The only remaining articles belonging to the Holy Place are the two Silver 
 Trumpets * used to announce a removal of the camp, special festiv^als, the Year of 
 Jubilee, war, or any other other notable event (Num. x, 2-10, etc.), which were to be 
 of a single piece (probably manufactured like the pipes of the Candelabrum). They 
 were straight (Josephus, Ant. Ill, xi, 6), as represented on the Arch of Titus, where 
 they are exhibited as about equal to each other in average diameter, but unequal in 
 length, one being (as compared witli the dimensions of the Table of Show-bread, on 
 
 Fig. 25. — Lamp (a) and its Socket (6). 
 
 which they are represented as leaning diagonally, supported by a sort of bracket at- 
 tached for that purpose to the middle of the opposite legs on one side) f about 3 cu- 
 bits long, and the other only | as long or al)out 2 cubits (Eeland's measurements and 
 view do not precisely agree with the photograph) ; M'hile the minimum diameter of 
 l)oth is about ^i^- of a cul)it (or 1^ inches), and the maximum -j^ of a cubit (or 1^ 
 inches) ; the longer one tapering almost gradually to about the middle and then 
 slightly enlarging towards the mouth-end, while the shorter one contracts at first rap- 
 idly, and after the middle enlarges consideral)ly. This difference in the size of the 
 trumpets is so unexpected (as there is no alhision to it in any record, and it would 
 have occasioned a difference in sound), that we must attribute it to foreshortening in 
 the perspective, which the sculptor introduced, and the camera has enhanced ; and we 
 therefore strike an average of 2|- cul)it8 (about four feet) for the length of eacli. They 
 would give a clear shrill note loud enougli to be heard throughout the camp. 
 
 5. We have reserved for convenient consideration here together some additional 
 matters connected with all this sacred apparatus. 
 
 *Heb. sing, chatsotserah. lit. a quivering reverberation, 
 used only for an alarm, or public signal, sometimes of 
 joy. (Sue Plato V, C.) 
 
 f Kvidently meant for thafi'ont; an additional con- 
 firmation of the position of the Table longitudinally 
 in the Sanctuary. 
 
METAL PL AT IN I). 
 
 49 
 
 (1.) The metallic sheets, whether of copper or gold, could most conveniently be 
 laid on after the wooden work was put together, and would serve to hold the angles 
 firm. These laminae must have been beaten out with a hammer (in the absence of 
 rolHng-mills), and therefore have been comparatively small, as well as somewhat 
 uneven in surface. Hence they were probably fastened on with nails of the same 
 material (as soldering would have been inconvenient, and was perhaps unknown with 
 such metals) ; and if these were made with counter-sunk heads, like modern screws, 
 they might be driven home flush with the surface. The numerous joints or seams 
 thus formed would greatly strengthen the fabric, and as the boards themselves 
 (especially the planks of the Tabernacle walls, which were similarly " overlaid ") were 
 so wide as to require to be made of several pieces of wood (no doubt dowelled together), 
 their joints would thus be effectively covered and held together. The thickness of 
 these metallic plates is likewise left to the feasibility of the case ; fortunately both 
 copper and gold are the most malleable of the metals then known. 
 
 Another inference from the foregoing premises is that the staples for the rings 
 (to receive the cross-bars of the Tabernacle walls, and the bearing-poles of three of 
 the pieces of furniture), as well as the " taches " or knobs (in the former), were bolted 
 in and riveted before the "overlaying" sheets were applied, as they would otherwise 
 l)e likely to come in the way of nails, and moreover would be unsightly protuberances 
 on the surface, especially the copper ends of the " taches," showing inside the Sanctu- 
 ary on the face of the gold.* 
 
 (2.) As to convenience in packing for transportation, these rings and knobs 
 ^vould not need to be removed, as the Tabernacle planks would be smooth on the 
 iimer side, and thus could lie flat on the bottom of the vehicle ; or still better, if the 
 wagon were without a bottom, the planks might be laid, face downward, on the axle 
 or bolster ; and a second tier, face upward, over these.f The vehicles of the ancients, 
 and especially those of the Egyptians, were properly carts with two wheels only, and 
 even these must have had rough travelling in the trackless and often steep as well as 
 tortuous defiles of the Desert. A wagon^X however, with four wheels and two axles, 
 
 as to prevent chafing. The tablets and other articles 
 within the Ark were no doubt kept wrapped in linen 
 cloths, which would ease the jolt in moving. 
 
 \ Heb. agaldh, lit. ^^hrolliiig thing "(Num. vii. 3-8), 
 an Egyptian curricle (Gen. xlv, 19-27), elsewhere 
 rendered "cart," as in fact it generally was. Since 
 the silver sockets alone (to say nothing of the copper 
 ones) weighed 6 gross tons (100X136.4 pounds), some 
 special mode of conveyance must liave been provided 
 for them, beyond the six vehicles appropriated to the 
 wooden and tlie fibrous parts of the edifice and its 
 court. Perhaps the Kohathites (who were the most 
 numerous of the Levite.s, and had only the light bur- 
 den of the sacred vessels) aided their brethren the 
 Merarites (who were the smallest branch of the 
 Levitical tribe, and yet had the heaviest charge) in 
 transporting these weighty (but not bulky) articles, 
 
 * Paine infers (new ed., p. 92), from the special 
 mention of these knobs among the various articles 
 as completed (Exod. xxxix, 33), that they were sepa- 
 rable, i. e. keyed on tlie back-side, and not riveted 
 fast. This, however, would be an inconvenient cir- 
 cumstance, exposing them to be lost in transporta- 
 tion, and requiring unnecessary waste of time in 
 taking them out and replacing them at each journey. 
 His conclusion tliat they permanently belonged to 
 the planks, from their constant and close mention 
 together, is forcible. In tlie personal inventory 
 (" by name," Num. iv, 32) of the articles packed and 
 consigned for transportation (iii, 36), they are not 
 separately enumerated, as are the sockets, the bars, 
 the tent-pins and the cords. 
 
 f Strips of wood, perhaps covered with cloths or 
 skins, were probably placed between the planks so 
 
so 
 
 STRUCTURE OF TUE TABERNACLE. 
 
 would have been much more suitable for the present purpose, as affording a stable 
 support, and being less liable to jostle and overturn, especially for the long planks 
 and poles. In either case the load would have to be bound together bv cordage, and 
 for this the stay-ropes would be at hand. The furniture was equipped for the 
 porterage by hand, two men for the smaller pieces, four for the larger, and eight for 
 the Great Altar. The utensils might also be carried by hand — for there was no lack 
 of people to serve (who, however, had their own tents and baggage to carry), or they 
 might more reverently be packed in some of the curtains and hangings of the Tab- 
 ernacle or its court, when loaded for the march.* 
 
 or possibly ordinary Israelites were subsidized for 
 that purpose. A socket might convenient!}' be 
 carried by two men with a tenl-piu thrust through 
 its mortice. The roof-posts and the wall-bars also, 
 which were too long to be placed upon the wagons, 
 were probably carried by men upon their shoulders. 
 There is no trace of the possession or employment of 
 camels by tlie Hebrews in this journey, although at 
 present they are the only " ships of the Desert " 
 possible by reason of the scarcity of water and tlio 
 absence of roads. In fact the four wagons assigned 
 for the transportation of the wooden portions of the 
 structure must have been supplemented by extra 
 vehicles, or else have made several trips for tlie pur- 
 pose, as a little computation will show. A section 
 of an acacia {seyal) brancli in our possession, 4J 
 inches in diameter and scarcely one inch in thickness, 
 weighs half a pound, although thoroughly seasoned 
 and free from knots. Each of the Ceuce-posts of the 
 Tabernacle court therefore weighed at least 50 pounds 
 ( 6|2o )_ tQ gjjy nothing of their silver caps and copper 
 tenons ; and the 60 posts alone would weigh 3,000 
 pounds, or about a ton and a half. By a similar 
 calculation each of the wall-planks would weigh at 
 least 600 pounds, to say nothing of the gold plating, 
 silver tenons or other metallic attachments; and the 
 whole 48 would weigh 28,800 pounds, or about 14 
 tons. In order to accommodate the number of 
 wagons, the posts might safely be reduced to one-half 
 the diameter that we have supposed for them, which 
 would make their weight comparatively inconsider- 
 able; and in like manner perhaps tlic planks, so that 
 they would weigh collectively (if only about an inch 
 thick, greatly stiffened by tlie motal plates) about 
 4 tons: but the difficulty of providing carriage, 
 where resources (and especially human and animal 
 force) seem to have been so abundant, is too slight 
 to require a disturbance of our estimates or a stinting 
 of the materials. Where six wagons were volun- 
 teered, twenty or more, if necessary, could easily be 
 procured. 
 
 We may remark that the desert itself supplied this 
 
 wood in abundance, and the copious store of metals, 
 gems and weaving materials were provided in ad- 
 vance by the divine direction (Exod. iii, 22; xi, 2) to 
 ask (Heb. shaal, the common word for a request. A. V. 
 most unfortunately "borrow," for they never ex- 
 pected or were expected to restore) these tilings of 
 the Egyptians (a just demand for their long and 
 severe and unrequited labor), and the latter were only 
 glad to bestow in hopes of hastening the departure 
 of their late serfs (Exod. xii, 33-36). These valuables 
 they afterwards freely contributed, as they were of 
 little use for commercial purposes in the Desert. 
 
 * In the cam}) the position of the several tribes was 
 as shown on the following diagram (Num. ii, iv, vii). 
 
 East. 
 
 Judah 
 
 Zebulon Issachar 
 
 Moses 
 
 Asher Aaron Simeon 
 
 Aaronitcs 
 
 gDan 
 
 Baggage S 
 
 ^ Baggage Reuben g 
 
 Gershouites 
 
 Naphtali Gad 
 
 Baggage 
 
 Benjamin Manasseh 
 
 Epliraim 
 
 West. 
 
 The route pursued (See Plate I) was substantially 
 the same as the one usually followed by modern tour- 
 ists, and presents no insurmountable obstacles, but 
 has several difficult passes. It must be remembered 
 that Moses himself was familiar with the region, and 
 that he had in addition the guidance of his wife's rel- 
 atives, and especially the ever-present pillar of cloud 
 and tire. A special Providence is intimated at every 
 step and juncture. 
 
 On preparing Ibr the march the priests (Aaronites, 
 
INNER VAIL. 
 
 51 
 
 III. The inner room, called the Most Holy Place (" holy of holies," a Hebra- 
 ism), which we may compare to a shrine, was but a continuation of the front room, 
 the walls, roof-canvas and side-curtains being the same. There are therefore but twt> 
 objects of special consideration here. (See Plate IV, C.) 
 
 1. The only division between the rooms was another screen, entirely similar to 
 that of the outer door-way, except in one particular, and thei-efore requiring discus- 
 sion only as to two points, in which it will be found highly determinative, as its name 
 in the original implies (IIeb.^x</'(yA'^^/<, lit. a separation., i. e. partition; applied only 
 to this one piece of drapery). It is particularly described in Exod. xxvi, 31-33; 
 xxxvi, 35, 36. (See Plate IV, ^.) 
 
 (1.) This differed from that of the door-way of the Holy Place in one respect 
 only ; it was an embroidery of cherubim instead of plain figures, resembling in this 
 feature the side-curtains, except that these were doubtless (as Ave will hereafter see) 
 depicted with extended wings touching each other (requiring but two figures to fill 
 
 i. e. sons of Aaron) first took down the Vail and 
 folded it over the Mercy-seat, then wrapped the whole 
 Ark in a blanket of fur [kept for this purpose], and 
 covered this again witli a sheet of all-wool violet, 
 drawing the side-bars into a proper position. Xext 
 they covered the Table of Show-bread with a similar 
 woolen cloth, placed all the dishes close around the 
 piles of bread, wrapped the whole in a sheet of (all- 
 wool) crimson, and covered this again witli a fur 
 blanket, putting in the side-bars for transportation. 
 Tliirdlj-, tliey wrapped up tlie candelabrum and all 
 its apparatus in a slieet of (all-wool) violet, put the 
 whole in a sack of fur, and hung it on a pole, to be 
 carried in like manner. Fourthly, they wrapped the 
 Altar of Incense in a similar violet sheet, and covered 
 it with a blanket of fur, putting in the bars for carry- 
 ing it. Fifthly, they wrapped up all the other ves- 
 sels of the Sanctuary (including the silver trumpets, 
 and the golden censers) in a similar violet sheet, and 
 put them in another fur bag for carrying upon a 
 pole. The Laver was doubtless prepared for trans-, 
 portation in like manner. Lastly, they cleared out 
 all the (coals and) ashes from the Altar of Burnt- 
 offering, spread a purple (all-wool) cloth over it, set 
 all its (copper) utensils within (upon the grate), and 
 then threw over the whole a blanket of fur, putting in 
 the bars for carr3'ing. Not until all this was done did 
 the Levites (of the family of Kohath) approach to 
 take up the pieces of furniture, place the bearing- 
 poles on their shoulders, and march away with them. 
 The other Levites tlien came, took down the court, tent 
 and walls, and packed them on the wagons. The 
 ofder in the line of march was according to tlie fol- 
 lowing diagram, all parties retaining as nearly as pos- 
 sible the relative position of the encampment. 
 
 Jndah, 
 Issachar, 
 Zebulon. 
 
 Moses, 
 Aaron, 
 Priests. 
 
 Dan, 
 
 Reuben, 
 
 Simeon, 
 
 Gad. 
 
 Kohathites 
 
 (loith the. Furnilure 
 on Vteir SJioulders), 
 
 Asher, Oershouites 
 
 {with the Tent-stuff and Cordage 
 on 2 Wagons), 
 Naphtali. Merarites 
 
 {with the Wooden-wo)k and 
 FixiMres on 4 WagoTis). 
 
 Ephraim, 
 Manasseh, 
 Benjamin. 
 
 It may be presumed that the stations enumerated 
 in E.xod. xii-xix; Num. xxxiii, represent only the 
 principal encampments, where the Israelites stopped 
 for a considerable period; and that the route indi- 
 cated was that of the headquarters only, consist- 
 ing of the leaders, the families and the ecclesiasti- 
 cal establishment, while the younger men were 
 scattered extensively over the peninsula in charge 
 of the flocks and herbs. The pasturage appears to 
 have been much more abundant tlien than now, owing 
 to the denudation of the region of its trees ami 
 sjirubs (for fuel, especially tlie manufacture of cliar- 
 coal for sale in Egypt), and the consequent drying up 
 of the streams. 
 
52 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 the space*), for the cloth was (like the other screens) stretched tight (and therefore 
 its length needed not to be mentioned, the space being otherwise given, namely, tlie 
 entire width of the room). 
 
 (2.) It was suspended, like the other door-way screens, upon pillars, in tliis case 
 made and furnished exactly like those of the front room, except that their sockets (and 
 of course their tenons also) were of silver instead of copper, and that they do not 
 appear to have had any connecting rods. The reason for this last difference is that 
 the curtain was fastened, not only (as usual with the rest) by (gold) hooks in the pil- 
 lars, but also (as we will presently see) to the side-planhs, and thus the whole line was 
 kept from swaying transversely to the building. The pillars moreover were four 
 instead of five (as in the case of the front-door), because no central one was required 
 to sustain the peak here, and the end ones did not need to touch the wall for their 
 support. We therefore presume that they were placed with equal distances between 
 them and also between them and the walls ; thus making live spaces of two cubits each 
 (from centre to centre, less ^ cubit for the spaces adjoining the walls). We prefer this 
 method of distribution to that which places them in contact with the walls, leaving three 
 spaces only ; because in that plan the passage-ways to the Holy of Holies, where a single 
 man passed but once a year, are made wider than those of the front door-way through 
 wliich many ])ersons must have passed together often every day. The passage-ways 
 are thus found to contract at every successive inclosure from without inward, as pro- 
 })riety demands.f 
 
 (3.) The position of this inner Vail becomes important, in the first place, for the ob- 
 vious reason that the dimensions of the two rooms as to length are indicated only by this 
 division-line, and yet its location in this respect is not expressly stated at all. We are left 
 to the presumption that the inner room was a square, and the outer one twice as long as 
 broad ; conclusions that are certified by the proportions of the corresponding apart- 
 ments in the Temple, as all agree. This will make the dividing line fall at | of the 
 width of the 7th plank from the rear, and a hook must therefore be inserted at that 
 point in the side-walls for that purj)ose, the presumption l)eing that the posts on 
 which the Vail hung were wholly within the Most Holy Place (i. e. the screen on their 
 outer face, as in both the other cases). 
 
 There is l)ut one other intimation in the text concerning the position of the 
 \'A\\, and the value or necessity of giving it (which is done in the most explicit terms, 
 as if soinething important) does not appear until after close study. It is this : " And 
 thou shalt hang up [lit. "give," i. e. j)laee] the Vail uiuler the taches [i. e. knobs of 
 the side-curtains] " (Exod. xxvi, 33).:}: It must be borne in mind that the side- 
 
 *From 1 KinijH vi, 23, 24, it appears that the 
 spread of a oliprub's wintrs was reckoned as equal to 
 the vvhoic lioii^ht of tlio fip^tirc. Hence these two 
 clicrnbs touching each otlier with outstretched wings 
 would leave an exactly equal margin on the Vail at the 
 bottom and sides.snpposing them to be placed just as far 
 from th^top as on the side-curtains, wliere they would 
 seem tc have been set in the middle of tlie bfcidlhs. 
 
 f We will find another and more conclusive reason 
 for this arrangement, when we come to consider the 
 succession of colors on the wall drapery. 
 
 J Since it is not said how much below the knobs the 
 Vail is to be set, the legitimate inference is that it is 
 to be put immediately beneath them, as in other in- 
 stances (Exod. XXV, 35 : xxvi, 19; xxx, 4), whereas 
 an interval (if any) is always iiulicaled by a difl'ercnl 
 
POSITION OF THE VAIL. 
 
 53 
 
 curtains are only 4 cubits wide (i. e. liigli, when Imng), wliile the Vail is 5 cubits ; 
 tlie knobs therefore must have been set in the planks one cubit above the upper edge 
 of the curtains. The direction in question reveals to us two interesting facts : first 
 that the Vail was directly attached to the walls, but not to the knobs (for, as we have 
 seen, a knob does not fall at the right spot ; nor could the Vail be buttoned conven- 
 iently or securely upon one, had it been at the place, for it would not project in the 
 proper direction), and secondly, that the loops were of such a length that the top of 
 the curtains came one cubit lower than the knobs. The diagram (Fig, 19) on p. 40 
 shows how mathematically true this would be in the mode of hanging the curtains 
 which we have devised.* 
 
 expression (e. g. Exod. xxvi, 12, 25 ; xxvii, 5). Ob- 
 serve also that the language is, " under the i<nobs," 
 i. e. their line in general, not under any particular 
 knob. It should furtlier be noted that this special 
 command concerning the Vail could not have been 
 given for the purpose of fixing its location or dimen- 
 sions, since it really does not accomplisli tliis in any 
 direction ; nor yet for the purpose mainly and simply 
 of indicating the height of the knobs from the 
 ground (however usefully it may incidentally serve 
 this end), for that might have been more directly 
 and briefly stated. It was intended rather, as the 
 language itself without any circumlocution implies, 
 to point out some peculiarity in the mode of suspend- 
 ing the Vail, different from that of the other screens, 
 at the two ends at least (the most important points}, 
 namely, by a hook in the planks themselves, and 
 not in the posts as elsewlieve. 
 
 We liave assumed that the hangings of the in- 
 terior door-ways, namely, of the Holy and the Most 
 Holy places, were uniform in height with those of 
 the outer court, i. e. 5 cubits (Kxod. xxxviii, 18). in- 
 asmuch as they were all for a like purpose of screen- 
 ing from ordinary view. In the case of the Vail this 
 is specially confirmed by the parallel height of the 
 golden knobs, whicli could not well have been lower, 
 if thej' were to furnish an adequate point of attach- 
 ment for the interior stay-ropes, nor higher, if these 
 last were not to encroach inconveniently upon the 
 margin required about the furniture. The triangula- 
 tion of the colored loops (Fig. 19) also corroborates 
 the same conclusion. 
 
 * There j^et remains a still more crucial test of the 
 accuracy and consistency of our method of disposing 
 of these colored curtains. As the full planks are 
 each 1^ cubits wide, with a knob and a loop to each, 
 and as the joined sheets are each twice as long as 
 ilic entire circuit of the planks, it follows that every 
 looped portion assigned to a plank must be 3 cubits 
 long, which allows exactly one cubit for each of the 
 component stripes of color. Now since the Hat panels 
 
 of violet, containing the figure of the clierubim, are 
 each to be f of a cubit wide between the ends of the 
 loops that stretch them out, or a full cubit including 
 the loops and their eyelets, there are left two cubits 
 for the other two colors, one on each slope of the 
 intervening fold of cloth. 
 
 Again, as the entire length of each of the com- 
 bined sheets is 140 cubits, a number not divisible by 
 3 without a remainder, it follows that, if the stripes 
 were woven uniformly in each separate (or uncom- 
 bined) curtain-breadth (as we cannot doubt they 
 were), some one at least of the colors must have 
 fallen short or been redundant at one end or the 
 other ; and the same conclusion results from the 
 fact that each of these original or separate curtain- 
 pieces of stufif was 28 cubits long, giving 9 full series 
 of colors (9X3 = 27), and a surplus cubit for an en- 
 tire stripe. Let us now suppose that the stripes be- 
 gin at the f I'ont edge of the north planks, and proceed 
 regularly along the walls (after the Heb. order of 
 reading, as elsewhere observed), in the invariable 
 succession of colors as enunciated in the sacred 
 text, until they terminate at the front edge of the 
 south wall. In order to bring the violet about the 
 middle of the first plank (a position required as that 
 of the embroidered panel, with its connected violet 
 loops), let us commence with the color immediately 
 preceding, i. e. the crimson ; and we will do this 
 with a half stripe, instead of a whole one, in accord- 
 ance with our uniform custom in the case of the 
 door-screens. (This half-stripe of crimson, be it 
 noted, will be hidden by the door-pillar at tliat point, 
 so that the series will appear to begin in fact with 
 the violet stripe, the one always mentioned first \v. 
 the textual order of enumeration.) The succeeding 
 purple stripe, together with half the following crim- 
 son one, will complete the drapery for the fiist plank, 
 the whole being in entire symmetry, panel and loops 
 properly adjusted to the knob, and commencing as 
 well as ending with a half stripe of the same color. 
 The series will go on regularly, until we reach the 
 
54 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 2, At length wehav^e reached the most sacred of all the penet folia oi the Taber- 
 nacle, which doubtless occupied the exact centre of the Holy of Holies (but a different 
 
 end of tlie first piece of cloth, which will terminate 
 with a half stripe of violet at the middle of the 10th 
 plank; and the second piece of stuff, resuming the 
 same series with another half stripe of violet will 
 carry on the order regularly again to the end of this 
 piece, terminating with a half stripe of purple at tlie 
 last third of the 19th plank. The third piece of cloth 
 will there take up tlie same order with another lialf 
 stripe of purple, which, together with half the ad- 
 joining stripe of crimson will complete that plank, 
 and the corner will be reached in like manner by the 
 first half of the next crimson stripe, the middle of 
 each plank thus far being in every instance covered 
 by tlie violet panel. Here the half-cubit of the rear 
 corner-plank will change the adjustment, the remain- 
 ing half stripe of crimson making the short fold at 
 the corner (without any intervening Hat panel), and 
 the succeeding violet stripe carrying on the series 
 across the joint of the planks to the next fold, which 
 will consist of the purple and the crimson stripes 
 falling under the knob in the middle of the first full 
 rear-plank, as it should. This last arrangement will 
 continue regularly till the other corner-plank is 
 reached in like manner by the last half of the 8th 
 violet stripe of the third curtain-piece; and half the 
 adjoining purple one will make the short fold for that 
 plank, precisely as has been done in the opposite 
 corner; while the remainder of the purple stripe, 
 together with the whole of the succeeding crimson 
 will make up the (somewhat sliort) fold on the first 
 (i. e. rear) third of the 20th south plank (reckoned 
 from the front of the building). Here the violet 
 stripe next following will once more fall in tlie 
 middle of a side-plank, exactly corresponding to its 
 fellow on the opposite side of the room, and the 
 same arrangement will regularly continue for every 
 other side-plank to the front corner, the third cur- 
 tain-piece terminating with a crimson half-stripe at the 
 rear third of the 19th plank, the fourth piece with a 
 violet half-stripe at the front third of the 10th plank, 
 and tlie fifth piece with a purple half-stripe at the 
 extremity of the line (hidden by the other door-pillar). 
 Thus, tlie reversal of tlie order of the stripes on tlie 
 opposite sides of the rooms is so compensated by the 
 change in the panels at the corners that strict regu- 
 larity is maintained throughout the entire series, and 
 yet complete correspondence in the position of the 
 20 violet cherubim-panels on each side, and the 7 at 
 the end. 
 
 Once more, the Vail, being 20 cubits from the 
 
 front, and 10 cubits from the rear of the interior, will 
 fall at the end of the first third of the 14th plank 
 from the entrance (13ixU= 20), or (what is tlie same 
 thing) at the end of the second third of the 7th plank 
 from the end (6|X 1^=10); and this point will be at 
 the junction of a crimson with a violet stripe on the 
 north side, and of a purple with a violet one on the 
 south side, in both cases immediately in front of the 
 14th violet (or cherub) panel from the entrance 
 (where, be it noted, we have placed no pillar to hide 
 it). This will give exactly 7 cherubim to each side, 
 and the same number to the rear of tlie Most Holy 
 Place, and 14 to each side and adjoining half of the 
 Vail in the Hoi}-- Place, while the two on the Mercy- 
 seat will correspond to the two on the Vail ; in no 
 instance a cherub on two colors at once. Moreover, 
 if the Vail itself be made to consist of two broad 
 stripes (purple and crimson) for its two cherubim, re- 
 spectively, witli a half stripe of violet on either 
 edge (like all the other door-screens), this will com- 
 plete the circuit of the colors continuously in their 
 uniform order around the three sides of the Holy 
 Place, as well as those of the Most Holy. 
 
 We are entitled to regard this marvellous series of 
 perfect coincidences in the symmetry and congruity of 
 the scheme which we have propounded for the adjust- 
 ment of this set of variegated wall-curtains, no less 
 than that of the plain roof- curtains, as a demonstra- 
 tion of its truth. Novel as it really is, and compli- 
 cated as it may at first sight appear, it must in the 
 end carry conviction with all who will take the pains 
 to trace it out. "When the great Kepler published 
 the volume in which he promulgated his famous 
 '• laws " of the mathematical proportions existing be- 
 tween the motions and distances of the planetary 
 bodies, that have since become the basis of all exact 
 calculations in astronomy, not anticipating their im- 
 mediate triumph in public acceptance, he is said to 
 have uttered the memorable words, "I can well 
 afford to wait even centuries, if need be, for an ap- 
 preciative reader of my theories, — since God has 
 waited 6,000 years for an intelligent observer of his 
 universe." In the same spirit of reverent confidence, 
 albeit on a much humbler scale, we may be allowed 
 to claim for our discoveries in regard to this piece of 
 the divine handicraft, that we can equally well afford 
 to wait a few years, if we must, for an adoptive 
 student of our theory, — since Moses has waited more 
 than three millennia for a consistent expositor of his 
 inspired account of the sacred Tabernacle. 
 
THE SACRED ARK. 
 
 SB. 
 
 spot in tlie Temple, 1 Kings viii, 8), This sole piece of furniture was the Ark,* 
 j irobably standing transversely in the apartment so as to exhibit to the best advantage 
 its several parts, which are described in Exod. xxv, 10-22 ; xxxvii, 1-9. 
 
 (1.) In construction it was altogether similar to the other acacia- wood boxes 
 which we have already considered, being 2^ cubits long, 1^ broad, and 1^ high (ex- 
 ternal dimensions), plated with gold inside and out, including the bottom and the top. 
 This last, called the " Mercy-seat " (Heb. happoreth^ lit. a covering, but not in the figura- 
 tive sense of expiation ; hence used only of this article), was in fact a movable lid, of 
 the same size as the Ark itself, and thus proved to have shut inside of the moulding-cor- 
 nice (" crown "), which it had, like the other boxes, and of course flush with it, on the 
 upper surface. It was likewise furnished with the usual apparatus for transportation, 
 in the form of gold rings and gold-cased bars ; but in this case they fitted together 
 tightly, so as never to be removed, w^hicli convenience for daily use required in the 
 other cases.f The golden censer, with which the High-priest once a year only entered 
 the Most Holy Place, was doubtless set upon this lid. 
 
 (2.) Upon this lid also, near either end, were placed those most remarkable 
 objects, the Cherubim, which are occasionally referred to in Scripture,:}: but of which 
 the most various and often grotesque representations have been made by later writers 
 and artists. We have, in this part of our work, to consider only their material form 
 and their posture, leaving their symbolical significance to a later chapter. 
 
 The statues (for they were such in the present case) were hammered out (the same 
 
 * Heb. aron, lit. a receptacle i. e. a chest ; as a coffer 
 for money (2 Kings xii, 9, 10), or a mummy-case 
 (Gen. 1, 26). 
 
 f The bars were not to be removed from the rings 
 of tlie Ark because of its superior sanctity, wliich 
 forbade all unnecessary handling (see 2 Sam. vi, 6, 7); 
 and there was not the same occasion for ready pas- 
 sage about it when at rest as in the case of the other 
 pieces of furniture similarly equipped. 
 
 \ Tliey are first mentioned in the account of the 
 expulsion from Eden (Gen. iii, 24), where they have 
 tlie emphatic prefix of the article {the cherubs, un- 
 fortunately neglected in the A. V.), as if already 
 well known ; and so in fact they must have been, 
 especially to the Israelites, who were familiar with 
 the representation of such figures on the Egyptian 
 monuments. Tlie winged animals of the Assyrian 
 sculptures are also imaginary creatures of a like sym- 
 bolical character, no doubt, but more gross in their 
 conception. Our chief information concerning Script- 
 ural cherubim (besides the passages here discussed) 
 is drawn from the visions of Ezekiel (x, xl), in which 
 tiiey figure conspicuously; together with a few hints 
 in Isaiah (vi). The forms in the account of Solomon's 
 Temple (1 Kings vi, 23-29; 2 Chron. iii, 10-13) and 
 Ezekiel's (xli, 18-20), although of colossal size, are 
 
 doubtless consistent with those in Exodus ; and the 
 living creatures of the Apocalypse (Rev. iv, 6-9) are 
 but reproductions of them. It is noteworthy tliat 
 the large cherubim of the Temple above spoken of 
 are two in number, apparently corresponding to those 
 on the Vail, and not to those on the Ark, which 
 were there also. Those on the Temple walls were in 
 like manner the representatives of the former em- 
 broideries on the side-curtains ; and it is a curious 
 corroboration of our disposal of them in panels with 
 a fold between, that the Temple wainscot was carved 
 witli alternate cherubim and palm-trees (Ezek. xli, 18), 
 the palm-trees taking the place of the fold, which 
 could not well be imitated in wood-carving. For 
 artistic effect, the head is there somewhat turned, so 
 as to fairly show two adjoining faces only; and of 
 course the nobler ones are selected. Tlie identity of 
 the " living creatures " of Ezekiel with the cherubim 
 is evinced by the fact that under both names they 
 are represented as supporting the triumphal car of 
 1 the Almighty (2 Sam. xxii, 11; Ezek. i, 26; ix. 3; 
 X, 1, 4); they both had wheels connected with them 
 (Ezek. i, 15; X, 9); were entirely similar in form 
 (Ezek. i, 10 ; x, 14, where the ox-face is called a 
 cherub-face, because the figure had a bovine leg and 
 foot) ; and in Ezek. x, 20, they are expressly identified. 
 
66 
 
 SriiUCTCIiE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 word is used as in prescribing tlie Candelabrum) of (sheets of) pure gold ; there- 
 fore hollow, and not a plating over carved figures, as were Solomon's (1 Kings vi, 
 35). They were doubtless in several pieces, put together like those of the Candel- 
 abrum. The figures themselves were fastened to the lid in like manner (Exod. xxv, 
 19, "of the Mercy-seat," lit, out from it, i. e. permanently a part of it).* 
 
 In shape the cherubim were substantially human, but had the split foot of an ox ; f 
 and in addition to the man's face (the proper front) they had thi-ce others, namelv. 
 
 Fig. 2(5. — Cherubim of an Eo^yptian Slirine carried \\\ a Boat by Priests. 
 
 those of a lion and an ox (on the right and left sides, respectively), and that of an 
 eagle (l^ehind). Again, in addition to liuman hands, they had two sets of wings, one 
 pair always folded (for the sake of modesty) obliquely downward and forward about 
 the pei-son, and the other used for flight or for various expressive motions or con- 
 ditions.;}: (See Plate V, G) 
 
 ♦None of tlie Heb. etymologies proposed for tlie 
 word chernh is at all satisfactory. Tlie surmise tliat 
 it may be a transposition for rtkeh, (a vehicle, namolj', 
 lor Jebovali), is tlie only one in the least degree plaus- 
 ible. Nor do the cognate Shemitic languages tiirow 
 any ligiil iii.oii tlie derivation. Probably it is of for- 
 eign origin, perhaps Egyptian. 
 
 fTlic "straight foot" of Ezck. i. 7. mpans the 
 slruiglit (or fore) log. Tlie same verso infdnns us 
 
 that their color (not of the legs onl}') was that of 
 polished copper. 
 
 X Tlic description in Ezek. i, 5-14, where they are 
 called animals {chayoth, A. V. " living creatures," like 
 the zoii of the Apocalypse, A. V. unfortunately 
 " beasts. " totally different from the clievdh, of Dan. 
 vii, tlie theria of Rev. xiii, which are ivild beasts, a 
 symbol of heathen political power, like those of the 
 Assyrian moiuMiionts), is very partioiiiar, espooiallj' 
 
CONTENTS OF THE ARK. 
 
 S7 
 
 Thej were no doubt the normal or full height of a man (i. e. 6 feet, somewhat 
 less than 4 cubits), and are always spoken of as maintaining an upright position (2 
 Chron. iii, 13).* In the specimens embroidered upon the side-curtains we have sup- 
 posed the upper or posterior pair of wings to be folded at the back and at the sides, in a 
 quiescent state, m* liile those figured upon the Vail were with these wings expanded hori- 
 zontally, and those upon the Ark had the same pair of wings spread obliquely upward 
 and forward in a hovering or brooding attitude (Exod, xxv, 20, lit. " And the cherubs 
 shall be [permanently] expanding [Hke a bird fluttering over its nest, Dent, xxxii, 11] 
 their wings as to upward, surrounding with their wings over the cover ").f They 
 stood facing each other, and looking down upon the Ark. The symbolism of these 
 postures we leave for the present, pausing here only to note that these last were on a 
 level (one cubit from the ground) witli those on the Vail, both being in a flying state, 
 and at the same time they agreed with those on the curtains as resting upon something. 
 
 (3.) The sacred Ark contained four articles, the first and most important of which 
 was that from which it derived its distinctive epithet, " Ark of the Covenant " (or 
 " Ark of the Law "), namely, of God with his people ; in other words the two tables 
 of stone, on which Jehovah with his own finger wrote the Decalogue, after they had 
 been prepared by Moses to replace the original two prepared by God himself, but 
 broken by Moses in consequence of the idolatry of the " golden calf " (Exod. xxxi, 
 18— xxxiv, 29, Deut. ix, 10— x, 5).:}: 
 
 The second article contained in the Ark was the autograph copy of the Law, 
 written out by Moses and deposited there (Deut. xxxi, 26) ; presumed to be the Pen- 
 
 vcr. 11, 12, which run literally, "And their faces and 
 tlieir wings [were] parted from as to upward ; two 
 [of the latter (as appears from ver. 9)] Joining, each 
 to each, and two covering their Vwdies. And each 
 toward the surface of his face they went; toward 
 witliersoever the [i. e. their] spirit might be to go 
 they went; they would not turn themselves about in 
 going." In other words, these singular creatures had 
 four faces and four wings apiece (but not four heads 
 nor four bodies), both the faces and the wings being 
 separated at tlie top of the compound person into two 
 sets of two each ; the upper two of the wings ex- 
 tending horizontally so as to toucli those of the ad- 
 joining creatures (in the form of a liollow square), 
 and the lower two bent diagonally toward each other 
 over the middle of the person: as they had four 
 fronts facing in every direction, and all actuated by 
 a common impulse, they did not need to turn round 
 in walking or flying; but moved immediately in the 
 direction of the face fronting the desired way. In 
 Isaiah (vi, 2-7), similar figures are called seraphim 
 (i. e. burning ones, from their flame-colored bodies), 
 having six wings (as in Rev. iv, 7. 8), four appro- 
 priated to purposes of modestj', the upper ones for 
 veiling the face, and the lower the secret paits. We 
 
 will have occasion to recur to this passage of Ezekiel 
 more minutelj' hereafter. 
 
 * Differing in this respect from those of the Kgypt- 
 ian monuments (where they are sometimes kneeling) 
 and the Revelation (where they are often horizontal 
 in worship). 
 
 f This whole scene is aptly illustrated by the de- 
 lineations of similar figures on the monuments of 
 Egypt (see Wilkinson's Anc. Egyptians, i, 267-271), 
 as well as of Assyria (Layard, Babylon and Nineveh, 
 p. 643). Any objection to such representations, as 
 conflicting witli the second commandment, is obviated 
 by the reflection that tliese were not figures of an}- 
 actual being or creature, but onlj^ of imaginary 
 objects. 
 
 \ The only accessible stone in the immediate vicin- 
 ity of Mt. Sinai is tiie bright red granite of Jebel 
 Mfisa itself, which is cracked into layers and checks 
 as if by fire, or the dark porphyry of the adjoinuig 
 mountains. On the summit of Jebel Musa there is a 
 thin layer of compact gray granite, which might have 
 been used. In any case two slabs of this size, one 
 under eacli arm, would have been a sufficient load for 
 a vigorous man to carry even down hill. We off'er 
 below some estimates on this point. 
 
S8 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 tateucliin full, and thought to be the same afterwards discovered in the time of Josiah 
 •< 2 Kings xxii, 8) ; but which must in the meanwhile have been removed, together 
 with all the contents presently to be considered, for in the days of Solomon the 
 Ark contained the two tables of the Law only (IKings viii, 9).* The other articles 
 •tleposited there were (as we learn also from Ileb. ix, 4) a golden pot of the prov- 
 idential manna (Exod. xvi, 33, 34), and the miraculously fruitful rod of Aaron (Num. 
 xvii, 10).t 
 
 *Tliis difficulty is discussed witli great erudition 
 ?ind at large by A. Sennert in his essay on the con- 
 tents of the sacred Ark (Z)e iis quae fuerunt in Area 
 Foederis, Wittenberg, 1680, 4to), who reaches the 
 ■conclusion tliat all the articles enumerated were orig- 
 inally placed either in or near the holy receptacle, and 
 rejects the rabbinnic opinion that a different ark is 
 also spoken of, in which the broken tables of the 
 original copy of the Law were deposited together with 
 these additional relics; but he is unable to determine 
 where or by whom the latter were eventually ab- 
 stracted. 
 
 f Some curious calculations may be indulged in re- 
 specting the suitableness of the dimensions of the 
 Ark for these purposes. As it was originally con- 
 structed mainly or wholly for their reception and 
 preservation, it may be presumed to have been just 
 large enough in length and breadth to hold them 
 conveniently ; but as they were comparatively thin 
 the box was made of shapely height, and thus tiiere 
 would be ample room above them for the other de- 
 posits. 
 
 But we will descend to a more minute comparison. 
 These stone slabs were inscribed on both sides ; and 
 one contained, it is generally believed, the first five 
 commandments (all of which relate to duties towards 
 superiors [whether God, 1-4; or parents, 5]; while 
 the other slab contained the remaining five (all of 
 which relate to duties towards equals); tluis corre- 
 sponding very closely to our Lord's epitome of them 
 into two precepts. The Ark had an interior capacity 
 (if we have rightly estimated the thickness of its bot- 
 tom and sides as Ijeing the same as in the case of the 
 Table of Show-bread and the Altnr of incense, namely 
 ^ of a cubit) of 2^ cubits long, 1^ wide, and lf\ 
 deep. This would allow the " Tables of the Law " to 
 be each 2^ cubits long, Ij wide, allowing J of a cubit 
 jit the side for introducing the fingers in order to 
 handle them, but giving no otiier play for sliding in 
 transportation. These proportions, exactly 2 to 1, 
 suggest a transverse, ratiier than (the conventional 
 one of) a longitudinal, division of each face of either 
 slab, yielding two columns, both exact squares, for 
 inscription. Deducting J of a cubit for margin, we 
 
 have left (in all) 8 spaces, each precisely one cubit 
 square, for engraving the only words ever known to 
 have been directly written by the Almighty in human 
 characters. Presuming these to have been identical 
 with those preserved to us in the two copies of the 
 Ten Commandments (although the passages recording 
 them, Exod. xx, 2-17 ; Dent, v, 6-21, have some ver- 
 bal variations, with regard to which we may presume 
 that the former is the more exact transcript), we may 
 proceed to distribute them according to the above 
 scheme. With Masoretic nicety we have counted 
 the whole number of Heb. letters in each edition (so 
 to speak) of the Decalogue in the original, and find 
 them to be as in the subjoined table (including the re- 
 markable variation in the reason assigned for observ- 
 ing I he Sabbath, and giving the notation of verses as in 
 the English Bible, also the several commandments). 
 
 
 Exod. AX. 
 
 
 
 Deut. V. 
 
 
 omm. 
 
 Verse. 
 
 Letters. 
 
 Comm. 
 
 Verse. 
 
 Letters. 
 
 
 2 
 
 41 
 
 
 6 
 
 40 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 23 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 24 
 
 II 
 
 4 
 
 59 
 
 II 
 
 8 
 
 58 
 
 
 5 
 
 74 
 
 
 9 
 
 74 
 
 
 6 
 
 29 
 
 
 10 
 
 29 
 
 III 
 
 7 
 
 51 
 
 III 
 
 11 
 
 51 
 
 IV 
 
 8 
 
 18 
 
 IV 
 
 12 
 
 34 
 
 
 9 
 
 24 
 
 
 13 
 
 24 
 
 
 10 
 
 74 
 
 
 14 
 
 108 
 
 
 11 
 
 87 
 
 
 15 
 
 87 
 
 V 
 
 12 
 
 53 
 
 V 
 
 16 
 
 78 
 
 VI 
 
 i;5 
 
 6 
 
 VI 
 
 17 
 
 6 
 
 vri 
 
 14 
 
 6 
 
 VII 
 
 18 
 
 7 
 
 VIII 
 
 15 
 
 6 
 
 VIII 
 
 19 
 
 7 
 
 IX 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 
 IX 
 
 20 
 
 16 
 
 X 
 
 17 
 
 54 
 
 X 
 
 21 
 
 60 
 
 From this it appears that the first tabic (including 
 the prefatory verse) would contain 593 (or 608) let- 
 ters, and the second only 87 (or 96) letters: which is 
 so enormous a disparity as to overthrow this logical 
 division altogether, so far as any recognition in the 
 original form of the Decalogue is concerned. (Judging 
 from the most ancient MSS. and still older inscrip- 
 tions, scholars are generally agreed that words wero 
 
THE 8ACRED PERFUMERY. 
 
 £9 
 
 3. As accessories to the sacred apparatus, we may appropriately mention in this 
 connection the perfumery used for this purpose exclusively, minute directions for pre- 
 paring which are given. This was of two kinds, one a solid, the other a liquid. 
 
 (1.) The incense,* burned as we have seen above, was made of equal parts of four 
 kinds of powerful spices, all of them except one being vegetable gums, namely (as is 
 probable), storax, f onycha, % galbanum, || and unadulterated frankincense, ^ trit- 
 
 universally written wilhout any spaces between them 
 until comparatively recent times.) The only equable 
 division (unless extensive gaps or vacant spaces are 
 admitted — a very unlikely supposition) would seem 
 to be to put the commandments concerning the Sab- 
 bath and parents (which are quite as much a civil 
 and human as a divine and religious statute) into the 
 second table ; thus making one to contain 337 (or 
 277) letters, and the other 343 (or 427). By a similar 
 equalization the subdivision on the two sides of each 
 table would fall, in the first table at the middle of the 
 second commandment, leaving three verses for each 
 side (123 or 122 words to 144); and in the second 
 table at the end of the fourth commandment, giving 
 four verses for the first side (203 or 333 words), to 
 six (mostly very short) verses for the second side 
 (140 or 174 words, the disparity in the last possibly 
 indicating a blank at the end. 
 
 We have waded through the special dissertations 
 of the following authors on this subject, and received 
 but little aid or comfort in archaeological respects: 
 V. Schmuck {De Prceceptorura Decalogi Justa Distri- 
 butione, Leipsic, 1606, 4to; — by review of opinions), 
 V. W. Wolfrum {De Distributione Decalogi, Witten- 
 berg, 1606, 4to; — by logical propositions), S. Bohl 
 (De Vera Divisione. Decalogi, Rostock, 1637, 4to; — by 
 the Heb. accents), C. Walther (De Duahua Tahulis 
 Lapideis, Konigsburg, 1679, 4to; — by citations of 
 Jewish authorities), J. J. Strome_yer {Harmonia Deca- 
 logi, Jena, 1712, 4to ; — by parallel passages), G. F. 
 Gernhard {De Differentia Noni et Decimi in Decalogo 
 Prcecepti, Coburg, 1748, 4to; — by logic and review of 
 authorities), J. F. Hirt {Primum Decalogi PrcRceptum 
 non esse Negativum, Jena, 1755, 4to; — by authority, 
 the accents and logic). Nor have we found later dis- 
 cussions on the same subject more luminous for 
 our purpose. Thelogical and ecclesiastical polemics 
 seem to have been the mainspring of inquiry through- 
 out. Keil, in his Commentary on the Pentateuch 
 (Clark's translation, ii, 108-113), gives a clear and 
 judicious review of the discussion, and settles upon a 
 distribution substantially agreeing with ours. 
 
 Now a single slab of ordinary marble, of the size 
 indicated above (let us say, for convenience of com- 
 parison and calculation, 4 feet long by 2 wide), if 
 merely one inch thick, would weigh about 118 pounds. 
 
 as we have computed from actually weighing a smaller 
 piece. The tables of the law certainly could not 
 have been thinner than this, for they would have 
 broken by their own weight in transportation ; and 
 the stone was probably not of less specific gravity 
 than marble. At this minimum estimate, it would 
 have been quite impossible for one person to carry 
 two such up a steep and lofty hill (as Moses did the 
 second pair of tablets), nor could he have clasped 
 one of such dimensions under either arm. It is evi- 
 deut, therefore, that they were of but half that size, 
 and thus intended to fit into tiie Ark side by side, or 
 rather end to end. This will reduce each to a square 
 of about 1^ cubits, after deducting sufficient spaoe 
 along the sides for inserting the fingers to lift the 
 tables when necessary, and will leave a clear centre 
 or page for tlie inscription exactly one cubit square, 
 besides a suitable margin. 
 
 Finally, it may be interesting to note that if this 
 interior square were covered evenly by the lettering, 
 there would be an average room of more tiian a 
 square inch for each letter, or (as most letters are 
 more or less narrower than a square) it would accom- 
 modate characters about an inch long, and leave an 
 ample blank or interval between the lines. We 
 may therefore suppose that the words were arranged 
 in 10 lines with about 15 to 20 letters to the line; 
 distributed probably in paragraphs corresponding to 
 the several commandments, and perhaps leaving some 
 of the lines short, where the letters in a clause were 
 fewer or smaller than the average. 
 
 * Heb. ketoreth has-sammim, lit. incense of the 
 aromas {A. Y. "sweet incense"), i. e. perfumed, in 
 order to distinguish it from ordinary fumigation. 
 
 f Heb. naldph (A. V. " stacte"), lit. ooze, i. e. distill- 
 ing like drops, a resin ; in this case the product of 
 the styrax officinale, a small tree of Syria. 
 
 \ Heb. shecheleth, lit. a scale (like a finger nail) ; the 
 shell of the perfumed mollusk, blaita byzantina, found 
 in the Mediterranean, and yielding a musky odor when 
 burned. 
 
 II Yleh.chelbendh,\it. something/a<, an exudation from 
 several Oriental plants. 
 
 ^Heb. lebondh, lit. something white; the produce of 
 some species of boswelUa, grown in Arabia and Judaea. 
 
60 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 iirated together to a powder (Exod. xxx, 34-36). Late Jewish writers add to these 
 ingredients certain proportions of myrrh, cassia, spikenard, saffron and salt, and also 
 state that it was manufactured in quantities of 368 manehs (about 825 pounds) in a 
 particular room of the Temple by a family of the Levites delegated for that purpose. 
 The incense was burned twice a day (i. e. at the time of morning and evening sacri- 
 fice) on the Altar of Incense by three priests (in a later age, as we learn from Tahnud- 
 ical writers ; but doubtless in a similar manner to the same act performed once a year 
 by the high-priest alone upon the Mercy-seat, Lev. xvi, 11, 12), one of whom took 
 away the golden fire-pan and ashes of the preceding offering, another brought in a 
 fresii pan of live coals from the Great Altar, while the third performed the fuming 
 by throwing upon the coals successive pinches of the incense, of which he carried a 
 double fistful in the hollow of his left hand. (See the whole process illustrated very 
 analogously from the monuments in Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians.^ i, 125, Am. ed.) 
 The dense mass of smoke, which so highly volatile a substance as the incense was 
 would immediately create, was readily carried off by the open gables of the front 
 room and the vent at the top of the gable of the rear room. 
 
 (2.) The ointment,* employed in the consecration of the Tabernacle and its priests 
 (and eventually in the inauguration of kings also), was composed of spontaneously- 
 flowing myrrh and cassia, 500 shekels (about 680 pounds) each, and of cinnamon and 
 calannis, half as much each, with one hin (about 4 quarts) of olive oil, carefully com- 
 pounded into a paste (Exod. xxx, 23-25). 
 
 IV. The dress of the sacerdotal order, when on duty in the sacred precincts, was 
 minutely prescribed (Exod. xxviii);t but as no shoes or sandals are mentioned, it 
 may be inferred that the ministrants all went barefoot, notwithstanding the exposure 
 in inclement weather ; and this is confirmed by the command of Jehovah to Moses on 
 the first interview in this region, to divest himself of foot-covering in the Divine 
 Presence (Exod. iii, 5). (See Plate VI.) 
 
 1. The Levites, as being unconsecrated individually, had no canonical robes 
 specifically appointed for them ; and therefore wore the dress usual with male Ori- 
 entals to the present day. This substantially consists of the following pieces, omitting 
 the sandals for the feet, for the reason assigned above. First there is a nether gar- 
 ment or shirt, usually without sleeves, loose and flowing nearly to the knees ; in 
 general of white linen (now-a-days cotton, often colored), and this is commonly the 
 only clothing, when the wearer is at hard work ; but to appear elsewhere in such disha- 
 bille was accounted as virtually being naked. (See Fig. 30.) In the case of the Levites 
 we may suppose that it was somewhat improved beyond the lowest type, but still it 
 doubtless consisted (substantially like the drawers below described, but folded ver- 
 tically) of a simple piece of cloth about one yard wide and two yards long, doul)led 
 at the top (where a slit is made for the neck), and stitched together at the sides, 
 
 ♦Lit. (Exod. xxx. 25), " And lliou slialt make it an 
 oil of anointing of sanctity, a perfuming perfume, tiie 
 work of !i perfumer: an oil of anointing of sanctity- 
 it shall be." 
 
 f The directions, as usual in the sacred narrative, 
 begin with the central object, which is here the in- 
 spired ephod; but convenience with us requires the 
 opposite order. 
 
MODERN ORIENTAL DRESS. 
 
 61 
 
 except an aperture at their top for tlie arms, the latter being covered haK-way to 
 I the elbows by the loose folds at the corners. This garment is held close to the 
 body in the middle by a girdle, an essential article of apparel, which served to form 
 a pocket in the bosom and for tucking in the ends of the skirts when running, etc. 
 (See Fig. 31.) Next conies, with all well-dressed people, an upper garment or 
 mantle^ frequently (among the poor) consisting only of a simple piece of cloth (linen 
 or wool, colored or plain, according to circumstances), thrown loosely around the 
 shoulders like a shawl, and hanging down nearly to the feet ; but in more respectable 
 society frequently assuming the form of a gown, with sleeves, especially when in public 
 with no other garment. Besides these is a turban, or square piece of thin cloth (linen 
 in those days of course), folded diagonally, and wound skilfully about the head, the 
 
 Fio. 27. — A Fi'Unh PL-asant. 
 
 Fig. 28. — a Bedaunn Sheik. 
 
 ends being tucked in (see Fig. 33) ; and lastly, a cloak (Arab, ahha) for rough weather, 
 consisting of a long, thick woollen shawl, with a hole for the neck, and wrapped close 
 about the entire body. On holiday or particular occasions, these would be exchanged 
 for new, clean and bright garments of the same kind, or (among the upper classes) for 
 other more elaborate ones, accompanied by ornaments, chiefly in the form of jewelry, 
 such as anklets, bracelets, etc. ; for even men in the East do not disdain such finery. 
 We may presume that the Levites, like other laymen, were decked with something of 
 this higher style while ministering (" in the beauty of holiness," lit. in the ornament 
 of sanctity, i. e. in festive attire, 1 Chron. xvi. 29; 2 Cliron. xx, 21; Psa. xxix, 2; 
 xcvi, 9). The annexed drawings, from photographs of modern natives of the Desert 
 (Figs. 27, 28), are probably fair representations of the common out-door garb of secu- 
 lar Hebrews, of the upper and lower classes respectively, at the period of the Exode. 
 2. For all priests, however, a peculiar costume or " uniform " was imperatively 
 
62 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 ordered, while they were officially serving at the Sanctuary, although of course on 
 other occasions and elsewhere they wore the ordinary di-ess of plain citizens. It is 
 described in Exod. xxviii, 40-43 ; xxix, 8, 9, as consisting substantially of four 
 articles, in which we may easily recognise the most essential of the above Oriental 
 elements of apparel, with one additional ; and those appear to be all that ordinary 
 priests were to wear, while the High-priest was to have the same with certain peculi- 
 arities and additions. In the case of common priests it served as a distinction from 
 laical apparel and also from the Levitical, by being of a more ornamental style (A. V. 
 lit. "for glory and for beauty," the latter word being the same which we have above 
 translated " ornament," but here enhanced by a stronger term prefixed as an adj., i. e. 
 " an honorary ornament " or official badge). 
 
 (1.) First was a pair of linen drawers * worn for the sake of decency (as is ex- 
 pressly stated) ; which, we apprehend, were not in the Occidental form of trowsers, 
 
 Fio. 29— Modern Oriental Drawers for a Gentleman. 
 
 Fig. 30.— Modem Oriental Shirt. 
 
 but the nether integument (Arabic I'ihas) of a modern Oriental dragoman or other 
 genteel person, consisting merely of a single piece of linen cloth, but thin and of 
 natural color, in the case of ordinary priests, about a yard wide and two yards long, 
 doubled transversely into a square bag, and stitched together at one side and at the 
 bottom ; with the (selvedge) toj) open so as to be drawn together by a cord around 
 tlie waist, and a hole left in each bottom corner for the legs, being fulled up so as to 
 be gathered by a similar cord at the upper part of the calf like a garter. (See Fig. 20.) 
 It is loose and cool, and though somewhat clumsy (as the width hangs in folds between 
 the legs, and stretches out in walking), yet not ungraceful, presenting a decent 
 medium between frock-skirts and pantaloons. Vulgar people, who otherwise go 
 
 * Heb. only in tlio dual miknesayiui, lit. douhh 
 wrappers (A. V. "breeches"), used only of this 
 article, whicli, appears to have been d(!vised for the 
 purpose; for Oriental nomads as well as peasants 
 are proverbially sans-culoites. They reached '' from 
 
 the loins and as far as the thighs," which must mean 
 that they entirely covered both these parts, i. e. they 
 went to the knee and necessarily enough below tliis 
 to fasten securely and comfortably. The legs, like 
 tiie feet, were doubtless bare. 
 
THE SACERDOTAL GARMENTS. 
 
 63* 
 
 entirely naked while at work in the open fields, especially in the sultry climate of 
 Egypt, wear, in lieu of this, a simple loin-cloth.* 
 
 (2.) Next came the tunic f either of unbleached linen or of wool, according to 
 weather (plain for the ordinary priest), not long (for it was no doubt tucked into the 
 drawers, like a shirt), and (it is generally thought) with sleeves (although none are 
 alluded to in Scripture, and the statements of Josephus and the Rabbins are too late 
 for this period), being evidently the common Oriental undress of the present day as 
 above. (See Fig. 30.) 
 
 (3.) At the middle, where these two articles met, and covering their union, was 
 the 8ash,:j: indispensable (as seen above) at the present day in the East ; consisting of 
 a broad band of woollen cloth, usually of bright color (here, in the case of an ordinarj^ 
 priest, merely variegated, it is most likely), at least two yards long, wound into a 
 girdle about the waist, and tied together in front, the ends hanging down like tassels.. 
 ( vjo Fig. 31.) The high-priest's sash was quite different. (See Plate VI, />, iii.) 
 
 Fig. 31.— Modern Oriental Girdle (extended). 
 
 (4.) Surmounting the figure, and completing the sacerdotal apparel, was the cap 
 (the material again not prescribed), for which a different term § is employed respect- 
 ing ordinary priests from that used in the case of the high-priest. In the absence of 
 all distinctive details, we are left to the mere etymological force of the word, aided 
 somewhat by the customs of ancient and modern Orientals ; and therefore we 
 hazard the conjecture that the common priestly head-covering was simply the skull- 
 cap (Arabic araMyeh), which is now worn by Syrian Mohammedans night and day 
 (being frequently changed of course), as they generally shave the head ; whereas the- 
 
 * The description of Oriental dress in Lane's 
 Modern Egyptians, i, 39, is minute, but too elaborate 
 to suit the Israelites, being largely affected by Turk- 
 ish and European associations. The same is true 
 likewise of most modern descriptions of tlie costumes 
 of Syria and Asia Minor. The ancient Hebrew dress, 
 especially of the period of tlie Exode, more nearly 
 approached the present Bedawin type, which has 
 never materially changed. The specimen in Cant. 
 V, 11-15, is of course an unusual or wedding suit. 
 The extreme simplicity of the principal Oriental gar- 
 ments makes them fit almost any person indifferently 
 (.Tudg. xiv, 19; Matt, xxii, 11). 
 
 f Heb. keihonetJi, lit. a coverer, A. V. " coat," always 
 the garment next to the skin; as in Gen. iii, 21. 
 When it reached to the ankles, like a gown, it was 
 properly distinguished by the epithet passim (lit. of 
 
 the steps, i. e. feet, A V. " of many [divers] col- 
 ours," Gen. xxxvii, 3 ; 2 Sam. xiii, 18). The male 
 dress of Orientals is much shorter than that of Occi- 
 dentals. "We must be constantly on our guard 
 against copying European fashions in our represent- 
 ations of this subject. Facility of motion was, 
 the main requisite with the ancients in this matter, 
 and even partial nudity was of little account, espe- 
 cialh' in ordinary avocations. 
 
 ^ Heb. abnet, lit. a hand (A. V. " girdle "), a foreign, 
 word, used only of this priestly article, and thence 
 transferred to the girdle of a man of rank (Isa. xxii, 
 21). It was therefore not the common belt (Heb. 
 chagor, a binder, fem. chagordh. which is the term 
 usually rendered "girdle" in the A. V.). 
 
 § Heb. rnibgedh, lit. something arched, A. V. "bon- 
 net." 
 
64 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 Hebrews appear to liave kept their full hair, and to have dispensed with any head- 
 dress in ordinary avocations.* (See Fig. 32.) If we are correct, this priestly cap was 
 made np to fit the head, and of this we shall find some confirmation when we come 
 to consider the high-priest's head-dress. (See Plate VI, D.) 
 
 3. The pontifical regalia we will accordingly discuss in the same order, noting 
 first the fact that all the articles above elucidated are present in some form or other 
 
 in the high-priest's attire likewise, 
 the drawers, shirt and cap remain- 
 ing unchanged, except as to color 
 and thickness of fabric.f The 
 tunic is now said to be check- 
 ered,:}: i. e. laid ofl: in regular 
 blocks by stripes of threads of 
 thicker (double - stranded) and 
 bleached linen both in the warp 
 and the woof at regular intervals 
 among the thinner (single-strand- 
 ed) threads of the bleached linen 
 foundation (for it was all still 
 one color and material), like tlie 
 " plaid muslin " of the present day. The sash was embroidered with needle-work, 
 of fancy pattern, we presume, probably uniform, because no figure is mentioned, and 
 (if a regular one) it would be distorted by the folds and the knot. The cap is ex- 
 changed for (or perhaps, as in the modern East, inclosed in) a regular turban § M'hich, 
 
 >eciiinin.) 
 
 * We presume, however, that when greatly ex- 
 posed out-of-doors, tliey wore something correspond- 
 ing to l!ie Bedawin kefiyeh for men, and the vail for 
 women; both of wliich are notliing but u square 
 piece of cloth cast over tlie head and hanging down 
 over the shoulders, the men usually fancying gay 
 colors, and holding theirs on by a cord around the 
 head. (See Fig. 28.) 
 
 f In Exod. xxxix, 27-29, the sliirts and caps are 
 said to be of bleached linen, and the drawers of 
 douVjIe-twisted material of the same sort, " for Aaron 
 and his sons;" but from the fact that in the same 
 list several articles are enumerated which were as- 
 signed to the high-priest alone, it would appear that 
 the addition "and his sons" there designates only 
 the prospective iiigli-priests (as in xxviii, 4). and not 
 ordinary priests, for whom accordingly these pieces 
 of clothing arc clsowhero (xxviii, 40-43) specified as 
 liciug of "linen " simply, i. e. thin unbleached stuff. 
 
 X Heb. in the intensive conjugation, sJiibbets, to 
 interweave (k. V. "embroider"), which is used only 
 here and of the square reticulated setting of a gem 
 (Kxod, xxviii, 20), besides the derivative noun tash- 
 bets (A. V. " broidored "). ai)plied likewise to this 
 
 tunic only (Exod xxviii, 4). The material is explicitly 
 represented as to consist wholly of blenched stuff (s/ifts/;, 
 " fine linen," ver. 39), in distinction from tiio natural 
 color of the unbleached flax {bad, simple " linen," ver. 
 42) of the drawers. The art of weaving in " diaper 
 pattern," which is a square checker, or in " damask 
 pattern," which is figured, but botli without a change 
 of material or color, the former being white, and the 
 latter crimson, can hardly have been known at this 
 early date or employed under the circumstances, as 
 it requires an extra or hvilled process running diag- 
 onally. The crossing of bands or stripes wider than 
 one or two of the hcavj'^ corded threads of the 
 " twined " or double-stranded linen would liave made 
 an uncomfortable ridge. (See Plate VI, D, i.) 
 
 § Heb. mitsnepheth, a coiling (A. V. "mitre"), used 
 only for this pontifical article, and once (Kzck. xxi, 
 26) for the "diadem" of a prince; the simpler form 
 tsaniph being employed indiscriminately ("mitre," 
 Zech. iii, 5; " diadem," Job. xxix, 14; Isa. Ixii, 3; 
 "hood," Isa. iii, 23), and the corresponding verb 
 tsandph, applied to convolutions (Isa. xxii, 18), as 
 well as to this piece of attire (Lev. xvi, 4). We have 
 avoided all uniioccssary complications. 
 
THE IIIGII-PRIESTS APPAREL. 
 
 63 
 
 although hkewise of plain white linen, was thus distinguished from the simpler head- 
 dress of the ordinary priest. * (See Fig. 33.) 
 
 A notable addition to this pontitical head-gear was a gold tablet f tied with a 
 violet (and therefore woollen) string + (doubtless by passing it through a hole at each 
 end) around the head, displaying on the front the engraved motto (in the old Ileb 
 characters), Sanctity to Jehovah, i. e. consecrated to his exclusive service. § 
 
 (1.) Proceeding now to the vestments altogether peculiar to the pontiff, as com 
 pared wdtli his subalterns, we have a robe, || which was but another tunic, of simple: 
 pattern and without sleeves, being in fact of the form which we have above describee 
 as that of an ordinary Oriental shirt, the selvedge merely stitched together for sides, 
 with openings for the arms, and the hole in the fold at the toj) bound (like a coat oi 
 
 Fig. 33.— Modem Oriental Turban (folded). 
 
 mail, A. V. "habergeon") with an edge woven on in making, to prevent its ravelling 
 or tearing.^ It was to be wholly of violet, hence wool both warp and woof. It was 
 probably long enough to reach about to the knee. The bottom hem was decorated 
 with a fringe consisting of alternate little bells of gold (probably a globe with a ball 
 Avithin it, like modern sleigh-bells) and artificial pomegranates (i. e. globular tassels) 
 of w^oollen threads (tufted, as we presume,) of the three sacred colors, violet, purple 
 and crimson (not mixed, we opine, but one of each in regular succession, like the 
 bands on the curtains) ; the bells (as is intimated) being designed for giving notice of 
 
 * Josephus's account of the high-priest's dress ma}- 
 possibly represent witli some degree of accuracy the 
 fantastic fashions of his own age. The tiara is es- 
 pecially ornamental ; yet it does not wholly disguise 
 the simpler form of earlier times as we have eluci- 
 dated it. Its triple form is probably due to the 
 addition of ihe diadem by the Asmonseans as princes, 
 like the papal crown. 
 
 ■j- Heb. Ults, lit. a glitter, i. e. a " plate," or narrow 
 tliin strip. 
 
 \ Heb. petldl, lit. twist, a thread (A. V. "lace "). 
 
 § As the early Jewish writers are not agreed upon 
 the width of this golden plate, nor whether the in- 
 scription was in one line or two, we have consulted 
 the proprieties of the case, and the good taste of the 
 majority of archaeologists, in the matter. Josephus 
 states that the pontifical frontlet made by Solomon 
 was in existence in his own day {Antiquities of the 
 Jews, VIII, iii, 6). In tliat case it was probably 
 among the spoils of Jerusalem exhibited at the tri- 
 umph of Titus, and timilly deposited in the temple of 
 Peace at Rome ( Wars of the Jews, VII, v, 7). Origen, 
 however, asserts that it was the original one of Aaron, 
 and that it remained till his time; as also that it was 
 5 
 
 inscribed with Samaritan characters, by which of 
 course he means the antique Hebrew (Whiston's note 
 on Josephus, Antiquities of the Jev)s, III, vii, 6). 
 
 I Heb. m'eil, lit. an up2)er (i. e. outer) garment, 
 spoken of any such piece of clothing in general use, 
 sometimes " mantle " in the A. V. 
 
 ^ The text is very explicit (ver. 31, 32), lit. : "And 
 thou shalt make a robe of ihe ephod, wholly violet; 
 and there shall be a mouth [i. e. liole] of its head 
 [i. e. top] in its middle: a lip [i. e. selvedge or woven 
 edge] there shall be to its mouth around : the work 
 of a weaver, like the mouth of a corslet, there shall 
 be to it: it shall not be torn." In other words, it 
 was to be a single piece of cloth, with an opening 
 for the neck made in the weaving. This could only 
 be effected, in the simple loom of those days, by 
 parting the threads, both of the warp and the woof, 
 around a cylinder inserted for that purpose, and 
 holding them in place by double overcast stitches 
 crossing each other in opposite directions. It wa'^ 
 not to be cut, but of course had a hemmed bottom 
 (ver 33), and a seam at the side, with a space left 
 open as an arm-liole. The seamless " coat " of later 
 times (John xix, 23) was a tunic. 
 
66 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 the functionary's approach (so that no impure person or thing miglit meet liim, and 
 thus, however inadvertently or unconsciously to him, expose him to divine visitation 
 
 for entering upon his duties in that condition), and 
 the woollen balls to afford variety. As their num- 
 ber is not given, we may conjecturally hang them 
 (by a golden wire or yellow silk cord) ^ of a cubit 
 apart, making perhaps 12 bells and as many tassels, 
 four of each color.* (See Plate VI, Z>, ii.) 
 
 (2.) Immediately over this article of dress 
 (hence called " the robe of the ephod ") was placed 
 the principal token of the high-priest's rank, called 
 the ephod (its Heb. name, signifying a girdle, but 
 not the common w^ord for that piece of apparel) ; 
 which was made of the same stuff as the Vail, 
 tricolor woollen bands on a white double-stranded 
 linen ground, embroidered with figures (we pre- 
 sume vine-form tracery) in gold (thin plates cut 
 into narrow strips and used as thread, Exod. xxxix, 
 13). It consisted of two shoulder-pieces,f sewed 
 together by the raw edges in a seam ; X hence each 
 about 1 cubit wide by 1|- long, hanging by the neck 
 (where a hole of course was made and bound), one 
 over the bosom, and the other over the back, down 
 to the waist (very much like the chasnhle of a Roman 
 Catholic priest). These were fastened (doubtless at the bottom) by a belting-strap § 
 (one of course on each side), made of the same materials as the ephod itself (the 
 ends tied together in a bow-knot at the hip). At the top seam, in the middle (as 
 we presume) of the shoulder slope, were (sewed on) two studs (one on each side), con- 
 sisting each of onyx, || large enough (perhaps J^ of a cubit square) to contain the 
 
 Fig. 34. — Ancient Earyptian Chief-priest 
 (with aiiron-lilvc drawers, leopard -skiu 
 ephod, tankard for libation, and censer). 
 
 *Thc Rabbinical statements concerning the 72 
 bells on the high-priest's robe, and that it was woven 
 seamless (Edersiieim, The Temple and its Services, 
 pp. 72, 73), relate to customs introduced at a later arre 
 than that of which we treat. It does not follow 
 from the allusions in Rev. i, 1.3: xv, 6, that the pon- 
 tifical girdle was but a little below the arm-pit-;, for 
 in that case the bottom of the breastplate could not 
 have been fastened to it; anymore than that the 
 robe reached to the feet, as it clearly did not (ibid, 
 p. 72). These last two features, in the case of an 
 active functionary, would have been eflcrainate, dis- 
 proportioned and inconvenient. They are borrowed 
 from the description of Josephus {Antiquities of the 
 Jews, III, vii, 2), but are not countenanced by the 
 language of the sacred text, as belonging to the 
 original attire of the high-priest. 
 
 f Heb. sing, kntheph, lit. a lateral projection, desig- 
 nating the top or ridge of the sliouldcr, in distinction 
 from the back part or shoulder-blade, for whicli a 
 different word is employed. 
 
 :j:The Heb. terms are the same as those which we 
 have shown, in discussing the Tabernacle curtains, 
 to be carefully used in these senses. The ephod was 
 not a single piece, like the robe over which it was 
 worn, but made to be joined together at the top (tlie 
 open sides were of course the straight selvedge), be- 
 cause that part had to be nicely litted to the slope of 
 the shoulders, as it was to sustain several appendages. 
 
 § Heb. chesed appudatho, lit. "strap of its belting," 
 the latter term being from the same root as ephod. 
 
 II Heb. shoham, of obscure derivation, and designat- 
 ing some kind of gem. but certainly not the diamond, 
 for that cannot be engraved, and is too small and 
 
THE BREASTPLATE. 
 
 67 
 
 The stone was set in a reticulated gold 
 
 engraved letters of 6 of the names of the twelve song of Israel (beginning probablj 
 with that on the right shoulder, and arranged, we may suppose, from analogy of the 
 loaves of show-bread, in a single column), 
 plate f (sewed by the interstices on 
 the garment), to which was attached 
 a twisted gold chain (lit, I'mJcs . . . 
 wreathed . . . cords, A. V. " chains 
 ... at the ends . . . wreathen "), for 
 fastening it to the pectoral, as present- 
 ly explained. (See Plate YI, D, iv.) 
 (3.) This last named, which was 
 the crowning glory of the high- 
 priest's regaha, and the most sacred 
 talisman of his office, is styled a 
 spangle (from its sparkling gold and 
 flashing gems),:|: and was substantially 
 a bag of the sanie materials as the 
 ephod itself, one span (or lialf a cubit, 
 i. e. about 10 inches) square, when 
 folded (at the bottom, and sewed to- 
 gether at the sides) ; the face (or outer 
 layer) having on it (apparently 
 stitched on like studs, at regular in- 
 tervals, but probably very close to- 
 gether, so as to bend to fit the person) gold plates (doubtless of the same general style 
 as those on the shoulders), in which were set precious stones, in four rows, engraved 
 respectively with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.§ The entire " breastplate " 
 
 -Tlie Ephod (extended). 
 
 costly. It was the same as tlie eleven tli stone in 
 the breastplate. 
 
 * The longest of these names (we suppose them 
 here to be set down in the actual order of birth, 
 namely, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, 
 Gad, Issachar, Asher, Zebulon, Joseph, Benjamin), 
 is in the Heb. Benjamin, which has 6 letters (show- 
 ing that our arrangement would produce a square); 
 and if the names were displayed separately (not run 
 together, as often in old MSS. and inscriptions), our 
 estimate would allow each letter a space of yV of a 
 cubit (about i of an inch, which is considerably larger 
 than "great primer," the largest type used in modern 
 book-printing). (See Plate VI, B, vi). 
 
 f Heb. minhbetseih, a texture by embroidery (Psa. 
 xlv, 13, " wrought "), hence a netted socket for a 
 gem (" ouch "). The Heb. term here used for the 
 mode of insertion musabboth (A. V. "set in," "in- 
 closed in "), although originally the fern. plur. of a 
 pass, participle meaning turned about, is constantly 
 
 used as a noun, in the sense oi reversal, and therefore 
 always stands before the word which it qualifies (in the 
 construct), and not after it (as an adjective would). 
 Accordingly we must here render, " Reverses of net- 
 lings of gold shalt thou make them; and in xxxix, 
 6, "reverses of nettings of gold," and in xxxix, 13, 
 "reverses of nettings of gold in their bezels." In 
 like manner, at Ezek. xli, 24 (A. V., "two turning 
 leaves"), we must render "two folds of leaves;" 
 and in the sole remaining occurrence of the word 
 (Num. xxxii, 38. A. V., " their names being changed "'), 
 no other rendering is grammatically possible than 
 parenthetically " transmutations of names." 
 
 \ Heb. clioshen, lit. (it would seem, for the root is 
 found in no otlier word) a glistening (A. V. "breast- 
 plate "), used only of this particular ornament ; often 
 with the additional epithet, "of judgment." because 
 oracular decisions were obtained bj^ its means. 
 
 § Tn this case we presume the names were in the 
 conventional order of encampment (in which the 
 
68 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 was held upon the ephod by fastenings that are minutely and somewhat intricately 
 described.* "We epitomize by saying that the pectoral had a gold ring in each of 
 
 same division of 4X3 occurs), as in the annexed dia- room for letters much larger tlian those on the 
 gram, doubtless three columns of four names each, shoulder-studs. The modern equivalents of few if 
 
 3. Zebulon 
 
 2. Issacliar 
 
 1. Judah 
 
 6. Gad 
 
 5. Simeon 
 
 4. Reuben 
 
 9. Benjamin 
 
 8. Manas.-eh 
 
 Y. Ephraitn 
 
 12. Naphtali 
 
 11. Asher 
 
 10. Dan 
 
 as symmetry of space requires, and as a " row " In 
 reading would mean (but not elsewhere). As there 
 was but one name on each stone, there would be 
 
 any of the gems are known with certainty (compare 
 the similar list in Rev. xxi, 19, 20). The following 
 table identifies them as nearly as may be : 
 
 Row. Order. 
 
 A. V. RENDERING. ' IIeB. NA.ME. 
 
 MoU. NAME. 
 
 Tkob. color. 
 
 ( 1- 
 I -' 2 
 
 
 carneliim 
 
 li'dit red. 
 
 
 
 bright yellow, 
 grass green. 
 
 ( 3 
 
 "Carbuncle" 
 
 bar6ketk 
 
 emerald 
 
 I 4- 
 11 -' 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 deep blue, 
 pink. 
 
 1 ei 
 
 
 yahalom 
 
 chalcedony 
 
 III J 8 
 
 
 
 
 butl'. 
 
 " Ai'ate " 
 
 
 acate 
 
 red strealvs. 
 
 
 " Amethyst" 
 
 "Beryl" 
 
 
 
 purplish. 
 
 IV. \ 11. 
 
 ( 12. 
 
 
 
 "Onyx" 
 
 "Jasper" 
 
 shoham 
 
 yas/iepheh 
 
 beryl 
 
 j'^^'per 
 
 pale >rr<'en. 
 clouded gray. 
 
 * In this passage (Bxod. xxviii, 22-28) it will be ob- 
 served by the critical reader, that we have three 
 terms carefully applied to the different aspects of a 
 piece of cloth, precisely in accordance with the sig- 
 nification that we have previously pointed out; 
 although they are confused in the A. V. : eber is the 
 surface (as of the tables of the Law), saphdh is the 
 free selvedge, aud katsdh is a liemmed (or at least 
 seamed) end. The other expressions in this descrip- 
 tion are also as before explained. For the sake of 
 clearness we literally translate the whole of the 
 last paragraph, with explanatory interpolations in 
 brackets. 
 
 Ver. 22. " And thou shalt make upon the breastplate 
 wreathed chains [i. c. links twisted or bent so as to 
 lie all flat], the work of cords [i. e. links of round 
 wire], pure gold." 
 
 Ver. 23. " And thou shalt make upon the Ijreast- 
 plate two rings of gold; and thou shalt put tlio two 
 rings upon the two ends [Icatsah (i. e. upper or hennned 
 edge) ] of the breastplate." 
 
 Ver. 24. " And thou shalt put the two cords [i. e. 
 
 chains] of gold upon the two rings towards the ends 
 [katsah'\ of the breastplate." 
 
 Ver. 25. " And the two [other] ends [katmh (i. c. 
 the end-links destitute of a hook) ] of the two cords 
 [i. e. gold chains (namely, those previously mentioned, 
 ver. 14)] thou shalt put upon the two iiitertextures 
 [i. e. reticulated settings], and [tlnis] thou shalt put 
 [them] upon the shoulders [i. e. sides] of the ephod. 
 towards the front of its face [(the same expression 
 as used concerning the gable overlap of the roof- 
 canvas), i. e. across its very face]." 
 
 Ver. 26. "And thou shalt make two [other] rings 
 of gold, and thou .shalt put them upon the two ends 
 [katsdh (i. e. lower, but still seamed edges, because 
 the two selvedges are there sowed together)] of the 
 breastplate, upon its selvedges [saj^hdh, i. o. still 
 such, although double], which [are] towards tlic 
 surface [eher'\ of the ephod inward [i. c. lie close upon 
 theophod beneath, and never ri.sc from it, as do tiie 
 upper corners, when the mouth of tlic sack is 
 opened]." 
 
 Ver. 27. "And thou shidt [also] make two [corre- 
 
UHIM AND TIIUMMIM. 69 
 
 its four corners ; the two at the top were joined to the ephod by a continuation of the 
 twisted chains ah-eady attached to the shoulder-studs (the hook being apparently [as 
 usual in such cases] on the end of the upper chain for entering any convenient link 
 in the lower chain) ; the bottom rings were tied by a violet cord to rings inserted in 
 the ephod at the point where the straps branched off. These four fastenings (the 
 upper ones stronger, as bearing the weight) would stretch diagonally and keep the 
 pectoral extended and yet closed, at the middle of the breast. (See Plate YI, I), v.) 
 (4.) Finally, the sacred pocket thus suspended over the very heart of the high- 
 priest, where it would be inviolably safe, and at the same time accessible at a moment's 
 
 Fig. 
 
 -Twisted Chain. 
 
 notice, was designed — in a manner analogous (as we shall presently see more fully) to 
 the inmost Ark of the Sanctuary — as a place of deposit for the most priceless boon of 
 God to his fallen, erring children, a mode of ascertaining his will. The physical in- 
 strument of this form of divine communication was the famous Urhn and Thummim, 
 Hebrew terms that have greatly vexed the learning and ingenuity of interpreters, with 
 less satisfactory results, perhaps, than any other part of the -whole Tabernacle appa- 
 ratus.* Without entering in detail into the hopeless discussion on this mysterious sub- 
 
 sponding] rings of gold, and thoushalt put them upon 
 the two shoulders [i. e. sides] of the ephod, from as to 
 downward [i. e. near the bottom], from thefrontof its 
 face [i. e. on its very face], to tlie conjunctions of [i. e. 
 opposite] its joining [by stitclies to the strap], from 
 above as to [i. e. near the top of] the strap of the 
 ephod." 
 
 Ver. 28. " And they [i. e. the makers or weavers] 
 shall tie the breastplate from [i. e. by] its [lower] 
 rings towards [i. e. to] the rings of the ephod witla a 
 thread of violet [wool], [so as] to be upon the strap 
 of the ephod: and the breastplate shall not be shoved 
 from upon the epiiod." 
 
 *The following is a condensed summary of all the 
 positive information that philology and Scripture 
 afford on this difficult but interesting topic; and 
 neither Josephus nor the Rabbins seem to have had 
 access to anything further, while the conjectures of 
 modern writers are mostly worse than worthless. 
 
 The words " the Unm and the Thummim " are 
 not proper names, the former being simply the plural 
 of ar, which is occasionally used in the sing, for liglit 
 (as is its congener or constantly) in the sense oi flame 
 (Isa. xxxi, 9; xliv, 16. xlvii, 14; 1, 11; Ezek. v, 2; for 
 
 it is merely the infinitive of the common verb mean- 
 ing to shine), and for Ur, the birthplace of Abraham ; 
 while the plural (besides the distinctive use here con- 
 sidered, occurring singly in Num. xxvii, 21; 1 Sam. 
 xxviii, 6; and elsewhere in the compound phrase, 
 Exod. xxviii, 30; Lev. viii, 8; Deut. xxxiii, 8; Ezra 
 ii, 63 : Neli. vii, 65) is used for the region of lights, 
 i. e. the East (Isa. xxiv, 15, A. V. "fires"). "Thum- 
 mim " likewise is only tlie plur. form of torn (which is 
 itself but a participial noun from the verb tamdm, 
 frequently used to denote completeness or sincerity), 
 meaning per/ecfo'ora, and usually rendered (in the sing.) 
 " integrity " (Gen. xx, 5, 6 ; 1 Kings, ix, 4 ; Psa. vii, 8 ; 
 XXV, 21; xxvi, 1, 11; xli, 12; Ixxviii, 72; Prov. 
 xix, 1; XX, 7), "uprightness," "upright," or "up- 
 rightly " (Job. iv. 6 ; Prov. ii, 7 ; x, 9, 29 ; xiii, 6 ; 
 xxviii, 6), " perfect " or " perfection " (Psa. ci, 2 ; Isa. 
 xlvii, 9), " simplicity " (2 Sam. xv, 11), " full " (Job. 
 
 xxi, 23), " at a venture " (1 Kings 
 
 34 ; 2 Chron. 
 
 xviii, 33), but in the plur. only in connection with 
 Urim (as above). The plural form of both words 
 does not necessarily imply that there were many of 
 each kind of object, nor even that the two were dis- 
 tinct articles; but rather according to a frequent Heb. 
 
70 
 
 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 ject, we may safely say, in brief, that these terms designate some means of oracular 
 response, on questions of pubhc importance, by Jehovah through the high-priest. 
 The manner in which they are introduced (" the Urim and the Thummim," like " the 
 Cherubim," on their first mention), yet without any explanation, shows that they 
 were well known already to the Israelites ; and this adds force to the presumption, 
 confirmed by an inspection of the monuments, that they were the originals of which 
 the symbolical images knoA^n to Egyptologists as those of the double goddess of Truth 
 and Justice,* and probably also the idolatrous Terapliim of the early Mesopotamians 
 and later Syrians, were the counterfeits.f However that may be, we find this mode 
 of divination, if so we may respectfully designate it, in use among the Hebrews from 
 this time forward, as it appears to have been in the patriarchal days (Gen. xxv, 22, 23), 
 down to a late period of the Jewish commonwealth, when it suddenly and silently 
 disappears altogether from history ; doubtless because superseded by the clearer and 
 fuller Lights and Perfections of personally inspired prophets, whose oral deliver- 
 ances, afterwards compiled by themselves in permanent documents, have survived the 
 vicissitudes of transcription and denationalization, and still guide and cheer the saints 
 on their march to the heavenly home. 
 
 idiom, these peculiarities of the phrase express as fol- 
 lows: the pliir., emphasis or quantity ; and tlie duplica- 
 tion, attribution or quality; so that a free translation 
 would be full light as to amount and i^trfecl as to kind, 
 i. e. complete illumination ; in modern terminology, a 
 definite, oracle., in distinction from the vague and am- 
 biguous intimations from other sources, whether 
 lieathen shrines, providential auguries, or even in- 
 spired vaticinations, such as had been the only re- 
 source of previous ages and other nations. 
 
 As to tlje actual application of this instrumentality 
 for predicting events, we find various significant facts. 
 The object in question was small, light and non-fragile . 
 (so as to be easily carried in tlio pouch of the breast- 
 plate). It (or its equivalent) was duplicated freely 
 in the ponlitical family (1 Sam. xxii, 18), but the act- 
 ing high-priest alone liad the prerogative of consulting 
 it (1 Sam xxiii, 2, 4, 6), and tlie secret of using it 
 was at length lost even to the hierarchy (Ezra ii, 63). 
 The questions put by its means were categorical, and 
 the answers were equally explicit, although not 
 always a simple affirmative or negative (1 Sam. xxiii, 
 9-12; 2 Sam. v, 23, 24); and sometimes refused 
 altogether (1 S.im. xxviii, 6). All this implies a material 
 apparatus, a pul)lic consultation, and a palpable re- 
 ply, either by visible or audible signs ; and excludes 
 all theories of priestcraft, fortune-teUing or legerde- 
 main, making the whole a hnna-fide supernatural in- 
 dication of what no mortal could of himself discover 
 or predict. Beyond tliis everytliing concerning it is 
 uncertain, and the speculations of scholars are 
 scarcely worth recounting. 
 
 *See Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, ii, 27; v. 28 
 large edition. 
 
 f We hazard the opinion that this species of augury 
 was by means of an image (proVjably of clay rudely 
 modelled) representing truth as the essential attribute 
 of deity. It was worn in the bosom, whicli is the Ori- 
 ental pocket, so as to be always at hand and familiar 
 Like the cherubim, its purely ideal character relieved it 
 of the charge of idolatry. The only clue to its mode of 
 manipulation for otaining an oracular response is 
 afforded by 1 Sam. xiv, 19 (for the ephod and not the 
 ark must be there referred to ; comp. ver. 3, and see 
 Keil on the passage), where tlie expression " with- 
 draw [literally "(/a^/je?- up"] thy hand " shows that it 
 was held in tlie open hand during consultation. It does 
 not seem, however, to have been absolutely necessary 
 in the process at all, for on several occasions no men- 
 tion of it whatever is made (1 Sam. xxiii, 2, 4 ; 2 Sam. 
 v. 19, 23; xxi, 1), and in one instance at least it was 
 impliedly absent, the priestly vestment itself being only 
 an ordinary one of simple linou, such as appears to have 
 been worn by tiie whole lineage of the higii-priest (1 
 Sam. xxiii, 6; comp. xxii, 18). This lends color to the 
 suspicion that the response was not given by any pecul- 
 iarity of tlie object in question itself; but was merely di- 
 vined through some professional skill acquired by (per- 
 haps ratlier was a specially inspired intimation vouch- 
 safed to) the officiator (comp. John xi, 51). Finally, 
 inasmuch as in several of the aliove cases even the 
 priestly intervention is not positively stated, it may be 
 that tlie king or any other public functionary was 
 qualified to ascertain the divine will by tliis means. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 "We approach this enticing brancli of our treatise witli nmcli caution, and only 
 after we have prepared the way for it by a careful analysis of the facts and elements 
 upon which a figurative application of the whole or any of its correlated parts should 
 rest. We are moreover warned, by the extravagant and unseemly mystifications of 
 most predecessors in this attempt, liow liable a fertile fancy is to mislead even a well- 
 stored head and a well-disposed heart in a field where so little is fixed by determi- 
 native bounds, whether historical, logical, philosophical or artistic* The only safe 
 
 * Much tliat has been given by former writers as 
 symbol on this subject is merely metaphor or figure of 
 speech instead of representation by object. Tlie sym- 
 bolism of the Tabernacle, as developed briefly by 
 Josephus and Philo, is purely cosmical; and in this 
 they are followed more at length by Bahr. Tlie 
 jejuneness and frigidity of such an exposition are 
 sufficiently obvious. Later expositors have usually 
 vibrated between this and the merely clerical idea of 
 the Tabernacle symbolism, or else tliey have gone off 
 on some tangential line suggested by their own subject- 
 ive proclivities. Such whims can neither be proved 
 nor disproved; the competent objection to them is 
 their inadequacy and their triviality. They mistake 
 accidental and partial coincidence for designed and 
 sustained correspondence. Scriptural typology must 
 be deduced by rigid exegesis and a broad viev?- of the 
 divine economy, especially in its soteriologieal rela- 
 tions. This is tlie core of revelation. The legitimate 
 tests of the symbolism of the Tabernacle, as of that of 
 any Jewish or Christian institution, are natural congru- 
 ity, spiritual suggestiveness, and biblical sanction. It 
 is not enough to cover the requirements of a per- 
 functory ritualism, a stolid ecclesiasticism, or a con- 
 ventional nationalism, much less to satisfy the most 
 obvious demands of an outward naturalism ; the deep 
 value of a universal, sempiternal and soul-saving im- 
 port must be reached. The Tabernacle was the vis- 
 ible hearth-stone of the invisible Church, then first 
 laid in a fixed though still (as ever on earth) migratory 
 habitation ; it was tlie type of that " house of God " 
 which was designed to embrace the globe, to be the 
 germ of heaven, and yet to domicile in the humblest 
 heart. Its archetype, modelled in the conclave of 
 
 the eternal Trinity, and for a brief season disclosed to 
 Moses, still remains in the celestial sphere, to be un- 
 vailed at length to the full satisfaction of all the 
 saints. There we shall forever admire the perfection 
 of the symbol. 
 
 We here rehearse, somewhat in detail, a few of the 
 most plausible of these schemes of symbolism, in order 
 that the reader may see for himself how arbitrary, in- 
 coherent and futile they really are. The oldest ex- 
 positions of this braticli of our subject are by the two 
 learned Jews so often alluded to already by us. As 
 interpreted by Flavins Josephus {Antiquities. Ill, vii, 
 7), the holy of holies represents heaven, the holy place 
 and the outer court the sea and the land; the twelve 
 loaves on the table of show-bread denote the months 
 of the year; the seventy pans of the candelabrum are 
 tl;e divisions of the planets, and the seven burners 
 the planets themselves; the four components of the 
 vail signify the natural elements, the linen being the 
 earth, the purple the sea, the blue the air, and the 
 scarlet tlie fire; the pomegranates on the high-priest's 
 robe mean lightning, and the bells thunder (!) ; the 
 breastplate is the earth, because central in the uni- 
 verse ; the girdle is tlie ocean, because encircling the 
 world ; the shoulder studs are the sun and the moon ; 
 the twelve gems are the signs of the zodiac. The no- 
 tions of Philo Judaeus {Life of Moses, iii, 4-15) are 
 very similar, but more elaborate and sometimes intri- 
 cate or even confused and erroneous: the five front 
 pillars are the number of the external senses, and the 
 gold [inside] is the mind itself; the numbers 4 and 28 
 of tlie colored cintains are perfect parts of the 
 decade (?), and 40, as a prolific number (?), symbolizes 
 man as fashioned in the workmanship of nature ; the 
 
72 
 
 SYMBOLLSM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 guide, in our judgment, is direct Scriptural warrant for the essthetic analogies and 
 spiritual adumbrations which this elaborate and (for the times) elegant structure must 
 
 materials of llie ciirlaius represent tlie elements, linen 
 coming from the earth, purple from the water, hya- 
 cinth being tlie color of the air, and scarlet that of 
 fire; the ark is an emblem of the merciful power of 
 God, the two cherubim representing respectively his 
 kingly and his creative character; the altar of incense 
 is a symbol of gratitude (without wiiich even the 
 sacrifices on the outer altar are unavailing — a beauti- 
 ful idea); the candelabrum is placed on the south side 
 like the celestial luminaries, and the lamps are the 
 seven planets; the table of show-bread, on the north 
 side, like the most productive winds from that quar- 
 ter (?). represents the fruits of the earth ; the four- 
 lettered name on the high-priest's frontlet conveys 
 various meanings depending upon that number; and 
 so on at a considerable length. The early Church 
 fathers largely adopted the same cosmical explanation 
 of the Tabernacle. Among medieval writers, when 
 orthodox and even pietistic, the symbolism of the 
 subject is exceedingly vague. The venerable Bede, 
 in his treatise De Tabernaculo, etc. (inserted at the end 
 of his commentary on the Pentateuch, in Migne's 
 Patrohgia Latina, xci, 394-498), makes every thing 
 emblematical of Christ, his Church and his saints: 
 tlie Ark is his Incarnation, its wood a type of his im- 
 maculate body, its length of his patience, its breadth 
 of his charity, its iieight of the future glorification, 
 the whole cubit being that of himself, and the half 
 that of his followers, etc. (i, 4); tlie cherubim are a 
 name for the angelic virtues, their wings denoting the 
 velocity of the resurrection body, stretching in pro- 
 tection over the mercy-seat, their number correspond- 
 ing to the two Testaments, etc. (i, 5); the curtains of 
 different colors represent the various gifts of tlie 
 ISiiirii, the white linen corresponding to the beauty of 
 justification, the blue to the celestial temper of the 
 saints, the purple to the blood of entire devotion, and 
 the scarlet to the fire of perfect love, etc. (ii, 2); and 
 so on through a prolix series of mystical interprcta- 
 tion.s, generally fortified by fanciful quotations from 
 the Latin Vulgate. Herman Witsius devoted a learned 
 and acute treati.se {De TabernacuU LevUici Mysterm, in 
 Vol. I of his Miscellanea Sacra, Lcyden, 1736, pp. 318- 
 3ti3) to the consideration of the structure and import 
 of the Tabernacle, but he has advanced little on the 
 latter point beyond the obvious practical and religious 
 lessons of the subject, and the general Messianic V)ear- 
 ing of the component parts of the edifice and its ap- 
 purtenances, expressly declining (t^ ii ) to enter further 
 into the symbolism. Biihr (in his Symbolik des Mos. 
 
 CalhirS, noticed in chap, ii above) discusses at large 
 the cosmical significance of the numbers that enter 
 into the dimensions and divisions of the building, and 
 briefly the ethical and liturgical relations of the vari- 
 ous elements and pieces of apparatus ; but he very 
 scantily shows their harmonious adaptation to eacii 
 other in a moral point of view, and he scarcely alludes 
 to their interior Christian significance. (In his later 
 work on the Temple he retracted much of this cos- 
 mical idea, and made the Tabernacle the centre of the 
 national scheme of Judaism.) The volume of Fried- 
 erich {Symbolik der Mos. Stiftshiitte, likewise noticed 
 above) goes to the other extreme, and in the effort to 
 apply the similitude to the human body as a residence 
 of the divine Spirit, runs into disgusting particulars. 
 One of the most recent works that venture in detail 
 into this part of the field (Atwater's, noticed in chap, 
 ii above), while justly criticising (pp. 156-161) the 
 excessive Christology of one of the early Protestant 
 discussions of the Tabernacle in its minutiie (J. 
 Lund, Jildische Heiligthiime?; ed. by his son, Ham 
 burg, 1695f 8vo ; and later), and afterwards consun> 
 ing five chapters in a general survey of the symbol, 
 ism of numbers, forms, colors, substances and 
 animals, chiefly in heathen usages (which are little to 
 the point here), yet at last itself, beyond some of the 
 most obvious needs and bearings of the edifice, its 
 furniture and its vestments, po'nts out only certain 
 sporadic and superficial resemblances and analogies, 
 some of which are based upon merely metaphorical 
 expressions, while others, however ingenious, are of 
 doubtful pertinence or autliority: for example, to 
 take the specifications first in order (p. 270 and 
 following), under the heads of form and number; 
 that the Outer Court symbolizes the Old Covenant, 
 the Holy Place the New Covenant, and the Most 
 Holy the beatified state, the last alone being a per- 
 fect cube ; that the 48 planks of the walls arc an 
 emblem of the product of the 12 tribes or apostles 
 and " that number [4] which stands for the kingdom 
 of God " [?], whereas " the dimensions of the cur- 
 tains were not significant" (the next illustrations [p. 
 280-285], as we have shown, are based upon an 
 erroneous or defective interpretation) ; and so through 
 the subsequent heads. The very latest publication 
 on the subject (Randall's, noticed above in chap, ii), 
 after reviewing at some length the conflicting views 
 of writers on the symbolism especially of the ciior- 
 nbim (ch. xxv, xxvi), adopts (p. .■'.24) the explanation, 
 that they " are to be regarded as symbols ot tho 
 
THE DIVINE ABODE. 
 
 7S 
 
 liave been intended to body forth ; and this exposition of the true aim and inner 
 moral of such a picture-lesson to the comparatively infantile mind of the Israelites 
 must be sought either in the exphcit statements of the sacred text (whether of the Old 
 or the New Testament), or else in the inferences naturally growing out of them, and 
 requisite in order to maintain their coherence and symmetry. We therefore propose, 
 not summarily to reject, nor yet polemically to dissect the occult and often micro- 
 scopic resemblances which most writers on the subject have debated or fancied in 
 these gorgeous emblems, ranging through earth, air, sea and sky ; but to compare, 
 combine and deduce, almost de iwvo, what strikes us as a self -disclosed and tangible 
 system of religious truth modelled into the coincidences and varieties of this remark- 
 able piece of handicraft. We shall find that its doctrine, no less than its composition, 
 is organic and harmonic, especially in its most peculiar features. 
 
 In a general way, we may remark, as a preliminary thought, that the Taber- 
 nacle, as a whole, being in fact but a tent, is occasionally referred to in Scripture as a 
 type of a transient sojourn. Such it was among the nomadic Israelites in the Desert, 
 wdiile on their journey to Canaan, which was a symbol of the passage of saints through 
 the stage of mortal probation to their heavenly home ; and such it was to Jehovah, 
 prior to his more permanent residence in the stone structure of the Temple on the 
 permanent site of Jerusalem. In a more special sense it may perhaps have prefigured 
 the occupancy of a human body by the Messiah during his stay on earth (John i, 14, 
 render " tabernacled " instead of " dwelt ; " and compare Peter's language. Matt, 
 xvii, 4) ; and it is an apt figure of the frail abode of every one of his followers on 
 earth (2 Pet. i, 13, 14). 
 
 I. The first thing that occurs at the very threshold of our attempts at recon- 
 
 glorious qualities or attributes of the Saviour in 
 carrying on the great work of our redemption, and of 
 the attributes or qualities [which] his ransomed peo- 
 ple will share with him in the glory of liis heavenly 
 kingdom." This compound statement he professes to 
 derive from Atwater, whose language, however, is 
 more simple (p. 262), that they " represented human- 
 ity raised from its death in Adam to fulness of life 
 in Christ:" — a lame and impotent conclusion, as it 
 seems to us, for the mystical import of a pure ideal- 
 ism so centrally enthroned in the penetralia of the 
 sacred building; and all deduced from the bare use 
 of the term "living creatures" applied to tliese 
 impersonations in Ezekiel and the Revelation. 
 Think of Jesus and his saints finally embodied in these 
 weird forms ! Among recent commentators of note, 
 Ealisch {On Exodii-s, p. 491-499) rehearses and criti- 
 cises very fairly the various schemes of symbolism, 
 ancient and modern, especially that of Bahr, and him- 
 self proposes (p. 494) a few points on the principal 
 features of the Tabernacle which migiit apply with 
 nearly equal propriety to any ethnic system contain- 
 ing the same elements. Keil (On ilie Pentateuch, ii, 
 
 182-185, Clark's translation) gives in the main a sen- 
 sible scheme, but very general and defective on sev- 
 eral items: the building embodies the kingdom of 
 God, as then confined within time and space; facing 
 the four points of the compass, its quadrangular form 
 was a type of the world as the scene of divine revela- 
 tion, the square, and especially the cube, being reserved 
 for the most interior perfection; the gold denoted 
 god-like splendor, the silver moral purity, tiie white 
 (" invariably named first [?] among the colors ") repre- 
 sented holiness, the liyacinth heavenly origin and 
 character, the purple royal glory, the crimson imper- 
 ishable life, and the cherubim the kingdom of glory (!). 
 Very much in like stj-le are the schemes of Lange 
 (On Exocl, p. 11.3-128. Schaff's ed.), briefly the Bible 
 Commentary (i, 357-393, Am. ed.). more copiously 
 the Pulpit Commentary (Exod. vol. ii). The great 
 fault of even the best of these schemes is their in- 
 definiteness and lack of application to particulars, as 
 well as their leaning too exclusively upon later adap- 
 tations (rather than interpretations) of similar emblems 
 in the N.-T. writings, thus arriving at a superficial 
 explanation. 
 
74 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 stniction or survey is the principle of thoroiigli proportion that reigns througliout the 
 mechanical execution of the Tabernacle, extending to the smallest and most secret 
 parts.* This appears on the face of the plan and its accompaniments in the numbers 
 and sizes given by the architects. We will take these in their arithmetical order, 
 gradually contracting to the central identity. They all have a natural, rather than a 
 metaphysical basis. 
 
 1. The simplest and earliest, as well as the most scientific and j)erfect mode of 
 enumeration is the decimal one, which in modern metrology threatens to supersede all 
 others in exact or even popular specification. The ten fingers evidently suggested 
 the digits (their namesake), and men spontaneously count by their means. In the 
 Tabernacle all the ground-plans and elevations proceed by tens (or a multiple or in- 
 tegral part of ten) ; and wherever this is practicable, it is maintained in the subdivis- 
 ions of space and material. This is too obvious to need illustration. 
 
 The practical lesson from this basal distribution seems to us to be, that the entire 
 edifice, with its court, its rooms, its walls, its pillars, its curtains and its fastenings, 
 was meant to be a thing of convenience as well as of regularity ; and that its economy, 
 both in construction and in use, was to be a mathematical teacher to the unschooled 
 but acute genius of the chosen people. Even to our own day, the lesson, that "order 
 is heaven's first law," and that the most perfect conventional exponent in numerical 
 proportion is essential for the purpose of expressing and maintaining this order, is by 
 no means superfluous ; indeed it is growingly appreciated and inculcated. 
 
 It is true, the duodecimal system, as in the multiplication table, is occasionally 
 employed in the Tabernacle, suggested perhaps at first by the months of the year 
 (although this is not strictly true of the Jewish calendar, and is itself but an artificial 
 basis for calculation), and in the present case emphasized by the number of the sons 
 and tribes of Israel ; but this is carried no further than those few particulars that di- 
 rectly memorialize the ancestral and territorial sections of the nation, and have no 
 essential root in the great features of the Tabernacle and its cultus. 
 
 2. The next ])rimaryf number, namely, the septenary, that runs throughout the 
 dimensions, but less conspicuously, was obviously drawn from the days of the week, an 
 Edenic distribution, for reasons which the most exact experience of modern times has 
 
 * Proportion is the grand principle tliat combines 
 unit)' witli variety, holding the universe together, 
 and rendering man a miniature of Deity. It is the 
 harmony of the splieres and the symmetry of tiio 
 atom. It is the algebra of beauty and tlie mechanics 
 of morals. It is the prime quality of object-teaching, 
 from the horn-book to the calculus ; and very prop- 
 erly does it stand prominent in the frontispiece of 
 the picture-lessons of the Tabernacle. It is tiie 
 ground idea of tlie wliole structure. For the Arclii- 
 tect of Nature works always -by rule, and tlie pro- 
 ducts of his recreation are destined eventually to 
 e.xhibit no less perfection. They are to be copies on 
 a smaller scale of his infinite proportions. 
 
 f We observe here incidentally but significantly, 
 that the three primary (and in Ileb. nomenclature 
 the "sacred ") numbers 7, 3 and 1, wliich (like the 
 prismatic colors, blue, red and yellow,) make up the 
 others, are all odd, nnd hence indivisible without 
 fractions. The first two yield by addition the round 
 10, the second by successive self-multiplications tliat 
 mo.st peculiar of all sqiiares 9 (the magic sum of all 
 the other digits ranged around the central 5, and the 
 instant dissolvent of all other products), while the 
 unit, perfect in itself, neither increases nor diminishea 
 the others by proportion. The complicated relations 
 of involution and evolution of course are foreign to so 
 l)rimitive an arilhtnetic. 
 
NUMERICAL SIGNIFICANCE. 
 
 75 
 
 vindicated as necessary for the liunian economy, both in the individual and in society. 
 It comes in most opportunely to resolve the singular variation in the length of the in- 
 side curtains as compared with the roof -canvas (7x4= 28), and especially as a basis 
 of the two factors 4 and 3, which enter so largely into the other dimensions ; and may 
 have been intended to serve as a reminder of the Sabbath as well as of the sacredness 
 of an oath (Ileb, a sevening). 
 
 3. The quadruple distribution, as just observed, prevails in the square hori- 
 zontal forms generally adopted in the Tabernacle, as well as in many of the 
 upright ones (the number of the door-way posts for example, and the rings at the 
 corners of the pieces of furniture) ; and has its own distinctive lesson (as we will 
 presently see). 
 
 4. The triple arrangement, as the remainder of seven, has a very marked position 
 as a factor in the Tabernacle economy (as already noticed), and although we think the 
 allusion to the persons of the Deity here as premature as would be a reference to the 
 mathematical proportions of the triangle, yet the tripartite division of the terrestrial 
 universe (earth, air and sky ; or more accurately land, sea and atmosphere), as well as 
 of its associated elements (water, fire and air), or even of its great kingdoms (animal, 
 vegetable and mineral), and the forms of life (beasts, birds and fishes), including the 
 constituents of man liimself (popularly called body, soul and spirit), cannot have been 
 altogether accidental correspondences to this architectural fact, any more than they 
 are to the aphorism that almost everything may be as readily (and, usually, more log- 
 ically) divided into threes as into halves. 
 
 5. The duplicate division, too obvious in the Tabernacle to need specification, is 
 based upon the sexual distinction, no less than the grand distribution of " the earth 
 and the heavens," the former again being divisible in the land and water. Its 
 great lesson is the dualism that pervades not only nature (chiefly as opposites, 
 e. g. heat and cold, light and darkness, but sometimes as allies, e. g. food and drink, 
 light and heat), but still more significantly the moral realm (virtue and vice, God and 
 Satan). 
 
 6. Finally tlie single object, as the germ of all, most strikingly suggests the unity 
 of all things, especially in God the universal Maker, Preserver and Judge, and (most 
 relevantly to this connection) the only being entitled to adoration in any realm of 
 existence (lieaven, earth or hell). 
 
 The cubit itself, which, as we have seen, is constantly the unit of measure 
 throughout the Tabernacle and its appurtenances, is a natural standard, being the nor- 
 mal length of the fore-arm, or the distance from the elbow to the wrist in a full-sized 
 man (Deut. iii, 11) ; and in the figurative idiom of the Hebrew its name is character- 
 istically ammdh, which is merely a variation * of the word em, a mother, not so much 
 (as the lexicons explain f ) " because the fore-arm is the mother of the (entire) arm " 
 
 *It is in fact tlie fern, form, for em (a "mother" 
 in tlie lit. sense), beinga primitive word, actuallj' has 
 the masc. or root form. 
 
 fGesenius expressly says, " motiier of the arm," 
 
 citing Deut. iii, 11, as authority; and Fiirst sub- 
 stantially does the same, giving the word the original 
 sense of " elbow-joint, then arm, and lastly more 
 specially the fore or lawer arm." 
 
76 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 (a metaphor not very obvious surely), but because the cubit (or ulna) is the "mother" 
 (as it were) of all dimensions (whether in the human body* or elsewhere). 
 
 It deserves notice that no irregular multiples or fractions are employed in the 
 measurements of the Tabernacle, nor (with the exception of the dimensions of the 
 Table of Show-bread and of the Ark, which are a regular aliquot part, namely the 
 half, of 5 and 3 respectively), is any mixed number, consisting of a whole number 
 and a fraction, either expressed or implied.f 
 
 II. As the next element of symbolism we place color, for that is truly the basis 
 of form, since the shape of objects is really determined (ocularly) by the variations of 
 color or the degrees of shading at the edges ; and the outlines differ according to the 
 point of view or the aspect, while the color, at however great distances (if the object 
 be distinctively visible), remains constantly the same. Indeed without color, which 
 is but a variation of light, any object is altogether invisible. We should note that all 
 the colors of the Tabernacle were what are called "fast," i. e. permanent, or not liable 
 to fade ; hence none of them are drawn from the vegetable kingdom, nor used in 
 dyeing vegetable materials.:}: 
 
 * III like manner tailors and mantua-raakers fre- 
 quently reckon the proportions of a garment by the 
 length of a finger, or the size of the chest; and glove- 
 fitters by the diameter of the hand or even of the 
 wrist. In fine we may compare the kindred standards 
 of a palm, a finger-breadth, etc. 
 
 fin the number 12 the essential symbolism is to be 
 sought, not in the months of tlic year (which among 
 the Hebrews, being lunar, were often 13), much less 
 in the signs of the zodiac (which are an astronomical 
 refinement), but in the product of the only two sub- 
 divisions possible of the number 1 ; for the " dozen " 
 is a modern unit aritlimetically, and even in the mul- 
 tiplication table the decimal limit would have been 
 more natural, and probably more convenient. This 
 number accordingly is only employed in Scripture 
 conventionally, and derives its whole significance from 
 that of the tribes of Israel, whence it was transferred 
 to the apostles as representatives of the Christian 
 Ciiurch. It is therefore purely national and ecclesias- 
 tical. 
 
 In like manner the number 7, while having no 
 strictly natural type, was formally adopted as the 
 sacred number from the institution of the Sabbath as 
 a holy season, and accordingly it enters conspicuously 
 into the symbolism of the Tabernacle as an element of 
 dimension in the enigmatic curtains only, and in tlie 
 deeply significant lamps of the candelabrum. 
 
 So again the nmnbcrs 3 and 4, components of 7 and 
 12 by addition and multiplication respectively', are 
 not derived from any such abstract notions as (for the 
 former) tiie three divisions of the universe (air, earth 
 and sea), dimensions of space (length, breadth and 
 
 thickness), or the Trinity, nor (for the latter) the tour 
 points of the compass, etc. ; but are rather the basis 
 of the only two perfect forms (besides the circle, 
 which is the type of unity), namely the square and 
 the triangle, of which we treat elsewhere. Accord- 
 ingly, they also appear only in the utilitarian details 
 of the Tabernacle, unless we except the tripartite or 
 quadruple colors (strictly quintuple) of the sacred 
 textures. 
 
 :j:If it be true that "order is Heaven's first law," it 
 is equally true that proportion is Order's first law, and 
 that number is the basis of proportion. Form or fig- 
 ure is ultimately resolvable into the three consliinents 
 of the number, relative dimensions and proportion of 
 the parts, the latter two of which are also expressible 
 only in numbers; and all these are in the department 
 of mathematics, which applies two of the senses, 
 touch and sight, to the mutual corroboration of abso- 
 lute truth. Color, on the other hand, is an indepen- 
 dent quality, recognisable only by the latter of these 
 senses, and residing wholly in the surfiice of objects, 
 which likewise is the field of the former sense, while 
 their substance is comprehended nnder form and 
 number. It is certain, however, that color itself is 
 produced by the shape of the exterior particles of the 
 matter of bodies, for it is refracted, diffracted and 
 reflected according to this, and the hue of substances 
 may bo changed by merely polishing or powdering 
 them, the superficial atoms acting as minute prisms 
 in resolving the rays. Color, therefore, is a purely 
 accidental or artificial quality of the outside, while 
 those attributes that have been liitherlo considered 
 are native and inherent to the essence of the matter. 
 
BLACK AND WHITE. 
 
 77 
 
 1. We begin therefore with black, wliich is, strictly speaking, the absence of 
 fill color, and therefore the emblem of secrecy, mourning, etc., as darkness 
 is of death, sin, etc. In the Tabernacle, accordingly, where cheerfulness 
 is the prevailing idea (for the worship of Jehovah, however aM'ful, is not 
 to be regarded in a forbidding aspect), there is but little occasion for using 
 this color (popularly so called); and even then it is in a softened phase, namely, 
 the dusky goats'-hair canvas. Here it is taken in the amiable or benign symbolism 
 of protection or privacy, as the roof covers and screens the dwellers from exposure to 
 the sun and the rain, and also from the public gaze or intrusion. For a similar reason 
 there was no artificial light in the Most Holy Place, as this was the secret chamber of 
 Jehovah, illuminated regularly by his own sun alone, and occasionally by his specially 
 revealed Shekinah. Thus he " in whom (intrinsically) there is no darkness at all " 
 (1 John i, .5), nevertheless, under the preparatory dispensation of Judaism, " would 
 dwell in the thick darkness" (1 Kings viii, 12), until the Light of Life, "the eifulgence 
 of his glory " (Heb. i, 3), came forth from " the light that no man can approach 
 unto " (1 Tim. vi, 16), to open the secrets of his nature to man (John i, 18), and to 
 dissipate the gloom of sinfulness and the grave (2 Tim. i, 10), 
 
 2. As the harmonious blending of all the prismatic colors, although itself not 
 reckoned as a (peculiar) color at all, white continually reappears in the Tabernacle, 
 the opposite of black and the emblem of innocence in the Scriptural sense of justifi- 
 cution, including pardon, purity and peace. It gleams in the silvery sockets, hooks, 
 rods, etc., emblems of the attractive points of connection between the various stages 
 in divine Avorship. It is untinged in the inviting exterior of the Court, and in the 
 cleanly inner garments of the pontificate ; * and it is tinted with softer hues in the 
 
 For this reason we are prepared to expect that its 
 sj'mbolism will be conventional in tlie highest degree, 
 and we shall accordingljr find that it enters into the 
 sensuous imagery of the Tabernacle to express cove- 
 nant relations only, addressed solely to the eye of 
 faith, and not belonging to the natural properties of 
 things. The three remaining senses are in their turn 
 presented each with their appropriate fields of sym- 
 bohsm in the concomitant of worship, the silver 
 trumpets for the ear, the incense for the nose, the 
 tithes for the palate. Modern science, however, has 
 demonstrated that all the senses are affected by un- 
 dulations or pulsations upon the nervous extremities 
 of tlie appropriate organ, and that colors no less than 
 sounds, and doubtless also smells, tastes and tactual 
 perceptions, are differentiated b}^ arithmetical ratirs 
 in the waves and strokes througli the medium. The 
 proportions of numbers therefore are constantly the 
 index of order in nature, and this is at least a hint of 
 the method of "grace upon grace " graduated after 
 the lesson of the parable of the pounds or the tal- 
 ents. 
 
 * On one occasion only, namel}', the great day of 
 
 annual atonement (Lev. xvi, 4, 23, if we are correct 
 in understanding the "holy garments" of simple 
 " linen," there mentioned, to have been a special suit 
 of unbleached stuff), was this rule departed from, in 
 order to symbolize the general sinfulness of the priest- 
 hood as well as laity, whom the Iiigh-priest then im- 
 personated, as if in weeds of half-mourning. The 
 earthly representative was not allowed to enter 
 Jehovah's immediate presence without a badge of his 
 imperfect purity, but the ever sinless High-priest 
 ascended within the heavenly vail in his original 
 vesture of perfect glory. 
 
 There was also a utilitarian purpose in this change 
 of clothing, in order not to soil the pontifical regalia 
 with the blood which the high-priest was re- 
 quired to sprinkle so freely during this ceremony 
 about the entire premises (ver. 14, 15, "upon the 
 mercy-seat eastward" is immediately explained by 
 " before" the mercy-seat, i. e. on the ground in front 
 or on the east side, not on the lid of the Ark itself; 
 so in ver. 18, the "altar that is before the Lord " is 
 the copper altar of burnt-offering, not the golden altar 
 of incense). 
 
78 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 entrance and side screens and in the more ornamental parts of tlie liigh-priest's ap- 
 parel. If, as we have conjectnred, the fur of tlie inner skin-blanket of the walls were 
 that of a grapsli goat or antelope,* it will correspond well with the nnbleached 
 material of the sacerdotal drawers (of flax), cap and shirt (either of flax or wool), 
 worn next the person ; not so dazzling white as to show the slight discoloration of 
 necessary wear, but yet white enough to betray any real soil or foreign substance. 
 This may have hinted at the every-day hue of practical piety in this work-a-day 
 world, not too nice for mortal touch, and yet not stained by actual sin ; w^hile the 
 unsullied lustre of the bleached linen on the outmost inelosure, and on the body and 
 head of the high-priest, was a type of the immaculate pale of the true church of God, 
 and of the spotless character of its true ministry — above all, of its sinless Head. 
 
 3. Foremost among the true colors of the Tabernacle was what in common par- 
 lance may be called " blue," but was in reality a mixture of indigo-blue with deep- 
 red. So also was the next color (they are always named in the same order),t the dif- 
 
 * The tachash was of course a ceremonially " clean " 
 animal, and this at once excludes all the conjectures 
 of a marine creature, whether of the seal or por- 
 poise tribe; for although these may possess fins, they 
 certainly have no scales (see Lev. xi, 9-12; Deut. 
 xiv, 9, 10). It was probably of the goat or antelope 
 genus, several specimens of which of a suitable ciiar- 
 aeter are found in the adjacent regions, and one of 
 them especially (antilope barbatus) is said to bear the 
 closely similar name of tachasse in the native dialect 
 of the interior of Asia. The use of tachash-Bkm for 
 shoes (Kzek. xvi, 10) is not in reference to coarse 
 sandals, but to a soft material for ladies' wear. In 
 the absence of a definite identification, we cannot 
 securely seek for the symbolical import further than 
 to presume that the fur was fine and beautiful. The 
 rougher and stronger external skin was colored for 
 artistic effect, and afforded a rich contrast to the dark 
 roof and the yellow planks. Beyond this it is not 
 worth while to pursue the symbolism. 
 
 f Atwater observes (T/te Sacrtd Tabernacle, p. 284, 
 note): "The colors of the [wall] curtain called the 
 tabernacle are always mentioned in the order which 
 follows, namely, fine-twined linen, blue, purple, and 
 crimson ; but iu all other cases, including the three 
 veils and the sacerdotal garments, the colors are 
 envnneratcd as blue, purple, crimson, and fine-twined 
 linen. No one has suggested a reason for the differ- 
 ence of arrangement." One of tJiese statements is 
 not strictly correct, for in Kxod. xxxix, 29, the colors 
 of the liigh-priest's girdle are enumerated in the same 
 order as those of the wall-curtains, namely, " fine- 
 twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet." 
 This shows that no special significance attaches to 
 the position of the white, except in its relation to the 
 
 gold, and so long as the other three colors are in 
 their proper order, as they iuvariably are. Indeed 
 it proves that the white was not a stripe at all, for 
 in the description of the girdle of the cphod (which 
 we can hardly suppose to have been different in this 
 respect from the principle girdle) the white occupies 
 again the last place (xxviii, 8; xxxix, 5). This is 
 also corroborated by the fact that a similar variation 
 occurs as to the relative order of the gold embroidery 
 in the two accounts of the curtain for the court en- 
 trance (xxvii, 16; xxxviii, 18). The reason why the 
 linen is named first in these two instances onh^ 
 (namely, the curtains twice, xxvi, 1 ; xxxvi, 8 ; and 
 the principle girdle once, xxxix, 29) s^-ems to be the 
 great length of these pieces of clotli (tlie longitudinal 
 threads being of that material) as compared with the 
 others. In the account of the same colors used in 
 Solomon's Temple (2 Chron. ii. 7, 14), the order is not at 
 ail observed, except as to the inner vail (iii, 14"; because 
 in that piece of cloth alone was it then employed, as 
 there were no side curtains. We may further remark 
 that the regular order, by which the gold (or its 
 equivalent, the embroidery) is mentioned first, and 
 the linen last (whenever these occur at all), is never 
 varied except when (as in the cases of the linen 
 noticed, and that of the gold already cited), the 
 ground and figured colors are enumerated in the 
 aspect of materials in bulk or in process of manufac- 
 ture, rather tiian as made up articles (so the gold 
 last, in the account of the contributions, xxv, 4; 
 xxviii, 5; xxxv, 6, 23; of tiie men's work, xxxv, 35; 
 xxxviii, 23; of the ephod, xxxix, 2, 3; of the breast- 
 plate, xxviii, 15; xxxix, 8). Tiio addition of "linen" 
 to the list of pomegranates in xxxi.x, 24 (where 
 " twined " refers to the colored threads), is a mistake 
 
THE BRIGHT COLORS. 
 
 79 
 
 ferenee being that in the former the bhie predominated, in the latter the red. These 
 two are the only instances of a compound color occurring in the whole description 
 (except the implied brown and gray noticed above), and they serve to show that no 
 scientific analysis of rays is regarded. Green, it will be noticed, is altogether excluded, 
 notwithstanding its abundance in nature, and its jileasant effect upon the eye, 
 especially in a verdureless desert ; perhaps because it is suggestive of the earth, and 
 hence too worldly, and also because it is almost exclusively vegetable. Blue, how- 
 ever, especially of the warm violet shade, is eminently characteristic of heaven (the 
 cerulean sky, with a reddish tinge prevalent in the Orient), and hence interpreters, 
 as by common consent, have not failed to recognise the symbolism here. " Blue " 
 was used alone, to indicate the unalloyed serenity of the celestial world, the topmost 
 goal of human aspiration ; or in alternate stripes (never conmiingled, except with the 
 white light that underlies and transfigures it) of more gorgeous hues, to intimate the 
 successive stages of terrestrial life and station, through which mortals must pass in 
 order to attain it. 
 
 4. The Tyrian purple of antiquity was universally accepted as the emblem of 
 royalty, which in some countries had the legal monopoly of it, as among the Moham- 
 medans green is the exclusive badge of a lineal descendant of the prophet. It is 
 therefore so appropriate to the mansion and servitors of the supreme King that •w^e 
 need not dwell upon it. It stands between the blue-red and the deep-red, as its gra- 
 dation naturally requires, and suggests that royalty, as yet unknown to the Hebrew 
 polity, should eventually come as a mediator between God (in the azure heavens) and 
 man (of the copper-colored flesh) ; * — a human vicegerent of divine authority, and a 
 Victim with a two-fold nature and dignity. 
 
 5. The remaining shade of red therefore, crimson (not " scarlet," which is too 
 bright and flame-color to suit the gradation and symbolism), or cochineal-red,f can 
 only point to blood, shading off from its arterial hue (that here especially denoted as 
 freshly shed), through the purplish color of raw flesh, into the bluish cast of the 
 veins, but everywhere in Scripture designating the life-principle of man and beast 
 (Gen. ix, 4—6), and the essential element of atonement (Heb. ix, 22). Here is a wide 
 field for scientific and religious investigation, to which we forbear to do more than in- 
 troduce the reader, leaving him to explore it with the copious aids easily accessible 
 to him.:}: 
 
 6. The gold so lavishly bestowed upon the Tabernacle, both solid and laminated 
 as well as in threads, and perhaps likewise (as we have surmised) in the silken stitches 
 of the embroidery, yields the remaining color, yellow, M^liich is obviously symbolical 
 
 of the A. V. (comp. xxviii, 33). The order of the 
 words in question therefore, while everywhere true 
 to the symbolism, is nowhere mystical or cabalistic. 
 
 *It is noteworthy that adam (" man ") and adamdh 
 ('■ground") both mean red, i.e. deep flesh-color, 
 which is also that of unburnished and yet untarnished 
 copper. 
 
 f Tlie Heb. explicitly identifies it with a worm. 
 
 :{; Dr. H. Clay Trumbull, editor of tlie Sunday- Scliool 
 Times, has collected, with great learning and research, 
 a mass of information on the wide-spread and deep 
 relations of blood in the religious beliefs and customs 
 of ancient and modern nations, in his interesting and 
 valuable work, entitled, The Blood Covenant (N. Y., 
 1885, Svo), which is in entire harmony with the 
 pertinence of the symbol in this connection. 
 
80 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 of tlie sun, as the great source of light (white) and lieat (l)right red as in flame).* Through 
 tlie metal, however, as the standard of coinage, it becomes the emblem of valuation. f 
 
 * It may be observed that fire (which is a sort of 
 orange, or mixture of red and yellow) is not repre- 
 sented here, perhaps on account of the dangerous 
 tendency to its worship in tlie East. 
 
 f We have seen that the three wool-colors, violet, 
 purple and crimson, are always in the same order, 
 and we have presumed that they were invariably 
 tlius placed on the door-screens and elsewhere, read- 
 ing no doubt (after the Heb. style) from right to left. 
 Is it too great a stretch of fancy to suppose that this 
 too is significant •? Perhaps it symbolizes, first, tlie 
 all-embracing and all-covering sky, for the horizon 
 bounds every view laterally, and the zenith every 
 one vertically (hence we have begun and ended each 
 screen with a half-stripe of violet) ; second, that 
 royalty is the next form of supremacy, tlie celestial 
 Sovereign being above all ; third, that blood is the 
 basis of unity in race and sympathy; and hence the 
 universal Lord became incarnate for man. The back- 
 ground and overlay of gold intimates the price of hu- 
 man redemption, both as originally provided, and as 
 eventually paid ; and the ground-color, white, points 
 to the spiritual purity which is the origin and aim of 
 the whole scheme of the Atonement. We may then 
 translate the entire hieroglyph thus : Heaven's 
 Royal Blood Purchases Purity. In the Hebrew 
 idiomatic arrangement of words the significance 
 would be equally apt and emphatic, and the form as 
 precisely tallying in epigrammatic conciseness, for tlie 
 five substances (or rather colors) are invariably named 
 (when mentioned together in this connection) in the 
 same order (" gold, and-violet-[wool], and-purple- 
 [wool], and-crimsou-[wool], and-bleached-[linen] "), 
 so as 10 compose symbolically the ideogram, which 
 we will endeavor to represent in English equivalents 
 thus, Yiqnli haxh-shamdyim mim-malke-heni he-dam-6 
 eth-tohorath-enu, literally. Will-buy the-heavens from- 
 their-King by-his-blood our -cleansing, i. e. Heaven will 
 procure of its King our 2)Hrification luilh his own blood. 
 The sacrifice of the God-man upon the cross is the 
 only ransom of the liuman race from sin and its 
 divinely pronounced penalty. 
 
 Expressed Hebraistically as a rebus, the elements 
 will stand as in the following table. It may be ob- 
 served that the three great realms of nature are all 
 represented; the mineral (as basal) by the first sub- 
 stance, the animal (as most important) by the next 
 and principal three (the sea, as being most populous, 
 by two; and the air by one), and the vegetable by 
 the last: the hues begin with a faint one, and end 
 
 with the mildest; wliile the intermediate ones are 
 brilliant, in the order of the intensity of this strong- 
 
 Order. 
 
 • 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Heb. 
 name. 
 
 Zabdb. 
 
 Tekeleth. 
 
 Argaman. 
 
 Shaui. 
 
 Sliesh. 
 
 Object. 
 
 Gold. 
 
 Cerulean 
 Mussel. 
 
 Tyrian 
 Conch. 
 
 Oak Fly. 
 
 Linen. 
 
 Color. 
 
 Yellow. 
 
 Violet. 
 
 Purple. 
 
 Crimson. 
 
 White. 
 
 Idea. 
 
 Price. 
 
 Heaven. 
 
 Royalty. 
 
 Blood. 
 
 Purity. 
 
 est tint (red) ; the earth, with its (mixed but predom- 
 inant) color (green), as elsewhere noted, is studiously 
 ignored in expression ; but with iis living tribes is 
 every-where supposed in fact. The first, tlie middle 
 and the last tlionght are abstract, the other two con- 
 crete (the second divine, the fourth human); each 
 thus linked together : the initial purpose is redemp- 
 tion, the central one supremacy (of tlie God-man), the 
 final one holiness. This central legend, emblazoned 
 on every avenue to the divine Majesty, and also on 
 the person of the pontifical mediatoi-, silently pro- 
 claimed with celestial rays (Psa. xix, 1-4), the grand 
 secret of the one true faith, devised in the eternal 
 counsels of the Almighty (Col. i, 26, 27). It is the 
 gospel of the Tabernacle, and a fit culmination of the 
 symbolism of the entire edifice and its paraphernalia. 
 It is the germinal idea at the core of this architec- 
 tonic embodiment of the Levitical cultus, the perpet- 
 ual countersign of all real members of the universal 
 Church, and the key-note in the everlasting song of 
 the redeemed (Rev. v, 9, 10). It is the one essential 
 doctrine both of Judaism and of Cliristianity. the 
 cardinal flxct foreshadowed in the former and realized 
 in the latter. Like the prismatic bow of the first 
 covenant with the second progenitor of our race (Gen. 
 ix, 13), and like the mystic ladder of Israel's dream 
 (Gen. xxviii, 12), it bridges the void between heaven 
 and earth. It may be reserved for modern science to 
 descry in its variegated bands tlie spectrum that shall 
 disclose something of tlic inner nature of that far-off 
 world wliere in his glorified humanity the divine Son 
 is fitting up tlie home of his saints. 
 
 As the width of the successive colored stripes is not 
 given (they were doubtless co-equal in each piece of 
 stuff), we have taken the liberty of varying them in 
 
GEOMETRICAL FORMS. 
 
 81 
 
 III. Tlie remaining element of objects in and about the Tabernacle, that strikes 
 the sense of sight as well as that of touch, is iigni-e, and this we will consider both as 
 I'clates to mathematical form and to general shape, — the one a conventional or ntili- 
 tarian sort of distinction, and the other a popular and testhetical one, yet both blended 
 in actual occurrence. 
 
 1. Angular figures are mostly artificial, and therefore predominate in the 
 mechanism of the Tabernacle, especially the rectangle, and this chiefly as a square ; 
 for the triangle appears but occasionally, as the bisection or diagonal of the quadri- 
 lateral. This figure is evidently the symbol of regularity, and leads us back to the 
 idea of perfect proportion, with which we set out in this branch of our discussion," 
 The cube or third multiple of the same dimension, however, is rarely if at all found, 
 (except in the " tabernacle " part of the Most Holy Place), perhaps because it is mo- 
 notonous. The oblique parallelogram is altogether avoided, as being unshapely. 
 
 2. More diflicult of construction (without the contrivance of the lathe), and yet 
 more abundant in nature, is the round figure, whether plane or spherical ; and this is 
 fairly frequent in the Tabernacle apparatus, although never explicitly stated. It ia. 
 the type of symmetry, every point of the periphery being equidistant from the centre. 
 To make it symbolical of the planetary bodies would be to anticipate the Copernican 
 svstem.* 
 
 tliis respect so as to suit the panels or spaces whicli 
 thoy were Intended to fill ; and it is a very remarkable 
 coincidence that the violet falls exactly in the plain 
 panel for the cherubim on the interior wall curtains. 
 It is interesting to find moreover that in our arrange- 
 ment of the folds the violet loops are always attached 
 to the corners of the violet panels, as congruity re- 
 quires. Moreover every hanging begins and ends 
 with violet — heaven being the source and aim of the 
 Atonement. The white linen foundation speaks of 
 the purity and strength that underlie the wiiole 
 scheme of redemption. 
 
 Even the color of the superimposed embroidery is 
 in harmonj' with the above symbolism, for as yellow 
 is the emblem of the sun, this orb, the fourth element 
 in the cosmical system, fitly wanders over the face 
 of the others, especially of the blue sky, not only call- 
 ing into being the (vegetable) forms of beauty (vines, 
 etc.) but also personifying the (animal) powers of 
 nature (the cherubim). 
 
 It is noteworthy that as the temples and persons 
 of the Egyptian and Assyrian monuments are figured 
 all over with significant inscriptions, so the drapery 
 of the Tabernacle and its high-priest is thoroughly 
 pictured with this central lesson of the redemptive 
 scheme. 
 
 * Of the three simplest figures, namely, the circle, 
 tlie triangle, and the quadrangle, representing respect- 
 ively the unit as an emblem of eternity, the triad as 
 
 an emblem of strength, and the paralellogram as an 
 emblem of convenience, the first and the last appear 
 in the symbolism of the Tabernacle as representatives 
 of perfect form from opposite points of view suitable 
 to their nature: namely, the one subjectively from 
 within, as a tj''pe of self-poised independent complete- 
 ness, in the pillars, the laver, and certain details of 
 the apparatus ; the other objectively from without, in 
 the superficial arrangement of the apartments, and 
 the sliape of certain pieces of manufacture. Their re- 
 spective solid forms, the sphere and the cube, are of 
 rare occurrence; the former, whicli is the proper sym- 
 bol of Deity, and therefore not to be graphically 
 represented (according to the second commandment), 
 scarcely appearing at all (for even the pomegranates 
 and the bells are imperfect models) ; the latter only 
 in the inmost shrine, the very abode of Deity, and 
 thus the appropriate type, not only of heaven itself 
 (into which Christ has finally entered, and whither 
 his redeemed shall follow him), but also of the (as 
 j-et) invisible Church (whither under Christianity all 
 the saints are even now admitted as priests eacli 
 for himself). The two altars are squares, but not 
 cubes, as if denoting a minor degree of perfection, 
 the offerings, whether external and physical (like 
 animal victims) or internal and spiritual (like clouds 
 of incense) being limited (at least on earth) by the 
 natural infirmities of the saints. The individual 
 planks of the walls, which may symbolize the 'living 
 
82 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 3. The most unique of the forms introduced among the accessories of the Taber- 
 nacle is that of the cherubim, and, although purely symbolical, they have accordingly 
 been the greatest puzzle to interpreters, who, being thrown upon their wits alone, 
 have often taken the most unwarrantable liberties in divining their significance. We 
 venture to expound them as cosmical emblems of the divine attributes, or as modern 
 science (somewhat atheistically, we fear) styles them, " the laws of nature." They 
 are the creative and providential functions of God, exercised in behalf of his human 
 subjects through the agency — not of angels ( who are actual persons, i. e, free moral 
 beings), as Scripture represents to be done in the supernatural relations of the world, 
 but of special imaginary beings, invented for this sole purpose, in the national and 
 ecclesiastical spheres. Accordingly they are depicted as having a material form, and 
 an animated existence ; as invested with a (human) body, yet ruddy as polished cop- 
 per (not feathered, except probably on the wings ; nor hairy, except of course on the 
 head, and possibly about the feet) ; as standing on the cloven feet and upright (pliable) 
 legs of a ceremonially " clean " creature, to which free locomotion is secured if needed, 
 or a firm position when at rest ; as possessing arms for convenient and efficient service, 
 and likewise wings for independent transportation, the latter double for the purpose of 
 a garment, (The consentaneous " wheels " of Ezekiel, to denote a support to the 
 divine throne, with their felloes of eyes [in Rev, iv, 6, 8, the eyes are manj-, and on 
 the person], denoting vigilance in every direction, are a later device of the theo- 
 phantic machinery,) The four faces (the countenance being the distinctive feature 
 by which to recognise individuals) are the main index of their typical significance ; 
 the human denotes intelligence, the leonine strength, the bovine perseverance, and 
 the aquiline rapidity ;* so that we have the complete picture of an omniscient, oinnipo- 
 
 stones " of the true Temple, are accordingly rectan- 
 gular merely, as being finite components of the di- 
 vine abode ; and the outer apartments (holy place, 
 sanctuary as a whole, and entire court) are for the 
 same reason emVjlematic of this earthly state of ex- 
 istence and worship, which will be dispensed with in 
 the celestial Temple by the occupants of "houses not 
 made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Yet even 
 the earthly fane was not absolutely perfect either for 
 divine residence or worship, for it was surmounted by 
 the prismatic peak, which pointed skyward to the 
 superincumbent cloud as the place of the continual 
 immanence of deity, rather than to the occasional 
 Shekinah below. The outer room of course denoted 
 a less degree of the divine presence, as to the uncon- 
 secrated or nominal worshipper, and the outer court 
 even less, as to the lay or Gentile world ; the former 
 still under the shade of the sacrod vocation, and the 
 latter only under the broad canopy of heaven's gen- 
 eral covenant. The triangle is of infrequent occur- 
 rence, and its solid, the pyramid, seems to have been 
 avoided as an Kgyptian type of stability, both hybrid 
 
 (for the base is not triangular) and inapposite (for the 
 Tabernacle was neither stationary nor perpetual). 
 
 * Even the relative position of the four faces of the- 
 cherubim appears to be significant: the human, as is- 
 befitting the lord of creation, occupying the front; 
 the leonine, as king of the lower orders, ranking next 
 on the right; the bovine, as chief of the domestic 
 animals, supporting on the loft; and the aquiline, as 
 prince of the air, bringing up the rear. As symbolical 
 of the laws of nature the fourfold aspect of the 
 cherubim is neither arbitrary nor accidental, but 
 points to every quarter of tlie earth (comp. Job xxiii, 
 8, 9; Zech. vi. 1-8), whither they are the vehicles of 
 sovereign Providence, acting with the far-reaching 
 aim of sagacity, tlie right hand of efficiency, the left 
 of persistonc}', and the pinions of celerity; and with 
 these essential attributes all their members corre- 
 spond. Ever since the fall of man they forcfend his 
 access to the elixir of life by the sword of mortality 
 brandislied outward in the three directions of disease, 
 accident and old age; they garrison the Church im- 
 preguably against all assaults (comp. Matt, xvi, 18), 
 
ANIMAL FORMS. 
 
 tent, uniform andiibiqiiitous maintenance and superintendence of the external fortunes 
 and affairs of the body of true worshippers, i. e. the Church in all time. * It was for 
 
 standing on guard at the portal of the King of kings, 
 and presiding over the depositary of his statutes; 
 they are specially subsidized in every ecclesiastical 
 crisis (as in the book of Ezekiel), although they only 
 appear to the inspired eye (comp. 2 Kings vi, 17). and 
 they will not cease their ministry till tlie close of 
 time (Rev. iv, 6-9, etc.). 
 
 *It need occasion neither alarm nor surprise, if 
 the early preconceptions of these singular forms, 
 which have been idealized by the fancy of poets and 
 painters and even of sober theologians into "cherubs" 
 of infantile and cliarming guise, have to be brushed 
 aside by the rigid facts of prosaic analysis and cool 
 exegesis ; but the love of truth compels us to dismiss 
 all such vague and chimerical ideas. "We shall be con- 
 tent if we reproduce them in a shape not positively 
 repugnant to native delicacy. (In our picture the 
 portrait of the lion, which is the most difScult to 
 harmonize with the otiiers, is copied from a photo- 
 graph of a specimen, particularly mild at the moment, 
 in the Zoological Gardens of London.) "We must 
 ever bear in mind that they were intended not to 
 amuse but to symbolize, to delight the spiritual ap- 
 prehension rather than to fascinate the eye. All 
 sensuous imagery would have savored of idolatry ; 
 and this the sacredness of the shrine most intensely 
 abhorred. Furthermore, modern notions have largely 
 confounded cherubim with angels, although in Script- 
 ure the two are widely different in character, func- 
 tion, and representation. The latter are properly 
 embodiments of personal and moral agents, real beings ; 
 the former are merely exponents of ideal and natural 
 qualities, configurations not only nonexistent but im- 
 possible in fact. The cherubim are undraped save by 
 wings, in order to denote their original simplicity ofsen- 
 timent {inpuris naturalibus) and tlieir nonconformity to 
 artificial fashions. Angels on the contrary always seem 
 in Scripture to have appeared in the ordinary costume 
 of men, even if witii a halo. In the passage usually cited 
 in support of the winged form of angels (Dan. ix, 2 1 ), Ga- 
 briel is explicitly called a " man," nor is there the slight- 
 est intimation of his otherwise than perfect human 
 form. The phrase " being caused to fij' swiflly," is a cu- 
 rious instance of alliteration, mudph bidpli, which may 
 be rendered literally "made to fly witli weariness," 
 i. e., having suddenly arrived witii the fatigue of a long 
 journey; for the former word is frequently' used in the 
 metaphorical sense of rapid motion, irrespective of 
 wings, and the latter word has no connection with 
 flying. Both words are evidently taken somewhat 
 
 out of their ordinary meaning, for the sake of agree- 
 ment in sound. Indeed the best modern Hebraists 
 derive them both from the same word — and that the 
 latter one, which is grammatically the more probable 
 (both from its form and the idiom) — and render the 
 clause " utterly wearj'." Thus all trace of winged 
 angels disappears from Scripture ; for the locomotion 
 in Rev. viii, 13; xiv, 6, was a special adaptation, as in 
 xii, 14 ; and other instances adduced (Judg. xiii, 20; Psa. 
 civ, 4 ; Isa. vi, 2 ; Matt, xxviii, 3) are not to the point. 
 
 As to the seemingly uncouth combination of animal 
 and human elements in the cherubic figures, our 
 prejudices mustgive way before the plain descriptions 
 of the Bible, and the delineations of contemporarj' re- 
 ligions. The monuments of Egypt and Assyria fre- 
 quently represent similar custodians of palaces, 
 temples and sacred rites as having feathered wings 
 and a bird's beak, and in other emblematic carvings 
 in like cases a human face surmounts the body of a 
 bull or a lion. Sometimes a more ignoble beast, or 
 even a fish or a serpent is pressed into service. Pa- 
 gan mythology is full of such liybrid forms. The 
 sphinx is oneof the most notable riddles of antiquity. 
 Nobody imagines that such creatures actually existed. 
 The Scriptural cherubim are a great improvement 
 upon even the classical models, and their very oddity 
 renders their significance the more striking. 
 
 The substantially human form likewise of those 
 occult figures the Urim and Thummim, can scarcely 
 be doubted after an examination of the passages 
 where they are referred to, and especially upon a 
 comparison with the teraphim of the Hebrews and 
 the images of the Egyptian shrines. The reader, 
 however, will observe that the genuine ones are never 
 mentioned in the Mosaic account as objects of wor- 
 sliip, but only as a sort of talisman for divination. At 
 this focal point of the sacerdotal apparatus, there- 
 fore, we again meet witli a most striking premonition 
 of the atonement, which links earth to lieaven, and 
 allies God with man ; not now, as in the sacred colors, 
 wliich are an aspect of the vicarious sacrifice for man 
 before God, but in the theanthropic shape, which 
 bodies forth the Deity before man, as the other great 
 design of the assumption of flesh by the Son of God. 
 Jesus is not only the light (dr) of the world (John i, 
 5,9; viii, 12), but the sole perfect (thUm) human 
 being, who reveals the divine nature and purposes 
 (John i, 18), not alone by his person, which is the 
 express image of the Father, but also in his life, 
 which is the effulgence of His glory, — not simply by 
 
84 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 tlii.s ciiltus tliat tlie Tabernacle itself was erected, in place of the casual, isolated and 
 impromptu devotion of persons or families previously, with whatever rites or in what- 
 ever order each might see fit, whether borrowed from traditions or profane sources, 
 or dictated by caprice or fashion. So essential is a meeting-house that it has at length 
 taken the name of a " church ; " and so useful is a ritual that even non-liturgical com- 
 munions have adopted some conventional order of service. If they shall succeed in 
 retaining the divine supervision symbolized in the cherubic guards, they may promise 
 themselves permanence and success in the earth ; but it is only by preserving the 
 spiritual l)aptism prefigured in the fire of the Cloud, the Altar and the Shekinah, that 
 they can hope to fit the souls of their membership for the inward connnunion either 
 here or hereafter. 
 
 The varied postures of the upper set of cherubic wings, to which we have pre- 
 viously called attention, remain to be expounded. On the wall drapery, where the 
 figures are entirely stationary, we have conceived the wings as being folded nearly 
 vertically * (as described in Ezek. i, 24, 25, " When they stood, they [not " and had "] 
 let down their wings ") ; and this seems to us fitly to denote the quiescent attitude of 
 the cherubim there as the fixed custodians of the holy apartments. On the Vail, 
 however, where they are raised a cubit from the ground, in mid-air (so to speak), of 
 course they would be represented as flying ; their wings being extended horizontally, 
 so as to touch those of the adjoining cherub (as described again in Ezek. i, 9, 11 
 [render " parted from as to upward," instead of " stretched upward," i. e. separated at 
 the top outwardly from the body], 23, 24]), like active sentinels, barring the passage- 
 way.f Finally over the Ark, on the lid of which they stand,:}; and yet are raised as 
 
 liis precepts, wliicli arc the norm of infallible trnth, 
 but likewise b}-- his example, which is the complete 
 pattern for all saints. If we are correct in supposing 
 that the object in the pectoral pocket of the high-priest 
 was in fact single, altiiough in name, for the sake of 
 superlative emphasis, both double and plural, then 
 this sole and peerless God-man, who once disclosed 
 his innate splendor to the privileged three on the 
 mount of transfiguration, and occasionally gave 
 glimpses of his beatified glory, as to the protomartyr 
 and to the pre-eminent apostle, is the real and apt 
 antitype of this divining symbol as well as of the 
 Shekinah between the cherubim ; and the same who 
 will be finally gazed upon, as the cynosure of the 
 true fane, and the unsetting smi of the new heavens, 
 by all liic devout thorn forever recognised as "kings 
 and priests unto Hod,'' 
 
 * Probably over the other pair, so that, as on the 
 Egyptian monuments, they appear as if having but 
 
 tW(J. 
 
 f N^ot now armed, as in Gon. iii, 24, but allowing 
 the high-priest to enter, yet not without his raising 
 tlio Vail, and thus for the moment displacing them. 
 
 fThe Ark was closed by a lid, not as a sign of 
 
 secrecy (for the Law was proclaimed with the most 
 portentous publicitj'), but in token of inviolate safety 
 and perpetuity; and the cordon of cherubs was sig- 
 nificant of the same guaranty. The Shekinah glow 
 occasionally vouchsafed upon it, as a mark of the 
 divine acceptance of the "blood of sprinkling, that 
 spcaketh better things than that of Abel " (Hob, .\ii, 
 24, the one calling for vengeance against the fratri- 
 cide, tlie other for pardon; sec Ltike xxiii, ?A), when 
 offered by the devout high-priest as a representative 
 of his people, was a message of "mercy glorying over 
 justice" (as we may properly render James ii, 1,3; 
 conip. Psa. Ixxxv, 10) symbolized by the Decalogue 
 lying below it; and this justification, which takes 
 place in the arcana of heaven, is testified to the wor- 
 shipper without by the spirit of adoption (Rom. viii, 
 15, 16; Gal. iv, fi), which the ascended Advocate has 
 sent into the hearts of believers (John xvi, 7) as a 
 notice of his own trimnphant reception within the 
 Vail (Acts ii, 33; Tlob. x, 12). 
 
 The material on wliich tlie Decalogue was inscribed 
 was an emblem of its formal I'igidity (see 2 Cor. iii, 
 :?, 7), the number of its tables indicated the trust- 
 worthiness of its testimony (see Deut. xvii, 6), their 
 
CHER UBIG A TTIT UDES. 
 
 8S 
 
 Iiigli from the ground ason the Yail, they are in the aot of ahghting ; and therefore 
 Hft their wings somewhat higlier, face one another, and bend their arms embracinglj 
 towards the Mercy-seat (Exod. xxv, 20), as if it M-ere their nest.* Their interest gradu- 
 
 engraving on both sides was expressive of its full 
 significance (comp. Rev. v, 1), and its square form de- 
 noted its perfection (comp. Kev. .\.\i, IG). The divine 
 autograph was a seal of its direct authority, which 
 even the Sou has never abrogated (see Matt, v, 17, 18). 
 
 The disappearance of the autograph tables of the 
 Decalogue after the destruction of the Temple by the 
 Babylonians was the signal for a more earnest study 
 of the Law by the Jews, which ensured its transferral 
 to their minds so as never to be again forgotten, in 
 letter at least (Jer. xxxi, 33). 
 
 * This central object of the whole economy of the 
 Tabernacle affords a most signal example of tlie 
 casual and inaccurate style current in the interpreta- 
 tion of the symbolism of the entire subject from the 
 earliest times to the present day. The lid of the Ark 
 has been made an emblem of divine reconciliation 
 without the slightest foundation for the conceit. 
 The prominence and universality of this error deserve 
 a detailed refutation. 
 
 (1.) Philologically considered the Heb. word kapp&r- 
 eth is a fem. participial noun from kaphdr, whicli 
 means to cove7; and therefore signifies merely a cover- 
 ing or " lid " to the box. It is used of this article 
 only, because none of the other pieces of furniture 
 or utensils had a movable cover. The Septuagint 
 version translated it by the Greek term hilasterion, 
 which means propitiatory; the Latin Vulgate imi- 
 tated the rendering by propitiatoritmi, and the later 
 versions have heedlessly adopted the same idea, as in 
 the Authorized English " mercy-seat," which the 
 Revised Version has retained. Hence a world of 
 mistaken sentiment nnd false poetry has been freely 
 consinicted throughout Christendom by allusions to 
 this supposed symbol, based upon a sheer blunder of 
 translation. It is true, the verb, especially in the 
 Piel or intensive conjugation, from Aviiich this word 
 is immediately derived, often has the figurative sense 
 of covering up or pardoning sin ; but this very rareh' 
 occurs without express mention of guilt and a prepo- 
 sition to connect the object with the verb, and thus 
 point out the figurative relation. The Most Holy 
 Place is once (1 Chrou. xxviii, 11) styled "the house 
 of the kapporeth,'" but this was never a distinctive or 
 prominent title of the building or the apartment; 
 though in David's time it may naturally have been 
 used for the home about to be prepared for the long 
 houseless Ark itself, of whicli the knppSrefh was so 
 conspicuous a part. There is no sufficient linguistic 
 
 reason for departing from the obvious literal mean- 
 ing of the word here, as denoting a cover to the 
 chest. 
 
 (2.) Exegetically regarded, nothing could be more 
 inappropriate than the notion of any piacular or 
 atoning quality or reference in the lid of the Ark or 
 anything connected with it. True, it was the seat 
 of the divine Shekinah, when present; but this was 
 occasional only, accessible to the high-pnest solely, 
 but once a year at that, and deterrent when it did 
 occur (see 1 Kings viii, 11). The cherubim that 
 stood upon it were in like manner forbidding rather 
 than inviting ; for, as at the gate of Parad'se, they 
 were designed to warn off all intruders; and with a 
 like intent the Ark itself was closed from all inspec- 
 tion by the cover in question. Privacy and severity 
 were the regnant principles in the entire arrange- 
 ment of this article most especially. There is not 
 the slightest hint that clemency or pardon was signi- 
 fied, but, on the contrary, the most rigid seclusion and 
 inexorable justice. The high-priest himself was not 
 allowed to approach it in his robes of office, but as a 
 culprit doomed to degradation and death. Inaccessi- 
 bility and sternness were its chief or only lessons- 
 Such passages as Exod. xxv, 22, which speak of 
 communication from that spot, have reference to 
 Moses exclusively. 
 
 (3.) Autlioritalivehj expounded, we are not at lib- 
 ertj' to appeal to the apostle's allusion in the Epistle 
 to the Hebrews (ix, 5, where the popular term hilas- 
 terion is of course employed, but without any special 
 stress or interpretation); for the context shows that 
 the main purpose of the reference is to bring out a 
 contrast in this respect between the Jewish " mercy- 
 seat" and the Christian, rather than to make the 
 former symbolical of the latter. Thus, whether we 
 consider the rent vail as the separation between this 
 world and the other as regards the glorified Redeem- 
 er in heaven, or his justified believers on earth, it is 
 emphatically true that Christians only are privileged 
 to enter the sacred presence with assurance of wel- 
 come (Heb. X, 19-22). The true and only propitiator- 
 ium is the person of Jesus Christ (Rom. iii, 25; 
 comp. Heb. ii, 17 ; 1 John ii, 2; iv, 10); and this 
 cannot with any propriety be symbolized by the Ark, 
 for although the sprinkling with blood occurred in 
 connection with both, yet in the case of Jesus it was 
 his own blood poured forth upon his own body, while 
 the Ark had no blood of its own, and the victun's 
 
86 
 
 .SYMBOLISM OF THE TABEMNACLE. 
 
 ally deepens and intensities in the sacred deposit intrusted to their care amid the dark- 
 ness, the silence and the loneliness of the Holy of Holies, and at length they hover 
 over it with the affection of foster-parents. Throned within this triple line of mysti- 
 cal guards, the blazing symbol of the King of kings occasionally deigned to manifest 
 itself to the favored but representative worshipper, in all that mortal eyes could bear 
 of the divine glory (Exod. xxxiii, 18-23 ; xxxiv, 5-8), while overhead perpetually hung 
 the milder token of Jehovah's presence before the public gaze, in the nimbus * alter- 
 nately white and glowing. 
 
 4. In the sacred Ark, although designated by a different term from that of 
 Noah, t we may still recognise the common idea of preservation ; in the present case 
 
 did uot actually come in contact with it all (as we 
 have sliowa on p. 77, note). The arguments adduced in 
 favor of the popular view by the writer of the Bible 
 Commentary (i, 368, Am. ed.) are insufficient to coun- 
 tervail these objections. The only sense in which 
 the idea of a propitiatory could be entertained, con- 
 sistently with sound Christian typology, would be 
 the local one of a favored spot where Jehovah 
 deigned to show himself in token of special approba- 
 tion of the worship rendered him; but for this 
 tiiought the term "throne" would have been more 
 appropriate, a meaning which cannot be extracted 
 from kapporeth, although it is implied in the word 
 yosheb, sometimes used by the sacred writers in poet- 
 ical passages alluding to the sanctuary (lit. "the 
 [Onej sitting between the cherubim," etc.). Among 
 eminent modern Jewish and Christian sciiolars, some 
 are still in favor of the rendering " mercy-seat" (so 
 Kalisch, Lange, Keil, Michaelis, Tholuck. and a few 
 others); but the great majority of the best linguists 
 and interpreters favor the simpler version "lid " (so 
 De Wette, Gesenius, Furst, Sciiott, Zunz, Knobel, 
 Herxhcimer, Leeser, Benisch, Sharpe, Delitzsch, 
 Kuinol. "Winer, and many others); some are unde- 
 cided (Rosenmiiller, Evvald, Hengstenberg, etc.). 
 
 * Ilcb. anan, the dense thunder-cloud, loaded with 
 the refreshing shower, yet charged with tlie electric 
 flashes. Sir Walter Scott, in the song which he puts 
 into the mouth of the captive Jewess Rebecca at her 
 evening devotions, while awaiting deatli by fire as a 
 sorceress for her benevolent cures {Ivanhoe, chap, 
 xx.xix), has so beautifully expressed some of the sym- 
 bolical features of the pillar of cloud and fire, that we 
 transcribe it hero, taking tlie liberty of making a few 
 vorl)al changes (especially to avoid anachronisms and 
 the speaking of " Israel " in the lominine): 
 
 When Israel, of the Lord beloved. 
 Out of tlie land of bondaRe came. 
 
 Their fnttier-*' God bt^forn them moved. 
 An awful KUide, In smoke and flame. 
 
 By day, along th' astonished lands 
 
 The cloudy pillar glided slow ; 
 By night, Arabia's crimsoned sands 
 
 Returned the flery column's glow. 
 
 Then rose the choral hymn of praise, 
 
 And trump and timbrel answered keen ; 
 While Miriam's music poured its lays, 
 
 With maid's and warrior's voice between. 
 No portents now our foes amaze. 
 
 Forsaken Israel wanders lone ; 
 Our fathers left Jehovah's ways. 
 
 And He has left us to our own. 
 
 But present still, though now unseen. 
 
 When brightly shines the prosperous day. 
 Be thoughts of Him a cloudy screen 
 
 To temper the deceitful ray. 
 And oh, when droops on Israel's path 
 
 In shade and storm the frequent night. 
 Thou God long-suffering, slow to wrath. 
 
 Be still a guiding, cheering light ! 
 
 Our harps we left by Babel's streams. 
 
 The tyrant's jest, the Gentile's scorn ; 
 No censer round our altar beams. 
 
 And mute our timbrel, trump, and horn. 
 Yet God has said, " The blood of goats, 
 
 The flesh of rams I will not prize : 
 A contrite heart, with humble thoughts. 
 
 Is my accepted sacrlflce." 
 
 The allusion to a screen against prosperity, how- 
 ever, seems to us, although delicate, yet rather equivo- 
 cal. The smoke by day and the flame by night 
 rendered tlie cloud conspicuous at all hours, and at 
 the same time formidable to foes and friendly to 
 allies as a sign of the lambent fire within, a token of 
 power and warmth no less than of liglit. During 
 tlie nocturnal passage of the Red Sea (P^xod. xiv, 20), 
 the pillar showed a bright side toward the Israelites, 
 but a dark one toward tlic Egyptians; aiding and 
 comforting the former, but impeding and threatening 
 the latter. (See Psa. Ixviii, 8; Ixxvii, 17; 1 Cor. x. 2.) 
 
 + Heb. tehdh, a foreign word, prob. signifying a 
 chest, and used only of this vessel and of the basket 
 
THE THREE ARKS. 87 
 
 as a depository of the divinely-given tables of the moral law,* in the other as a tem- 
 porary receptacle for such of the animal tribes of the vicinity as could not otherwise be 
 readily reproduced. The significant manner in which an apostle alludes to the flood 
 (2 Pet. ii, 5 ; iii, 6) seems to have led the framers of the baptismal service in the 
 English Prayer-Book to regard Noah's Ark as typical (for it is there associated with 
 the passage of the Red Sea, as if likewise " prefiguring Holy Bajitism "). Be that as 
 it may, Noah's ark, as being the very first inhabited structure known to have been 
 planned by the Almighty Architect, it might be presumed, however different its de- 
 sign, to ofi^er some points of analogy to the Tabernacle at least, and possibly to the 
 Ark under consideration. It is therefore worth our wkile to make a brief comparison. 
 
 (1.) The dimensions of the Noachian edifice (for such it was before being 
 launched by the Deluge) are given likewise in cubits ; namely, 300 long, 50 wide and 
 30 high (about the proportions of a large merchantman or steamer of the present day), 
 which (with the excej^tion of the length, which in a sea-vessel must always be rela- 
 tively greater than that of a house — for the latter would not stand securely if so nar- 
 row) are not greatly out of ratio with those of the Tabernacle walls (30 x 10 x 10), 
 nor with those of the Tabernacle Ark (2^ x 1|- x 1^). The ark of Noah had three 
 stories, the Tabernacle one and a half, and its Ark properly but one ; showing a 
 gradual reduction in this regard. As we are not informed what partitions, if any, 
 were made in the successive floors of Noah's ark, we can not compare it in this re- 
 spect with the Tabernacle or its Ark ; but we may presume that there was a corre- 
 sponding decrease in their number. Internal decorations of course are out of the 
 question in the case of both the other arks. The contents, however, were in a cer- 
 tain sense germinal in all three ; the first contained the vital seeds of a new popula- 
 tion for the globe, the second the hero-nucleus of a fresh nation, and the third the 
 essential principles of all morality. 
 
 (2.) It is in the architectural style of the three structures that we would naturally 
 expect to find the greatest degree of conformity, as emanating from the same Mind ; 
 and here we are not disappointed. All three were essentially a rectangular box 
 (neglecting the tent-roof of the Tabernacle, which was properly no part of the wooden 
 mishkan or " dwelling "). Plain, indeed, was this form for a ship, and not very 
 artistic perhaps for a house or even for a chest ; yet it was admirably adapted in fact 
 to all of these uses, the first to be floated, the second to be " pitched," and the third 
 to be simply set down. The roof, which we have just laid out of the account, pre- 
 sents nevertheless some very curious points of resemblance ; for although flat of course 
 in the case of the Mercy-seat, it must have been more or less sloping in the Noachian 
 ark, as in the Tabernacle, to carry off the rain. At the eaves especially we find recur- 
 ring an arrangement remarkably similar, and yet characteristically different, for the 
 purpose of shedding the drip ; the bottom cubit of the roof -material all around, which 
 
 in which Moses was inclosed (Exod. ii, 3, 5), both in- * Tliat this was the simple purpose of the Ark is 
 
 tended to float on the water. It is not a little singu- evident from Deut. x, 1, 2; indeed from ver. 3 it seems 
 
 lar that on the Eoryptian monuments (as we have seen) that the Ark was prepared in advance. This was the 
 
 the shrine and a boat are so often associated together, peerless jewel of the entire casket and treasure-house. 
 
88 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 in the Tabernacle was turned down over the top of the walls, was here carried out as 
 a cornice or projection, and left an opening of that width in the top of the side walls, 
 for light and ventilation, (Gen. vi, 16).* In this opening was set the lattice,! which 
 Noah first opened to let the raven and the dove out and in (Gen. viii, 6), and through 
 which, as it was situated at the ceiling of the upper story,;}: he could see the towering 
 tops of the surrounding mountains (ver. 5). It was only after the return of the dove 
 with a fresh olive-leaf in her mouth, which assured him that the ground was sufficiently 
 dry to warrant him in doing so (ver. 11), without danger of swamping his vessel in 
 some valley, that he ventured to take off part of the side boarding itself,§ and then 
 for the first time actually ««?« that the ground was thoroughly dry (ver. 13). This 
 explanation so fairly clears up this difficult passage, and at the same time so 
 corroborates our view of the Tabernacle, that we trust the reader will pardon Avhat 
 otherwise might seem to be unnecessary digression. (See Fig. 37.) 
 
 (3.) The ark of bulrushes (i. e. papyrus reeds), in which the infant Moses was 
 placed by his mother (designated as we have seen above by the same word as the ark 
 of Noah), is significant likewise of preservation, and has many other features of simi- 
 larity. It was a wicker box of about the same proportions as the average noticed 
 above, being shaped like a sarcophagus or mummy-case, coated too with l)itumen 
 inside and out (corresponding to the plating on the boards of the Tabernacle and the 
 Ark of the Covenant), draped with the babe's clothing, and requiring for his breath- 
 ing an opening around the top of the floating cradle of the future law-giver similar t ) 
 that of the Noachian ark, effected doubtless by the omission of some of the longitud- 
 inal courses of wattles. (See Fig. 38.) 
 
 5. In the tables of the Decalogue deposited within the sacred Ark we at once 
 recognise the symbols of moral law, not now^ for the first time promulgated — for the 
 sins against God and the crimes against man there prohibited have always been out- 
 lawed by the universal conscience ; but yet it was needful that these fundamental 
 principles of ethics should be formally re-established and authoritatively published to 
 the newly formed commonwealth of Israel. We perceive therefore that, while the 
 ten connnandments are specifically Jewish enactments, they are also cosmopolitan and 
 perpetual statutes — " common law " as we now say ; yet in the theological sense no 
 
 * •■ A window [Heb. tsohar, a "liglit,"' used only of 
 this object, and in the dual of noon; a different word 
 is employed in viii, 6] shalt thou make to the ark, 
 and in [rather " to," lit. •' toward "] a cubit slialt thou 
 finish it [the ark, not tlie window, as the gender 
 shows] above [rather "from the top downward," lit. 
 "from as to upward," the identical expression ap- 
 plied to the same space in the Tabernacle (Kxod. 
 xxvi, 14)]." This space, where the boardinp;-up of 
 tlie sides was omitted, was protected from the rain 
 by llic over-jnttiufj: oaves. 
 
 f Ileb. chalou (lit. a pn-foration, A. V. " window"), 
 constantly used of latticed opening.s in the side of 
 Oriental buildings. 
 
 X We conceive that the middle story of the ark, be- 
 ing dark and chill}--, was occupied with provender 
 for the auimahs, while the hold would make an ex- 
 cellent cistern for fresh water (filled by the 40 days' 
 rain) necessary not only for use during the whole 
 year's confinement, but also for ballast. 
 
 § Heb. mikseh, "covering," tlie very word exclu- 
 sively applied elsewhere to tlie outside blanket of 
 fur on the Tabernacle walls. Perliaps the exact part 
 here referred to was tlie door in the side of the ark 
 (of course in the bottom story), which was fastened 
 on the outside (vi, 16; vii, 16), as was necessary in 
 order to resist the pressure of water, wliicli during 
 the Flood would be very great. 
 
NOAWS ARK. 
 
 89 
 
 
0O 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 -who has already broken, and unaided can 
 nev^er keep tliem — tlian the ceremonial code of the Pentatench is. They emphasize 
 indeed certain principles of legislation, notably monotheism and the Sabbath, because 
 these had been — and alas still are — sadly neglected ; but in the main they simply reit- 
 erate the cardinal rules of civihzed society. They are all negative in substance — as 
 was the first command in Eden, and as criminal behests usually are ; and yet they at- 
 tach no specific penalty, implying the extreme one of ecclesiastical excision and phys- 
 ical death. They are personal in application (" thou shalt "), and unmistakable in im- 
 port. Finally, as our Lord expounded them (Matt, v, 21, 22, 28), and as the enlightened 
 Jew easily discovered (Rom. vii, 7-13), the meaning goes far deeper than the letter, 
 and reaches to the spirit and intention of the soul (Heb. iv, 12). 
 
 Fio. 38.— Probable Form of the Ark of Bulrushes. 
 
 The typical character of the stone tablets is finely brought out even by Old-Testa- 
 ment writers (Prov. iii, 3 ; vii, 3 ; Jer. xvii, 1 ; xxxi, 33), but still more clearly by those 
 of the New Testament (2 Cor. iii, 3, 7; Heb. viii, 10; x, 16), as contrasting with the 
 tender receptivity of the heart ; and the breaking of those prepared by Jehovah him- 
 self, as ominous of a covenant never fully renewed, is intimated in Moses's own pre- 
 monitions of the frequent and final apostasy of his people (Deut. ix, 7-24 ; xxxi, 16- 
 27). 
 
 6. The remaining features of the structure of the Tabernacle and its parapherna- 
 lia, such as the variety in the colors and arrangement of the drapery, the swellings in 
 the stem and arms of the Candelabrum, the jewels and additions to the pontifical 
 robes, etc., although in a degree useful, were chiefly ornamental ; and in that liglit 
 they symbolize the element of beauty as one of the important constituents in this les- 
 son-picture of Jehovah to his infant people. The aesthetic is never neglected by the 
 divine Architect, nor was it sacrificed to utility in the somewhat severe style * of the 
 
 * It is proper to observe that while the Tabernacle, 
 both as a whole and in its details, can hardly be 
 called elegant, as compared with the Temple and 
 other gorgeous specimens of architecture, yet it was 
 far from rude or out of taste. Indeed not only emi- 
 nent skill, but also great magnificence was displayed 
 in its design and decorations, and the materials were 
 often of the most costly character. The rich stuffs. 
 
 precious metals and valuable gems lavished upon it 
 were part of the "spoil" demanded by the Israelites as 
 a just return from the Egyptians for long years of 
 hard servitude (Kxod. xii, .35, .30). Tiie means of 
 keeping up the sacred services, such as flour, oil, etc., 
 argue some communication with their settled neigh- 
 bors during the long sojourn in the Desert. Kgypt 
 is to this day the source of merchandise for the Arabs 
 
■n.J.r. ,,. Ill, 
 
ACACIA WOOD. 
 
 91 
 
 Tabernacle, any more than it is in nature, where birds and flowers and graceful forms 
 mingle in delightful harmony with the athletic forces and the rugged aspects of 
 earnest existence. True science and chaste art are the legitimate twin offspring of 
 genuine piety. 
 
 IV. Having thus nearly exhausted the external aspects of the Tabernacle equip- 
 ments, we may properly inquire whether the various materials used in its constitution 
 and operation may not likewise have some symbolical meaning. They are, as we have 
 seen, drawn from all three kingdoms of nature, the mineral, the vegetable and the 
 animal. We will take them up as nearly as may be in the order of their occurrence. 
 
 1. The largest in quantity of these materials, and that most used in dwellings, 
 especially those intended for transportation like this, because furnishing the greatest 
 strength for the least weight, is wood, which in this instance was taken from the 
 acacia-tree, not merely because this was the most — almost the only one — accessible in 
 sufiicient quantities, nor yet simply because it was firm and durable, but — as we ap- 
 prehend — also because by reason of its terrific " touch-me-not " thorns that tree was a 
 tit emblem of the unapproachable majesty of Jehovah, and of all that pertained to 
 him.* This was the symbolism likewise in the case of the burning bush that Moses 
 
 like little balls of fibre, and have gained for it its po- 
 etical epithet of the 'yellow-haired acacia.' It be- 
 longs to the natural order leguminosa, and its seed 
 is a pod like that of the laburnum. 
 
 " But it is best known for its commercial value as 
 yielding the gum arable of trade and medicine, which 
 is exported in great quantities from the Red Sea. 
 The gum exudes from the tree spontaneously, as I 
 have often observed in hot weather, but is also ob- 
 tained more systematically by making incisions in the 
 bark; and the Arabs not only collect it for sale, but 
 for food in times of scarcity. Tliey also say tliat it 
 allays thirst. The bark, which is a powerful astringent, 
 is used by the Bedawin for tanning j-ellow leather, 
 and the camels are fed on its thorny foliage. 
 
 " The burning bush of Moses (Exod. iii, 2), called 
 seneh in Hebrew, was no doubt an acacia, the 
 Egyptian name of which is the equivalent, sMn<, while 
 the Arabic is sei/al. The species is the acacia nil- 
 otica, found also in the desert, and rather smaller 
 than the true seyal. 
 
 " Tiiere are several otlier species of acacia found 
 in Palestine, but all similar in habit and appearance ; 
 as the acacia farnesiana on the coast, the a. serissa 
 in some of the wadies, and a. ioriilis in some of tlie 
 southern wadies. These must not be confounded 
 with the tree commonly called acacia in England, 
 which is an American plant of a different genus, witli 
 white papilionaceous blossoms — the robinia pseudo- 
 acacia.^^ The Heb. name for the free is shittah (fern, 
 sing.), while for the wood it is shittim (masc. phir., 
 i. e. the sticks). (Sec Fig. 39.) 
 
 there. The mines of the Sinaitic peninsula were a 
 noted penal station of the ancient Egyptians, and 
 regular trains of supplies were kept up for the mili- 
 tary guards and convicts sent thither. These men 
 were readily accessible to the Israelites, without dan- 
 ger oi interference from the home government, now 
 thoroughly reconciled to their emigration. Moses 
 himself had tlie benefit of a forty years' experience 
 as a refugee in this very region. The beaten caravan 
 route from Damascus (Gen. xxxvii, 25) ran along the 
 Philistine shore (Exod. xiii, 17). The cross-line of 
 pilgrimage to Mecca is comparatively modern, and 
 does not touch Mt. Sinai, which, however, appears to 
 have been an ancient shrine of religious resort (Exod. 
 iii, 1), as the inscribed rocks of its neighborhood 
 seem to show. Its native population must always 
 have been sparse and nomadic. 
 
 * Tlie tree is well described by Tristram {Natural 
 History of the Bible, p. 391-2): "There can be no 
 question as to the identity of the shitldh with the 
 acacia, tlie only timber tree of any size in the Arabian 
 desert. The species of acacia there found is the 
 acacia seyal, a gnarled and thorny tree, somewhat 
 like a solitary hawthorn in its habit and manner of 
 growth, but much larger. It flourishes in the driest 
 situations, and is scattered more or less numerously 
 over the whole of tlie Sinaitic peninsula. The timber 
 is very hard and close grained, of a fine orange brown 
 color, with a darker heart, and admirably adapted for 
 .fine cabinet work. Its leaves are small and pinnate, and 
 in spring it is covered with its round tufts of yellow 
 blossom, which grow in ciuslcrs round the branches. 
 
92 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 saw in tlie same vicinity, wliicli lie was forbidden to approach (Exod. iii, 5). May 
 not the manna — tliat article of food so strange to the Hebrews that they had no name 
 for it (Exod. xvi, 15), * but which we know was a type of Christ as the Bread of 
 Life (John vi, 31-35), may not this dew-like substance have been a preternatural 
 exudation from this very tree \ — as the strikingly similar and highly iiutritive " gum 
 arable " of commerce is the natural one from at least one species of the same genus 
 (with which they must have been well acquainted in Egypt). 
 
 The wood was employed in the Tabernacle chiefly for overlaying with metal, and 
 was thus in a double sense a symbol of support, as it held up — whether naked or so 
 covered — the textile portions of the tent-like structure. So the Israelites tliemselves 
 — and all their fellow-creatures, but more especially saints — are upheld naturally as 
 well as spiritually — by that tree of life, invisible since Eden, which emblematized 
 the alimentive and curative power of God (Rev. xxi, 2). 
 
 2. First mentioned among the metallic substances of the Tabernacle was copper, 
 employed most copiously, not, as we apprehend again, merely on account of its 
 comparative cheapness, but rather for its deep color, and especially because it is capa- 
 ble (by some art now lost) of being hardened like steel,f and therefore the symbol 
 of durability. 
 
 3. Next in order of dignity among metals, but used with much liberty in the 
 Tabernacle, was silver, the obvious symbol of clearness, by its white lustre. Its em- 
 ployment for the trumpets is appropriate for the excellent tone thus produced, sym- 
 bolical of the Gospel message (Ezek. xxxiii, 3 ; 1 Cor. xiv, 8 ; Rev. viii, 6 ; xiv, 6). 
 
 4. The most costly metal, gold, was profusely employed about the Tabernacle, 
 but wholly for inside work ; and is a universal standard, and therefore a symbol of 
 value. 
 
 5. Returning to the vegetable kingdom for the accessories of the Tabernacle 
 structure and outfit, we find linen, or the product of the flax-plant, most prominent 
 for the hangings and clothing. It is a symbol of cleanliness, which, as the old jirov- 
 
 * Heb. man hu, What (is) it? A. V. incorrectly, 
 "It is manna." Mich. Liebentantz, in his httle mon- 
 ograph on this subject {De Manna Israelitarum, Wit- 
 tenberg, 1667, 4to) nearly exhausted tlie sources 
 of information (chiefly of a philological character) 
 accessible in his day. The copy in our possession 
 has MS. notes on the margin, apparently by the 
 author himself. The true manna of the Desert is 
 probably to be substantially identified, not with the 
 medicuial substance current under that name among 
 druggists, which is a saccharine cathartic exuding 
 from certain species of the ash-tree, but with the 
 (/u))i arable of commerce, tons of which the writer 
 saw piled in sacks on the banks of the Nile at Aswan 
 awaiting shipment down the river. There are sev- 
 eral other Oriental trees which yield sweetish prod- 
 ucts often called manna, especially the tur/a or 
 
 tamarisk, distillations from wiiicli are collected in 
 small quantities at Sinai, but form a syrup, not at all 
 answering the BiV)lical description, which moreover 
 includes some miraculous features, especially the 
 double quantity and the keeping quality on Friday, 
 while none fell on the Sabbath. 
 
 f Homer speaks {Odysxcy, ix, 39; but some under- 
 stand iron) of tempering copper for tools, and the 
 Egyptians are thought (by Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, 
 ii, 158) to have cut even the flinty Syenitic granite 
 with it. They had extensive copper mines in the 
 desert of Sinai, the refuse and pits of wliich are 
 abundantly evident to this day at Surabet el-Kiiadim. 
 They do not appear to iiave been acquainted with 
 iron, and this metal accordingly docs not find a place 
 among the materials of the Tabernacle ; nor would it 
 have been suitable, from its liability to rust. 
 
THE VARIOUS MATERIALS. 93 
 
 erb lias it, is " next to godliness," and was a point of great concern in tiie sacred 
 I paraphernalia. 
 
 6. ]S"ext in importance for similar use was wool of sheep, a ceremonially clean 
 animal, evidently a symbol of warmth. 
 
 7. For canvas alone was the goats' -hair (another " clean " animal) employed, 
 which here seems to be a symbol of compactness, as the roof-covering required that 
 quality in an eminent degree. 
 
 8. The unshorn rams'-skins, tinted for beauty, are a symbol of protection from 
 weather. 
 
 9. The fur blankets were a symbol of softness. If of goats or antelopes, they 
 likewise were from a "clean" animal. No further substance from the animal king- 
 dom ap})ears, except perhaps silk as an alternate for gold, and the red or crimson, 
 likewise from a worm ; finally the two purples, from sea-shells. 
 
 10. The rope, probably also of fiaxen thread, used as stay-cord, may be taken to 
 represent strength, as hnen twine is the least liable to break of any. 
 
 11. Finally in this list of substances we set down, what are perhaps the most 
 expensive of all for their size, the gems or precious stones, which, as they were 
 to receive the engraving, may be regarded as a symbol of hardness. 
 
 V. Supplementary to the foregoing list, among elements employed in worship, 
 we find water, as the symbol of regeneration; (perpetual) fire, as representing 
 (quenchless) zeal ; oil, as emblematic of richness ; wine, of cheerfulness ; salt, of 
 wholesomeness ; flesh, of substance ; fat, of choice (as being the best part) ; blood, of 
 life ; meal, of vigor ; and spice, of acceptability. Most of these are so frequent in 
 the metaphors of the Bible that we need not dwell upon them in detail. 
 
 YI. A more noteworthy feature of the arrangement of the various parts of the 
 Tabernacle, and one which we might have considered under the head of its relative 
 proportions, but which we prefei'red to scrutinize a little more closely by itself, is the 
 gradation of comparative or official sanctity evinced in the successive apartments and 
 pieces of furniture. 
 
 In a general way it is obvious that the entire mansion and precincts are set forth 
 as the residence of Jehovah in the style of an Oriental king, and that this was his 
 special home among his chosen people. The successive door-screens kept out all in- 
 truders, and the furniture was such as suited his royal state and convenience. In the 
 court-yard were performed the culinary offices of the establishment, the food was 
 cooked (as it were) on the Brazen Altar, and the washing was done at the Laver. The 
 Holy Place represented the reception-room, where oflScial luisiness was transacted ; and 
 here the night-long lamp denoted the ceaseless vigilance and activity of the Heavenly 
 King. The Table of Show-bread was his board, furnished with the three prin- 
 cipal articles of Oriental subsistence, bread, oil and wine ; and the Altar of Incense 
 was the place appointed for the reception of homage and petitions from his subjects. 
 The interior apartment was his secret chamber for his own private counsels and 
 retirement. 
 
 1. After leaving the outside world of purely secular interests, we have first the 
 
94 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 large court accessible to all priests and Levites, but (except for individual privilege) 
 to none others.* This inclosure therefore symbolizes a sacred ministry in more than 
 the usual sense of God's people. Within this again we find the Laver, which is em- 
 blematic of true piety (such as can only flow from a renewed heart, Tit, iii, 5), and is 
 placed there as an indispensable prerequisite to any acceptable divine service, especially 
 of the priestly representatives of the people (Ileb. x, 22). The Great Altar is a figure of 
 the personal consecration which they are to make of their whole selves to holy duties. 
 
 2. In the next remove from secular life, the Holy Place, to which no Levite was 
 ordinarily admitted, we see the exclusive tokens of a functional priesthood, which 
 was necessary in the cumbrous and technical routine of sacrificial offerings, and was 
 accordingly regarded as the only feasible medium of approach to the divine Majesty. 
 Under the Gospel this whole system of human intervention is abolished, with the 
 ritualistic system upon which it was founded, and every believer, whether old or 
 young, male or female, becomes a king and a priest (for himself or herself only, how- 
 ever) before God (1 Pet. ii, 5, 9 ; Rev. i, 6, etc.) The Candelabrum represents the 
 intelligence with which such service must be undertaken, the Table of Show-bread 
 (lit. "of the [divine] presence") the conscientiousness with which they must be dis- 
 charged, and the Altar of Incense the prayerfulness with which they must be 
 accompanied. Nor let it be supposed that these spiritual requirements were not 
 understood by devout worshippers, whether clerical or laical, among the Hebrews 
 (Luke i, 10). 
 
 3. Withdrawing now to the inmost chamber, the Most Holy Place, which was 
 the immediate abode of Jehovah, and debarred to all but the incumbent of the high- 
 priesthood, we find naught therein save the Ark and its Mercy-seat, to body forth the 
 invisible deity ; the one by the writings deposited therein, as an explicit record of 
 moral principles ; and the other by the figures standing upon it, as a conventional 
 type of natural laws. The high-priest himself is the representative of his entire 
 order, and through it of the laity ; but since the one great Day of Atonement has 
 passed, in which Jesus as the Christian's sole high-priest has entered into the actual 
 and immediate presence of the celestial Glory, there is no need or room for any other 
 mediator between the soul and God (Heb. ix, 11, 12, 24). The Vail is a type of his 
 flesh (Heb. x, 20), rent at the crucifixion (Matt, xxvii, 51), so that all saints may 
 now enter the Holiest boldly (Heb. x, 19), clad in the regalia of Christ's own right- 
 eousness (Rev. xix, 8). 
 
 VII. We conclude this branch of our subject, and with it our whole theme, by 
 remarking that the crowning glory of the Tabernacle and its service lay — and was 
 universally understood as lying, in the gradual scheme of divine revelation couched 
 under the three modes of divine manifestation, which M^e have been considering. Let 
 us dwell a little longer upon them in detail. 
 
 * Tlie phrase, "door of the tent" [not "taber- 
 nacle ]", so often used of the rendezvous of the people 
 [i. e. of their representative heads] (Lev. viii. 3, 4, etc.; 
 but not when spoken of the priests), was merely out- 
 
 side the front screen of the court door-way, for it is the 
 same word (pethach, lit. an opening) that is likewise 
 applied to that of the buildiiii,' itself, but never to the 
 inmost Vail. 
 
DIVINE COMMUNICATIONS. 
 
 95 
 
 1. The Shekinah* was intended merely to mark the divine abode and presence 
 in some pliysical and visible manner, and conveyed no intimation of the divine pur- 
 poses beyond what that simple fact implied. It manifested itself in two phases, each 
 characteristic, and having two seemingly opposite traits : a brilliancy (significant of 
 disclosure) and a smoke (indicative of concealment) ; in other words, the revelation 
 was yet but partial. 
 
 (1.) In the " pillar of a cloud by day and of fire by night," this contrast was by 
 alternation ; the exhibit, however, was constant in one phase or the other. The 
 object here was simply guidance in the journey, and therefore it was an index of the 
 locality where Jehovah preferred his tent to be pitched, and when he wished it to be 
 removed to some other spot. Hence it began with the first march, and ceased when 
 the Tabernacle reached its last resting-place. At the passage of the Red Sea, it 
 changed its position from the head of the marching column to the rear, in order to 
 interpose a barrier between the Israelites and their pursuers (Exod. xiv, 19, 20, 24) ; 
 during the giving of the Law, it stood upon the summit of Mt. Sinai (Exod. xix, 
 9, 16-20 ; XX, 18-21 ; xxiv, 15-18), whence it descended to the tent temporarily occu- 
 pied as an office by Moses (Exod. xxxiii, 9, 10), returning to the summit of the 
 mountain during the second interview there (Exod. xxxiv, 5) ; and on the com- 
 pletion of the Tabernacle proper it took up its permanent station above the 
 building, removing only during the march (Exod. xl, 34r-38). It is therefore the 
 emblem of divine revelation in its lowest or general aspect of social direction in 
 the secular or semi-ethical crises of human affairs. The ordinary hazy hue may be 
 compared to the quiet approval of heaven upon national or personal conduct when 
 right ; and the flashes of lightning, which at times frightened beholders, may be the 
 vindictive warnings of Providence against wrong-doing, (See also pp. 10, 86.) 
 
 (2.) The occasional glow over the Mercy -seat was a token of a special condescension 
 of Jehovah, less public, but still in view of some national or ecclesiastical act of 
 devotion ; and is an emblem of the grace that prompts and rewards such an expression 
 of religious quickening. Forlorn indeed is that state or church or individual of w^liose 
 conscious centre it need be inquired, " Where [is the divine] glory ? " (1 Sam. iv, 21.) 
 
 2. A more specific form of divine communication by the Almighty respecting 
 the secrets of liis administration is found in the mysterious Urim and Tlmmmim, 
 which, however manipulated, were resorted to only on special emergencies, chiefly 
 public, but yet having a private bearing. They seem to correspond to the monitions 
 of conscience in the natural heart, and to those of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed 
 one — the two related like the eye and light to each other ; as they involved quite 
 distinctly the subjectivity of the recipient (high-priest), who acted as a medium. 
 
 *Late Heb. or Cliald. Shekinah. lit. a residence, the 
 term invented (not Biblical) to describe what in the 
 Bible is called only " the glory of Jehovah." It is 
 spoken of as habitually "appearing " in public view 
 on memorable occasions of divine intervention, 
 especially in connection with the Tabernacle and 
 other scenes in the Desert, and also at the dedication 
 
 of Solomon's Temple. It is distinct from the special 
 theophanies vonclisafed to the patriarchs and prophets 
 of Old and New Testament times, as the latter were 
 personal, and the other popular; these exhibited a 
 bodily form, more or less distinctly human, while that 
 was merely a light. In the Transfiguration of our 
 Saviour the two aspects were blended and fulfilled. 
 
96 
 
 SYMBOLISM OF TEE TABERNACLE. 
 
 3. Finally we have in the Decalogue, treasured in the archives of the sacred Ark, 
 the clearest and fullest code of ethics ever divulged to humanity at large, and one 
 which all later legislation or revelation, and all modern ingenuity or science, have not 
 materially improved nor successfully impeached. Many illustrative applications and 
 enforcements have been added, but the moral law as expressed in those ten connnand- 
 ments stands unrivalled and unrepealed in every dispensation and among all save bar- 
 barous people. Few are the evils of heart or life which their strict observance 
 according to their true intent and spirit would not prevent or relieve. 
 
 Our difficult and somewhat venturesome task is now accomplished in as brief 
 space as any one could reasonably demand. We think we have made out our case 
 without any special pleading, and have therefore a right to subscri])e, Q. E. D.* 
 
 * To borrow an illustration from a science generally 
 regarded as furnishing the most commanding and 
 irrefragable kind of proof, we may say that, as the 
 ■coincidence of two arcs, figures or planes, in three 
 points, especially if angular, is an absolute mark of 
 equality or identity throughout, so the correspond- 
 ence in our scheme of the Tabernacle with its Script- 
 ural description in the three essential elements of 
 metric outline, utilitarian adaptation, and dignified 
 significance, is a conclusive attestation that the value 
 of the hitherto unknown quantities has been truly 
 ascertained. In order to eliminate any suspicion that 
 even such an equation is accidental, we may further 
 point to the fact that each of those three confirma- 
 tions is itself triplicate or even compoundly so: the 
 numerical statements or implications as to the ground- 
 plan, the elevations, and the roof or wall coverings 
 respectively, iiowevcr separately and independently 
 given or deduced, precisely tally in dimension; the 
 mechanical adjustment of llie various parts, whether 
 expressed — sometimes in full, sometimes laconically, 
 sometimes merely hinted, — or understood, is at once 
 systematic, simple and efficient; the ideal import of 
 the whole, — from the Levitical court (with its roast- 
 ing flesh), through the priestly fane (with its aro- 
 niiitic fumes), into the pontifical shrine (with its 
 celestial glow), — by the physical elements (drawn 
 from all tiie realms of nature), the corporeal organisms 
 (animal victim, human agent, or cherubic phantasm), 
 and the conventional tokens (perpetual fire in the 
 outer court, continual light in the Holy Place, and 
 constant shade in the Most Tloly),— in the liturgical 
 apparatus (whether sacrificial fixtures, or costly im- 
 plements, or gorgeous paraphernalia), — is admirably 
 progressive, eminently instructive, and sublimely 
 
 decorous. Nor is a single feature inconsistent, un- 
 necessary or trivial in the entire category of details. 
 A theory that so fully and fairly unites all the facts 
 and principles must be sound; and in the nature of 
 the case there can be no more convincing argument. 
 The sacred record is the only testimony, its careful 
 interpretation the best jurist, and common sense the 
 highest tribunal. The ultimate verdict we are content 
 to abide. In conclusion of this already extended 
 note, which may seem to some of our readers to savor 
 of overweening confidence, if not of consummate ego- 
 tism, it is proper to add that we are well aware of 
 the degree of assurance with which many of our pre- 
 decessors on this subject have put forth tlicir schemes 
 of adjustment; but we are sure that a number of 
 them at least must have had secret misgivings of 
 their sufficiency, although few have had the candor 
 to avow (as Brown frankly does, p. 43 ; — he pro- 
 ceeds, it should be borne in mind, on the flat-roof 
 theory) their sense of inability to meet the require- 
 ments of tlie case. We have the hardihood to assert, 
 and we arc conscious of no vanity in doing so, that 
 our only apprehension in the matter is lest our read- 
 ers may cursoril}-- pass our explanations and reasons 
 by, as ingenious and possibly plausible speculations, 
 and may thus remain unconvinced for lack of real 
 and thorough examination. We have no fear of 
 their final assent (except of course that of the person- 
 ally prejudiced, and especially of those already pub- 
 licly committed to a different opinion), if they will 
 only take the pains to verify our positions by a 
 careful comparison with the Scriptural statements 
 and the moclmnical and artistic demands of the 
 case. To tiiis the theme, if not the book, is fairly 
 entitled. 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 N.B.— The initials ot authors referred to are given within parenthesis marks Immediately after their principal name. 
 Foreign words in the captions are set in italics. The letter n attached to the number of a page indicates a 
 foot-note, and c denotes a wood-cut. 
 
 Pnge. 
 
 Aaron's rod of Almonds 58 
 
 Acacia Sej'al described mOl, c91 
 
 as a symbol 91 
 
 -, use of 13, 17, 21, 25, 41, 44 
 
 j-Esliietics of Divine Architect ndO 
 
 *' Agate " explained 68 
 
 Aholiab, assistant architect 9 
 
 ',4/ interpreted ?i28 
 
 Almonds, Aaron's rod of 58 
 
 •' Almonds, like " explained 46 
 
 Altar of Burnt-offering described 17 
 
 — , position of 18 
 
 — as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 Altar of Incense described 44 
 
 , its position 44, m48 
 
 as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 " Amethyst " explained 68 
 
 Angels not cherubim m83 
 
 not winged nS3 
 
 Ankle and Knob compared c25 
 
 Ante-Sinaltic Tabernacle c33 
 
 Antelope. (See Tachash.) 
 
 Ant/lope harhatus n'W 
 
 Apartments symbolical 93, «96 
 
 Arch of Titus at Rome 4, c4 
 
 Argaman a shell-fish n\Q 
 
 Ark of bulrushes 88, c90 
 
 the Covenant described 54 
 
 , its form 55 
 
 , — position 84 
 
 , — symbolism n87 
 
 among the Philistines nlO 
 
 ■ said to have been hidden by 
 
 Jeremiah 11 
 
 Ark of Noah 87, c89 
 
 Ashes of Great Altar wl 8 
 
 Atonement, hiero.rlyphic of wSO 
 
 Attitude of cherubim 84 
 
 Atwater (E. E.), " The Tabernacle " 7 
 
 specially cited nl2, «7S 
 
 Bad, unbleached linen n\b 
 
 " Badger " skins, where placed. (See Tachash). . 25 
 
 Page. 
 
 Balir (K. W. F.), " Symbol, d. M. Cultus " 4 
 
 specially cited nl2 
 
 Bars, use of 18, 25, 41, 55 
 
 '• Basins " (of altar) explained 18 
 
 " Beaten work " explained m44 
 
 " Beauty of holiness " explained 61 
 
 Btdaivin Sheik's dress cQ\ 
 
 Bede, the Venerable, cited ?i72 
 
 Bellermann (J. J.), " Die Urini " 6 
 
 Bells on high-priest"s robe 65 
 
 Bcnesch (A.) cited m86 
 
 Bernard of Clugiiy cited w2 
 
 " Beryl " explained n68 
 
 Bezalocl, the architect 9 
 
 " Bible Commentary " cited m75, ?i86 
 
 Bitumen for the arks 88 
 
 Black as a symbol 77 
 
 Blood as a symbol 7*79, 93 
 
 " Blue " as a symbol 78 
 
 , a violet. (See Violet.) 16 
 
 "Boards" of Altar n\1 
 
 — Tabernacle 21 
 
 Bohl (S.), '• De Divisione Decalogi " n59 
 
 " Bonnet " was a skull-cap. (See Head-dress.). 64 
 
 " Border " (of ephod) explained 66 
 
 (of table) explained 41 
 
 "Bowls " (on candelabrum) explained 46, c47 
 
 (of table) explained 43 
 
 Brass, anciently unknown. (See Copper.) 13 
 
 " Brazen " Altar described 17 
 
 Braun (J.), " Vestitus Sacerdotum " 5 
 
 Breastplate of high-priest described 67 
 
 '■ Breeches " were drawers. (See Drawers.). ... 62 
 
 " Broidered Coat " explained ?i64 
 
 Bronze, use of «19 
 
 Broom (W. F.), " The Tabernacle " 8 
 
 Brown (W.), " The Tabernacle " 7 
 
 — specially cited n22, ?(9G 
 
 Bynaius (A.), " De Calceis Heb." 5 
 
 Calov (A.), "De Urim " 
 
 Candelabra, ten in Solomon's Temple 
 Candelabrum on arch of Titus 
 
98 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Candelabrum, concentric arrangement of c45 
 
 — ^ golden, described 44 
 
 as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 " Candlestick." (See Candelabrum.) 
 
 Caravan routes across the desert m91 
 
 " Carbuncle " explained w68 
 
 Censers described «18 
 
 Cliahar interpreted «27 
 
 Cliange of hi^h-priest's dress nil 
 
 '•' Cliapiters " (of pillars) were caps 15 
 
 Chashshuk interpreted n\b 
 
 Chasuble of Roman Catholic priests 66 
 
 Cherubim in general 36, w38 
 
 . their form 55, c56 
 
 , number n54 
 
 , occurrence 36, 55, 56 
 
 , posture 57 
 
 , symbolism 82, m83 
 
 not repulsive w83 
 
 Cliodten interpreted nGl 
 
 Circle as a symbol 81 
 
 Clant (A.), " De Labro Tabernaculi." 5 
 
 Clemens (H. G.), " De Labro Aeneo " 5 
 
 Cloud of Fire. (See Pillar.) n86 
 
 " Coat " was a tunic. (See Shirt.) 63 
 
 Coccus cacti a Mexican product n\6 
 
 ilicis described nl 6 
 
 Cochineal a modern color nl 6 
 
 Color, importance of 76 
 
 , nature of nlG 
 
 , symbolism of ?il 6, 76 
 
 Colored stripes in curtains n53, w78 
 
 Colors of curtains 16, 36, c37. 75, nIS 
 
 , order of «78 n80 
 
 Commandments, distribution of n58 
 
 , negati ve 90 
 
 " Compass" of the Altar explained nl8 
 
 Conder (Lieut. C. R.) cited 10 
 
 Conradi, " Tabernaculi Structura " 5 
 
 Copper as a symbol 92 
 
 tempered n92 
 
 .use of 13, 14, 17, 19, 33, w92 
 
 Corner boards described 22 
 
 sockets, arrangement of c24 
 
 " Coupling " cxplaiticd n27 
 
 Court of the Tabernacle described 12 
 
 as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 " Cover withal " explained 43 
 
 " Covering" (of Tabernacle and Ark) explained. . nSS 
 
 Crimson described 16 
 
 as a symbol 70 
 
 " Crown " (of tablc.«) explained 41 
 
 Cubit as a base 75 
 
 Page. 
 
 Cubit, estimate of nl2 
 
 , natural type of 75 
 
 rules, Egyptian ?il3 
 
 " Cunning work " explained n\G, 66 
 
 " Curious " (girdle) explained m66 
 
 Curtains of court described 14 
 
 — roof and walls compared 30. 34, n36 
 
 Curtiss (S. L), " Levitical Priests " 5 
 
 D'Aquine (P.), " Du Tabernacle " 8 
 
 David's erection of a Tabernacle 10. c33 
 
 Day of Atonement as a type 94 
 
 Decalogue, division of n58 
 
 as a symbol 96 
 
 universal 88 
 
 Decimal division 74 
 
 Delilzsch (F.) cited nSG 
 
 De Wette (W. K. L.) cited nSG. 
 
 " Diamond " explained ?i66 
 
 Dishes, different kinds distinguished 7tl9 
 
 " Dishes " (of table) explained 43 
 
 Door-screens as a symbol 93 
 
 way curtain of court described 16 
 
 Draught of the altar-fire 18 
 
 Drawers of High-priest 64 
 
 —Priests 62 
 
 modern Oriental <-62 
 
 Dress of High priest 64, ?t77 
 
 — Levitcs GO' 
 
 Priest 61 
 
 modern Oriental c61 
 
 Driessen (A.), " Mosis Tabernaculuni." 5 
 
 " Drink offering " explained «43. 
 
 Duodecimal division 74 
 
 Duplicate division 75 
 
 Eden, a socket «13 
 
 Edersheim (A.) cited ni'i, Ji66 
 
 " Edge " and " selvedge" distinguished 7i31 
 
 Egyptian Temples 3 
 
 Uri7v 70 
 
 'El interpreted «28 
 
 Eleventh roof-curtain, its position 28 
 
 Embroidery of curtains in general nl6 
 
 used 33, 36, 51, 66, 67 
 
 " Emerald " explained «68 
 
 Encampment, order of 7*49 
 
 P'ntrance by raising curtain 17 
 
 Ephod described 66, c67 
 
 Egyptian f66 
 
 Er Rahah, plain of 12 
 
 Ewald (G. H. A.) cited n86 
 
 Ezekiel's Temple 3 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 99 
 
 Page. 
 
 Faces of cheruijim m82 
 
 Fat as a symbol, 93 
 
 Fellah peasant's dress c61 
 
 Fcrgusson (J.), " Temples of the Jews " 7 
 
 — specially ciicd 7i25, ?(26 
 
 Fiery pillar. (See Pillau.) 
 
 Finjiire. importance of 81 
 
 "Fillet," a rod. (See Rods ) 15 
 
 " Fine twined linen," meaninii- of nl5 
 
 Fingers, a natural number 74 
 
 Fire maintained all night by Arabs ?il9 
 
 perpetually on the Groat Altar 10 
 
 as a symbol raSO, 93 
 
 " Fire pans " (of altar) explained wlS 
 
 Flesli as a symbol 93 
 
 " Flesh liooks " (of altar) explained nl8 
 
 " Flower " on Candelabrum 4t), (-47 
 
 Fold in roof-curtain f31, ?i32 
 
 Folds in side-curtains '--38, c-39 
 
 *' Foot " (of laver) explained wl8 
 
 " Forefront " explained n28 
 
 Form, importance of 81 
 
 Four as a symbol 75, m76 
 
 Frankincense, use of. 42, 49 
 
 Friederich (F.), " Symbol, d. Stifisluitte " 6 
 
 — specially cited w72 
 
 Frontlet of hight-priest 65 
 
 Fur as a symbol 93 
 
 Furniture as a symbol 93 
 
 Fiirst (J.) cited w86 
 
 Gable nearly covered by niof-curtain w29, c30 
 
 Gtbia interpreted 46, c47 
 
 Geissler (C), " De Cherubim " 5 
 
 Gems in breastplate 67, w68 
 
 as a symbol 93 
 
 Geruhard (G. F.), "' De Nono et Deciino Pr;fcepto " «59 
 
 Gescnius (F. H. W.) cited «86 
 
 Gibeon, higli-place at 10 
 
 Girdle of ephod 66 
 
 — High-priest 63 
 
 — Levites 61 
 
 —Priests 63 
 
 modern Oriental 61, c63 
 
 Goats'-hair for canvas 27 
 
 — as a symbol 93 
 
 Gold as a symbol 79, 92 
 
 use of 21, 25, 33, 41, 43, 44, 52, 55, 
 
 56, 58, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69. 79 
 
 Gore in corner of roof-cnrtains. c31 
 
 Granite of Mt. Sinai "57 
 
 Grate of Altar 17 
 
 Gray as a symbol 78 
 
 Page. 
 
 Great Altar described 17 
 
 Green as a symbol 79 
 
 Gum Arabic, source of n91, n92 
 
 " Habergeon " was a corselet 65 
 
 Hatrmi (J. ab), " De Ara Interiore " 5 
 
 Head (B. V.) cited ri24 
 
 Head-dress of High-priest 64, c65 
 
 — Priest 63, c64 
 
 modern Oriental 61, c64 
 
 Hdix iantldna described ^t 1 6 
 
 Hendewerk (C. L.), " De Seraphim " 6 
 
 Hengslenberg (E. W.) cited n86 
 
 Herxheimcr (S.) cited w86 
 
 Iliprogram of colors ?i80 
 
 High-priest's dress 64 
 
 High-priest as a type 94 
 
 Hin (J. F.), " Primum Dccalogi Pneeoptuui ". . . n59 
 
 '■ Hollow with boards " explained wl7 
 
 Holy of Holies described 51 
 
 , its size 20, to22 
 
 as a symbol ^ 93, 94 
 
 Place described 20 
 
 as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 Homer cited n92 
 
 Hooks described 15 
 
 used 15, 33, 52 
 
 " Horns " of the altar 17 
 
 Hufnagel (W. F.), '• Der Cherub " 6 
 
 Incense, tlie sacred 59 
 
 '• Inclosings " (of gems) explniued m67 
 
 Inscriptions, Assyrian and Kgyptian w81 
 
 " Jasper " explained w68 
 
 Jehel Ahiaa, summit of 12 
 
 Josep!ius(F.) cited 3, wl6, 18, 22, w23, ?i25, 
 
 ra45, w46, ?i65, n66, n71 
 
 Kaiser (T. P. C), " De Clierubis " 
 
 Kalisch (M.) on Exodus 
 
 — specially cited 
 
 Kaphol interpreted n28, 
 
 Knppnreth defined 
 
 Knplitor interpreted 46, 
 
 Karkob. tlic rim of the Altar 
 
 Katheph interpreted 
 
 Katsah and saphah distinguished n31, 
 
 Keil (C. F.) on Exodus 
 
 specially cited, nlO, «22, ??59, ?i70, n73. 
 
 Ken, the base of the Laver 
 
 Kepler (J.) cited 
 
 Keres interpreted 
 
 6 
 5 
 nVi 
 7130 
 7?85 
 c47 
 n\% 
 n66 
 
 «86 
 ml9 
 n54 
 7125 
 
lOO 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Kirjath-jearim, Ark at wlO 
 
 Kitto (J.), " The Tabernacle " 8 
 
 — " Pictorial Bible " 5 
 
 Kiyor interpreted ml 9 
 
 Ktiobel (K. A.) cited w86 
 
 Kijobs, copper, form of. n'25 
 
 . lieight of 25, 28 
 
 , number of ?t40 
 
 , place of «40 
 
 crolden, form of n2o 
 
 , height of »i52, nhW 
 
 . niimber of .... 40 
 
 . place of m40 
 
 " Knops " on Candelabrum 46, c47 
 
 " Lace " (of frontlet) explained ?i65 
 
 Ladder-rounds compared n2\ 
 
 Lamps on Candelabrum 47, c'48 
 
 Lamy (B.), " De Tabernaculo Foederis" 5 
 
 Lange (J. P.) cited n73, «86 
 
 Laver described 19 
 
 , its "foot" «19 
 
 , — position 19 
 
 probably broken up 10 
 
 replaced in Solomon's Temple 11 
 
 as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 Law, copy of, found by Josiah 11 
 
 Layard (A. H.) cited w33, w57 
 
 Leeser (I.) cited m86 
 
 Legends, Assj'rlan and Egyptian »i81 
 
 Leone (J. J.), " Del Ai ca " 5 
 
 •• De Chcrubinis " 5 
 
 •' Van den Tabernackel " 8 
 
 Lcpsius (R.) cited ?il 3 
 
 Lid of the A rk as n symbol m84 
 
 Liebentanz (M.), " De Manna " n92 
 
 " Ligure" explained mG8 
 
 Liuen as a symbol 02 
 
 , bleached and unbleached n\f> 
 
 Lion in Zoological Gardens 7i83 
 
 Literature of the subject. . .3, nl2, h58, n59, vnO, «92 
 
 " Looking-glass " was a metallic mirror 19 
 
 Loops on roof-curtains c29, n30, ?i31 
 
 side curiains c37, 38. «39, c40 
 
 Lund (H.), " Autiq. I leb." 5 
 
 — specially cited ^72 
 
 Machtoth were fire-pans wl 8 
 
 Madden (F. W.) cited n23 
 
 Makseh interpreted ?t26 
 
 Manna identified «92 
 
 , pot of, preserved 58 
 
 ;i.s a symbol 92 
 
 March, order of j(5 1 
 
 Mathematical demonstration.. .n28, 40, w53, n54, nOG 
 
 McLeod (A.), " Ciicrubim " G 
 
 Meal as a symbol 93 
 
 ' ' Meat offering " explained n43 
 
 Me'd interpreted n2S 
 
 Mel (G.), " Beschr. d. Stiftshiitte " 5 
 
 Mercy-seat described 55 
 
 " Mercy-seat " an incorrect phrase n%'> 
 
 Meshullah interpreted 7i2 1 
 
 Metallic sheets, manufactured n45, n\G, 49, 56 
 
 Metallurgy, Egyptian n\2, ?/91, n92 
 
 Michaelis (J. H.) cited n86 
 
 " Midst of the altar " explained nl 8 
 
 Migne (abbe) cited w73 
 
 Millemalah interpreted n26 
 
 Mines of Surabet el Khadim n91 
 
 Mirrors, Egyptian nl9 
 
 Mishhetseth interpreted w67 
 
 Mishkan and Ohel distinguished «9 
 
 " Mitre" was a turban. (See Turban.) 64 
 
 Mizpeh, Tabernacle at 10 
 
 Moses's tent the first Tabernacle 9 
 
 Moshzar interpreted n\b 
 
 Murphy (C. F.) on Exodus 5 
 
 Names of tribes, order of n&l, 7i6S 
 
 Natural types 13, n21, n'lb, c47, 74 
 
 " Network " (of nltar) explained wl7 
 
 Neumann (W.), " Die Stiftshiitte " 6 
 
 Nob, Show-bread at 10 
 
 Octagonal tent n33 
 
 " Of the same " explained 17. 56 
 
 Ohd and Mishkan difitiuguished n9 
 
 Oil for candelabrum 47 
 
 — , iioly, of unction 60 
 
 — as a symbol 93 
 
 One as a symbol 75 
 
 " Onyx " explained ?j6S 
 
 Order, importance of n76 
 
 " Ouch " explained 7267 
 
 Pailloux (X.), " Monographic du Temple " 5 
 
 Paine (T. 0.), "The Tabernacle," etc 7 
 
 ■ specially cited, ?i3, ?j7, nl4, ?n 5, nl 7, 
 
 «18, 23, n25, «26, n28, n30, ?j32, »!49 
 
 Palmer (E. H.) cited n27 
 
 " Pans " (of altar) explained wl 8 
 
 Peak-roof necessary 20 
 
 Pouch interpreted 46, cl 7 
 
 Peringer (G.), " Historia Tabernaculi " .'> 
 
 Philo Judicus cited ?*42, n' \ 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 lOl 
 
 Picture-lessons 73, w74, w80 
 
 Pillar of Cloud in general ?i8G 
 
 , its appearance nlO 
 
 , the signal for marching 10 
 
 and fire as a symbol 95 
 
 Pillars of Court described 18, cli 
 
 , their distribution wl4 
 
 , their face wI6 
 
 Pins. Sec Text-Pins. 
 
 " Pitch " for tlie arlv 88 
 
 Poole (R. T.) cited w24 
 
 Pomegranates on high-priest's robe 65 
 
 Poppe (J.), " Die Stiftsliiitte" 8 
 
 Pot of manna in Ark 58 
 
 Praj^er-book cited 87 
 
 Priestly dress 62 
 
 Propitiatorium discussed n85 
 
 Proportion, importance of »«74, m76 
 
 " Pulpit Commentary " cited ?i73 
 
 Purple as a synil)ol 79 
 
 , a Tyriau dye 16 
 
 Quadrangle as a symbol 
 
 Quadruple division 75 
 
 Rain at Sinai n21 
 
 Rams'-skins, where placed 26 
 
 as a symbol 93 
 
 Randall (D. A.), " Ham-Mishkan " 8 
 
 specially cited n12 
 
 Rlis Sufsqfeh, summit of 12 
 
 Rau (S.), " Nubes super Area " 6 
 
 Btbiis of cobrs w80 
 
 Recchitl (J.), " Ham-Mishkan " 8 
 
 Rectangle as a symbol 81 
 
 Reland (A.), " De Spoliis Templi " 4 
 
 specially cited c 41, 45, c 45, 48 
 
 Revelation foreshadowed 94 
 
 Rliind (W. G.) "Tabern. in the Wilderness " G 
 
 Ridgaway (H. B) cited n27 
 
 Ridge pole or rope unnecessary 3"J 
 
 Riggenbach (C. J.), " Die Stiftshiitte " r, 
 
 Rings for bars of walls 2") 
 
 — grate of altar 17 
 
 use of 17, 25, 41, w44, 55 
 
 Robe of high-priest described 65 
 
 Rod of Aaron, miraculous 58 
 
 Rods of court described 15 
 
 , none for the Vail 52 
 
 , use of 15, 33, 52 
 
 Roof of Tabernacle not flat 26 
 
 Roof-curtains as made up c29 
 
 Rope as a symbol. (See Stay-cords) 73 
 
 Page. 
 
 Rosenmiiller (J. G.) cited n86 
 
 Rotundity as a symbol 81 
 
 Rounds of a ladder compared 7i21 
 
 Rugs of fur under the furniture nlS 
 
 Saalschiitz (J. L.), " Heb. Archiiol." 5 
 
 " Sacred " numbers w74 
 
 Salt, use of n42 
 
 as a symbol 93 
 
 Sanctuary described 19 
 
 , its dimensions ?/22 
 
 Sandals not worn by priests 60 
 
 Saphah and Katsah distinguished n31, »(68 
 
 " Sapphire " explained «68 
 
 " Sardius " explained w68 
 
 " Scarlet," a crimson 16 
 
 — as a symbol 79 
 
 Schlichter (C. L.), " De Lyclinucho " 6 
 
 , " De Mensa Facierum " 6 
 
 -— , '-DeSuffitu" 6 
 
 Schmuck (V.), " De Decalogi Distributione " w59 
 
 Scholt (W.) cited 7z86 
 
 Schulteus (A.), " Mysterium Tabernaculi." 5 
 
 Scott (Sir W.), hymn cited n86 
 
 Sea-shells the source of purples 93 
 
 " Selvedge " explained n3 1 
 
 Sennert (A.), " De iis qu?e fuerunt in .\rca ". . . . nb% 
 
 Senses, symbols adapted to n77 
 
 Septenary division 74 
 
 " Set in order " (of tenons) explained ri21 
 
 " Settings " (of stones) explained n67 
 
 Seven as a symbol 74, w76 
 
 Sex as a natural number 75 
 
 Seyal described w21 
 
 SJiani, the crimson grub nl6 
 
 Sharpe (S.) cited n86 
 
 Shekel determined n23 
 
 " Shekinah " explained n95 
 
 — ■ as a symbol 84, 95 
 
 Shesh, bleached linen nl5 
 
 Shiloh, Tabernacle at 10 
 
 Shirt of High-priest 64 
 
 Levites 60 
 
 — Priests 63 
 
 modern Oriental 60, c62 
 
 S?nttah and Shittim distinguished 13, ?i9l 
 
 identified. (See Acacu.) 13, 17, 21, n91 
 
 Shoham interpreted n6G 
 
 Shoulder-stud of ephod 66 
 
 " Shovels " (of altar) explained 18 
 
 Show-bread described 42 
 
 at Nob 10 
 
 — — as a symbol 93 
 
102 
 
 GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 Shrubs burned by monks of Sinai nl'd 
 
 " Side " (of epliod or tablet) explained n68 
 
 Side-curtains, their length 36 
 
 Silk an alternate for gold 93 
 
 Silver, use of 15, 23, 52 
 
 as a symbol 92 
 
 trumpets described c41, 48 
 
 Simpson (F. G.), "Lectures on the Tabernacle".. 6 
 Sinai au Egyptian penal station 7i91 
 
 Mt., described 12 
 
 Sixth roof-curtain, its position 28 
 
 Skins, use of 18, 26, 7^51 
 
 as a symbol 93 
 
 of walls carried up above tiie eaves ?i32 
 
 Smith (G.), " Doctrine of Cherubim " 6 
 
 " Snuff dishes " explained 47 
 
 " Socket " explained ?il3 
 
 Sockets described 13, 23 
 
 , their dimensions w23 
 
 Solomon's Temple 3 
 
 Soltau (H. W.), " The Tabernacle," etc 7 
 
 " Span " explained « 1 3 
 
 Spice as a symbol 93 
 
 Spices used 59 
 
 " Spoil " of the Egyptians by Israelites w90 
 
 " Spoons " (of table) explained 43 
 
 Square as a symbol nSl 
 
 Stay-ropes necessary 14, 15, 25, 34 
 
 Staves. See Bars. 
 
 Stephens (W. E.), " Christ in the Tabernacle "... 8 
 
 Stiebretz (J. F.), " De Urim " G 
 
 Stillmann (G.), " De Candelabro " 5 
 
 Stone of the Table of Law nbn, 7i59 
 
 — Decalogue symbolical ?!84, 90 
 
 Stones on liigh-priest's dress G6, 67, «68 
 
 Stories in Noah's ark n8S 
 
 Stripes of curtains in general nl 6 
 
 Stromeyer (J. J.), " Harmonia Decalogi " w59 
 
 Symbolism, schemes ot «7 1 
 
 " Tabernacle of the Congregation " explained. . . 9 
 
 , Ante-Sinaitic 9 
 
 , Davidic 10 
 
 Table of Show-bread described 41 
 
 as a symbol 93, 94 
 
 Tables of the Law described 57 
 
 , their material n57 
 
 , weiglit n58 
 
 , size w58 
 
 , division n58 
 
 Tarhash interpreted «2G 
 
 identified n78 
 
 skins as a symbol 93 
 
 Page. 
 
 " Tache " was a knob. (See Knobs.) 7/25 
 
 Tebah interpreted n8G 
 
 Tekeleth a shell-fish nl 6 
 
 Temple of Solomon built 10 
 
 Ten as a symbol 74 
 
 Tenons in planks, their position w21 
 
 " Tent " and " Tabernacle " distinguishtd 7i9 
 
 , Oriental, described c27, n32 
 
 pins used N , 25, 33, 34 
 
 " Tenth deal " explained 42 
 
 Teraphim, Hebrew 70 
 
 Thalemann (C. W.), " De Nube " G 
 
 Tholuck (F. A. S.) cited n86 
 
 Thorny bush as a symbol 91 
 
 Three as a symbol 75, »(76 
 
 Thummim interpreted m69 
 
 Thym (G.), "Labrum Aeneum " 5 
 
 Tolaath an insect ?il G 
 
 " Tongs " explained 48 
 
 " Topaz ■' explained w68 
 
 Transportation of Tabernacle 49 
 
 Travel across Sinai tic peninsula ri91 
 
 Triangle as a symbol nSl 
 
 Tribes, order of n(il, ?/68 
 
 Triple division 75 
 
 Tristram (H.B.) cited nd\ 
 
 Trumbull (H. C.) cited w79 
 
 Trumpets, silver, described c41. 48 
 
 , as a .symbol 92 
 
 Turban, Oriental 61, c65 
 
 " Twined " explained w37 
 
 Twelve as a symbol 74, «,76 
 
 Two as a symbol 75 
 
 Two-fold covering 34 
 
 Tympe (J. G.), "Tabernaculi Descriptio" 5 
 
 Types in nature of various articles. 13, c21. c25, c47, 74 
 
 Unity as a division 75 
 
 Urim interpreted G9 
 
 explained 69 
 
 . form of n70, n83 
 
 , manipulation of m70 
 
 as a symbol nS:'>, 95 
 
 Vail, inner, described 51 
 
 , , its position 52 
 
 as a symbol n32, c.K 
 
 typo 94 
 
 Van Til (S.), " De Tabernaculo Mosis '' 5 
 
 Van, a hook. (See Hooks.) «1 5 
 
 Vclthu.sen (J. K.), " Von d. Cherubinon " 6 
 
 Vessels of the Great Altar 18 
 
 Show-bread table 4;j 
 
GENERAL INDEX. 
 
 103 
 
 Page. 
 
 Vessels carried to Babylon 11 
 
 restored to Jerusalem 11 
 
 Violet described 16 
 
 as a symbol 78 
 
 "Wagons for transportation 49 
 
 Walther (C), " De Tabulis Lapideis '" m59 
 
 Wangermann (T.), " Die Stiftshiitte " 8 
 
 Warp always of linen nl6 
 
 Washing of hands, Oriental nl9 
 
 Water as a symbol 93 
 
 Week as a natural number 74 
 
 Weimar (D.), " De Suffitu " 5 
 
 Werner (J. B.), " De Propitiatorio " 5 
 
 Wheels of cherubim 82 
 
 Winston (W.) cited wie, 7265 
 
 White as a symbol , 77 
 
 Wilkinson (Sir J. G.) cited ml 2, wl9, n42, 
 
 w47, ?i57, 60, w70, n90 
 
 " Window " in Noah's ark 88 
 
 Wings not on angels ?j83 
 
 Page. 
 
 Wings of cherubim 84 
 
 Wine not to be drunk m43 
 
 as a symbol 93 
 
 Witsius (H.) cited w72 
 
 Wolf (C. G. F.), "DeUrim" 6 
 
 Wolfrum (V. W.), " De Decalogi Distributione ". . w59 
 
 Wood as a symbol 91, 92 
 
 Wooden Walls (19, c36 
 
 Woof of colored wool nl6 
 
 Wool used for colored woof. 7il6 
 
 as a symbol 93 
 
 " Worm " the source of crimson 93 
 
 " Wreathen chains " explained 67, c69 
 
 Yellow as a symbol 79, mSl 
 
 Tether, a tent-cord. (See Rope.) nl4: 
 
 Ziegra (G. D.), " De Oleo Sacro " 5 
 
 Zion, Mt, Tabernacle on lo 
 
 Zunz (L.) cited w86 
 
Passages of Scripture Illustrated, 
 
 GENESIS. 
 
 Page 
 
 iii, 21 n63 
 
 iii, 24 «65, w84 
 
 vi, 16 38, w88 
 
 vii, 16 nSH 
 
 vii, 20 «26 
 
 viii, 5 88 
 
 viii, 6 88 
 
 viii, 11 88 
 
 viii, 13 ?i26, 88 
 
 ix, 4-6 79 
 
 ix, !2-16 wl6 
 
 ix, 13 w80 
 
 XX, 5, 6 n69 
 
 xxviii, 12 nSO 
 
 xxxvii, 3 n63 
 
 xxxvii, 25 n9l 
 
 xlv, n»-27 n49 
 
 EXODUS. 
 
 ii. 35 nSI 
 
 iii, 1 n9\ 
 
 iii. 2 w91 
 
 iii, 5 60, 92 
 
 iii, 12 wlO 
 
 iii, 22 m50 
 
 xi, 2 n50 
 
 xii-xix 1151 
 
 xii, 33-36 ?«51 
 
 xii. 35, 36 n90 
 
 xiii. 17 n91 
 
 xiv, 19, 20, 24 95 
 
 xiv, 20 7il0, n86 
 
 xvi, 15 92 
 
 xvi, 33, .34 58 
 
 xix, 9, 16-20 95 
 
 x.x. 2-27 1/58 
 
 XX, 18-21 95 
 
 XX, '24 wl8 
 
 XX. 24. 25 17 
 
 xxiv, 15-18 95 
 
 XXV, 4 «16 
 
 XXV, 9, 40 n'M 
 
 XXV, 10-22 55 
 
 XXV, 11, 12 ?i57 
 
 XXV, 19 >/52. 56 
 
 XXV, 20 57. 85 
 
 XXV, 20, 24 41 
 
 XXV, 25 41 
 
 XXV, 27 »t85 
 
 XXV, 30 42 
 
 XXV, 31-40 44 
 
 XXV, 36 ?i!46, w52 
 
 XXV, 40 3 
 
 Page 
 
 xxvi-xxviii 3 
 
 xxvi, 1 36, 7*78 
 
 xxvi. 1-6 34 
 
 xxvi, I, 6 n36 
 
 xxvi, 3 n28 
 
 xxvi, 3, 9 n34 
 
 xxvi, 7 n26 
 
 xxvi, 4, 5. .m30, ?«31, n35 
 
 xxvi, 5 n34 
 
 xxvi, 6 n34, 40 
 
 xxvi, 6-11 w28, 35 
 
 xxvi, 7 w36 
 
 xxvi, 9 28, 7i28 
 
 xxvi, 10 ?i28, 30, ?i31 
 
 xxvi, 11 31, 7i36 
 
 xxvi. 11,13 25 
 
 xxvi, 12 7(28, 31, ?(31 
 
 xxvi, 13 «2S, n36 
 
 xxvi, U ?i36, nS8 
 
 xxvi. 15 21 
 
 xxvi. 16 21 
 
 xxvi. 18, 20 21 
 
 xxvi, 11) 23 
 
 xxvi, 19, 21, 25 24 
 
 xxvi, 22 21 
 
 xxvi, 24 23 
 
 xxvi, 25 21 
 
 xxvi, 26-29 25 
 
 xxvi, 26, 27 42 
 
 xxvi, 27 n25 
 
 xxvi, 29 n25 
 
 xxvi, 30 w37 
 
 xxvi, 31-33 51 
 
 xxvi, 32 24 
 
 xxvi, 33 52 
 
 xxvi. 36 33 
 
 xxvii, 1, 8 17 
 
 xxvii. 2 17 
 
 xxvii, 3 18, 47 
 
 xxvii, 4 17 
 
 xxvii, 5 18 
 
 xxvii, 6, 7 18 
 
 xxvii, 8 «17 
 
 xxvii, 9-16 wl4 
 
 xxvii, 10-18 7(13 
 
 xxvii, 10-12 11 
 
 xxvii, 10 w35 
 
 xxvii, 10, 12, 17 15 
 
 xxvii, 12, 13 ?/14 
 
 xxvii, 13, 14 7i\4 
 
 xxvii, 14, 15 15 
 
 xxvii, 16. . . nli, 16, 9t78 
 
 xxvii, IS 13 
 
 xxvii, 19 14 
 
 Page 
 
 xxvii, 20 47 
 
 xxvii, 25-28 44 
 
 xxviii 60 
 
 xxviii, 4 nGi 
 
 xxviii, 5 7118 
 
 xxviii, 8 7i78 
 
 xxviii, 15 7i78 
 
 xxviii, 20 n64 
 
 xxviii, 22-28 7i68 
 
 xxviii, 24 w64 
 
 xxviii, 30 ?t69 
 
 xxviii, 31, 32 «65 
 
 xxviii, 33 •?i78 
 
 xxviii, 39 w64 
 
 xxviii, 40-43 6-', m64 
 
 xxviii, 42 7i64 
 
 xxix, 8, 9 62 
 
 XXX, 1-5 44 
 
 XXX, 4 m52 
 
 XXX, 6 44 
 
 XXX, 7-10 44 
 
 XXX, 7 47 
 
 XX.X, 8 47 
 
 XXX, 18 19 
 
 XXX, 19-21 19 
 
 XXX, 19, 21 19 
 
 XXX, 25 n60 
 
 XXX, 34-36 60 
 
 XXXV, 35 n78 
 
 xxxi, 26 9 
 
 xxxi, 18 57 
 
 xxxiii, 7 9 
 
 xxxiii, 9, 10 95 
 
 xxxiii, 18-23 86 
 
 xxxiv, 5-8 86 
 
 xxxiv, 5 95 
 
 xxxiv, 29 57 
 
 xxxv-xl 3 
 
 XXXV, 6-23 ?i78 
 
 xxxvi 18 14 
 
 xxxvi, 8 36, n78 
 
 XXX vi, 8-19 «36 
 
 xxxvi, 8-18 n30 
 
 xxxvi, 8-13 »i34 
 
 xxxvi, 10, 18 7j34 
 
 xxxvi, 12 7*34 
 
 xxxvi, 13 7i34 
 
 xxxvi, 22 7*21 
 
 xxxvi, 35, 36 51 
 
 xxxvi, 38 7*15 
 
 xxxvii, 1-9 55 
 
 xxxvii, 10, 11 41 
 
 xxxvii, 17-24 44 
 
 xxxvii, 21 7*46 
 
 Pagf 
 
 xxxviii, 5-7 18 
 
 xxxviii, 7 7*17 
 
 xxxviii, 8 19 
 
 xxxviii, 9-19 7*14 
 
 xxxviii, 12, 13 7*14 
 
 xxxviii, 14, 15 7*14 
 
 xxxviii, 17, 19 15 
 
 xxxviii, 18 7*28, 7*78 
 
 xxxviii, 18-19 ?*14 
 
 xxxviii, 27 23, 7*78 
 
 xxxix, 2, 3 7*78 
 
 xxxix, 5 7*70 
 
 xxxix, 6 7*67 
 
 xxxix, 8 7*78 
 
 xxxix, 13 6(), 7*67 
 
 xxxix, 24 7*78 
 
 xxxix, 27-29 7*64 
 
 xxxix, 29 7*78 
 
 xxxix, 33 7*49 
 
 xl, 3 44 
 
 xl, 17 9 
 
 xl, 19 26, 7*36 
 
 xl, 22 41 
 
 xl, 24 44 
 
 xl, 29 7*19 
 
 xl, 34-38 95 
 
 LEVITICUS. 
 
 viii, 3, 4 
 
 viii, 8 7*69 
 
 X, 9 7i43 
 
 xi, 9-12 7*78 
 
 xvi, 4 7*64 
 
 xvi. 4, 23 7*76 
 
 xvi, 11, 12 60 
 
 xvi, 12 48 
 
 xvi, 14, 15 7*76 
 
 xvi, 18 -l-l. 7*76 
 
 xvi, 23 7*33 
 
 xix, 19 7*35 
 
 xxiv, 2 7*42 
 
 xxiv, 5-9 42 
 
 xxiv, 7 42, 43 
 
 NUMBERS. 
 
 ii, iv, vii 7*50 
 
 iv, 32 7*49 
 
 iv, 7 7*43 
 
 vii, 3-8 7*49 
 
 vii, 13 43 
 
 vii, 14 43 
 
 viii, 4 7*37 
 
 X, 2-10 4S 
 
 xi, 8 7*20 
 
PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 108 
 
 Page 
 
 XVI, 38, 3f wl8 
 
 xvii, 10 58 
 
 xxvii, 2' n69 
 
 xxxii, 3' w67 
 
 xxxiii nb\ 
 
 DEUTERONOMY. 
 iii, 11 
 
 V, 6-2 1 . 
 ix, 7-24. 
 ix, 10... 
 X, 1, 2.. 
 X, 5 
 
 Page 
 
 ... 10 
 
 .... 7163 
 
 ... n69 
 
 ... nlO 
 
 ,... n70 
 
 xxii. 11 w55 
 
 vii, 2 
 
 xiii, 18.. . 
 
 XV, 11 
 
 XV, 24-29. 
 xxi, 1 . . . . 
 
 7i < O 
 
 . ... «58 
 
 90 
 
 57 
 
 7i87 
 
 57 
 
 xiv, 9, 10 n78 
 
 xvii, 6 n84 
 
 xxii, 11 k35 
 
 x.xxi, 16-27 90 
 
 xxxi, 26 57 
 
 xxxii, 11 57 
 
 xxxiii, 8 n69 
 
 JOSHUA. 
 
 xviii, 1 10 
 
 JUDGES. 
 
 vi, 19 n20 
 
 xiii, 20 m83 
 
 xiv, 19 n63 
 
 I SAMUEL. 
 
 ii, 14 n20 
 
 iii, 3 47 
 
 iv, 3 11 
 
 iv, 4 10 
 
 iv, 21 95 
 
 vi «10 
 
 vii, 1 nlO 
 
 vii, 2 MlO 
 
 vii, 6 10, wlO 
 
 ix, 12 10 
 
 ix, 14 wlO 
 
 X.3 10 
 
 xiv, 3 "70 
 
 xiv, 19 m70 
 
 XX, 6 10 
 
 xxi, 1-6 10, k42 
 
 xxi, 6 42 
 
 xxi, 7, 9 10 
 
 xxii. 11 10 
 
 xxii. 18 ?i70 
 
 xxiii, 2, 4 ra70 
 
 xxiii, 2, 4, 6 n70 
 
 xxiii, 6 //70 
 
 xxiii, 9-12 ?uO 
 
 xxviii, 6 «69, nlQ 
 
 I KINGS. 
 
 10 
 
 XX, 21... 
 XXV, 24.. 
 xxviii, 24. 
 xxix, 18. . 
 xxxiv, 15. 
 xxxvi, 7. . 
 
 Page 
 n61 
 11 
 11 
 11 
 11 
 11 
 
 EZRA. 
 
 iii, 4 
 
 vi 3 
 
 vi, 8 m30 
 
 vi, 22 44 
 
 vi, 23-29 n55 
 
 vi, 23, 24 n52 
 
 vi, 35 56 
 
 vii, 23 nl5 
 
 vii, 23, 27 11 
 
 vii, 28-36 «41 
 
 vii, 28, 29 n21 
 
 vii, 30-43 n20 
 
 vii, 48 10 
 
 vii, 49 10 
 
 viii, 8 55 
 
 viii, 9 58 
 
 viii, 11 w85 
 
 viii, 12 75 
 
 ix, 4 n69 
 
 xxii, 34 n67 
 
 a KINGS. 
 
 vi, 17 w83 
 
 viii, 15 wl7 
 
 X, 7 n20 
 
 xii, 9, 10 re55 
 
 xii, 18 11 
 
 xvi, 17 «20, n41 
 
 xviii, 16 11 
 
 xxii, 8 58 
 
 xxiv, 13 11 
 
 i, 7-11 11 
 
 ii, 63 n69, ?i70 
 
 V, 14, 15 11 
 
 vii, 19 11 
 
 viii, 33 11 
 
 NEHEMIAH. 
 
 vii, 65. 
 
 JOB. 
 
 
 iv 6 
 
 . «69 
 . n69 
 . m82 
 
 xxi, 23 
 
 xxiii, 8, 9 
 
 
 . nl3 
 
 xxix, 14 
 
 . m64 
 
 xii, 20 
 
 . «20 
 
 PSALMS. 
 
 
 vii. 8 
 
 . n69 
 
 xix, 1-4 
 
 . . n80 
 
 X.XV. 21 
 
 . ?i69 
 
 xxvi, 1, 11 
 
 . . 7i69 
 
 iii, 23. 
 
 vi, 2 . . . . 
 vi, 2-7.. 
 xxii, 18. . 
 xxii, 21 . 
 xxiv, 15. 
 xxxi, 9. . 
 xliv. 14. 
 xlvii, 9.. 
 1, 11 .... 
 Ixii. 3... 
 
 EZEKIEL. 
 
 I CHRONICLES. 
 
 ix, 32 
 
 xiii-xvi 
 
 xvi, 1 
 
 xvi, 29 
 
 xvi, 39 
 
 xvii, 1 
 
 xxi. 29 
 
 xxviii, 11 
 
 x.xviii, 11, 12, 19. 
 xxviii, 17 
 
 42 
 
 TllO 
 
 10 
 
 n61 
 10 
 10 
 10 
 
 7i85 
 3 
 
 w43 
 
 3 SAMUEL. 
 
 V, 19, 23 w70 
 
 V, 23, 24 n70 
 
 vi «10 
 
 vi, 6, 7 n55 
 
 vi, 17 10 
 
 vi, 19 w42 
 
 2 CHRONICLES. 
 
 10 
 
 .... n78 
 
 8 
 
 .... w55 
 
 .... 57 
 
 .... n20 
 
 10 
 
 vi, 13 k20 
 
 xviii, 33 n69 
 
 i, 3-6.... 
 ii, 7, 14.. 
 iii. iv. . . . 
 iii, 10-13. 
 iii, 13.... 
 iv, 6, 14. 
 V. 5 
 
 xxix, 2 to61 
 
 xii, 12 m69 
 
 xiv, 13 w67 
 
 Ixviii, 8 n86 
 
 Ixxvii, 17 n86 
 
 Ixxviii, 72 «69 
 
 Ix.xxi, 6 «20 
 
 Ixxxv, 10 n84 
 
 ci, 2 w69 
 
 civ, 6 w83 
 
 c.xxxii . «10 
 
 cxxxii, 6 10 
 
 PROVERBS. 
 
 li, 7 w69 
 
 iii, 3 90 
 
 vii, 3 90 
 
 viii. 15, 16 n84 
 
 X, 9, 29 n69 
 
 xiii, 6 w69 
 
 xix, 1 "69 
 
 XX, 7 m69 
 
 xxviii, 6 n69 
 
 CANTICLES. 
 
 i, 5 27 
 
 V, 11-15 «63 
 
 V, 15 nl3, n\b 
 
 i, 5-14.. 
 
 i, 7 
 
 i, 9, 11.. 
 i, 10.... 
 i, 15.... 
 i, 23, 24 
 i, 24, 25, 
 
 i, 26 
 
 V. 2 
 
 ix, 33.. . 
 
 X, 1,4. 
 X, 9... 
 X, 14.. 
 X. 23... 
 
 Page 
 
 n64 
 n55 
 7i83 
 n57 
 n64 
 n63 
 
 . m69 
 n69 
 
 , n69 
 w69 
 
 . 7i69 
 
 . n64 
 
 JEREMIAH. 
 
 X, 5 «44 
 
 xvii, 1 90 
 
 xxiv, 2 n20 
 
 xxxi, 33 n85 
 
 xxxi, 33 90 
 
 Iii, 18, 19 11 
 
 Hi, 21 nl7 
 
 n56 
 
 n56 
 
 84 
 
 n55 
 
 n55 
 
 84 
 
 84 
 
 n55 
 
 w69 
 
 n55 
 
 w55 
 
 m55 
 
 ri55 
 
 m55 
 
 m55 
 
 xvi. 31 «78 
 
 .xxi, 26 w64 
 
 xxxiii, 3 92 
 
 xl-xlii 3 
 
 xl »i55 
 
 xl, "5.*. «13 
 
 xii, 18 n55. 
 
 xii, 24 «67 
 
 DANIEL. 
 
 V, 2, 3 11 
 
 ix, 21 w83 
 
 MICAH. 
 iii, 3 "20' 
 
 ZECHARIAH. 
 
 iii, 5 «64 
 
 vi, 1-8 
 
 MATTHEW. 
 
 «20- 
 
 i, 17 
 
 V, 17, 18.... 
 V, 21, 22, 28. 
 
 7ll4 
 
 n85 
 90 
 
106 
 
 PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 xvi, IS 
 
 Page 
 
 »82 
 
 73 
 
 xxii, 1] 
 
 xxvii, 51 
 
 xxviii, 3 
 
 k60 
 
 94 
 
 7i83 
 
 xxiii, 34. 
 
 73 
 
 JOHN. 
 
 i, 5. 9 
 
 i. U 
 
 i, IS 75, n83 
 
 vi. 31-o5 92 
 
 viii, 12 w83 
 
 xi. 51 nIO 
 
 xvi, 7 7184 
 
 xix, 23 m65 
 
 ACTS, 
 ii, 33 «84 
 
 ROMANS. 
 
 Page 
 
 iii, 25 7i85 
 
 vii. 7-13 90 
 
 1 CORINTHIANS. 
 
 X, 2 n86 
 
 xiv, 8 92 
 
 2 CORINTHIANS. 
 
 iii, 3, 7 ?i84, 9<» 
 
 GALATIANS. 
 iv, 6 rt84 
 
 COLOSSIANS. 
 i, 26, 27 7i80 
 
 I TIMOTHY. 
 vi, 16 75 
 
 HEBREWS. 
 
 i, 3 75 
 
 ii, 17 ?i85 
 
 iv, 12 90 
 
 viii, 10 911 
 
 ix, 4 44, 58 
 
 ix, 5 w85 
 
 ix, 11, 12, 24 94 
 
 ix, 22 79 
 
 X, 12 n84 
 
 X, 16 90 
 
 X, 1 9 94 
 
 X, 20 94 
 
 xii, 24 m84 
 
 JAMES. 
 
 ii, 13 ,,84 
 
 1 PETER. 
 
 ii, 5, 9 94 
 
 2 PETER. 
 
 i, 13, 14 73 
 
 Page 
 
 ii, 5 87 
 
 iii, 6 87 
 
 I JOHN. 
 
 i, 5 75 
 
 ii. 2 ?i85 
 
 iv, 10 n85 
 
 REVELATION. 
 
 i, 6 94 
 
 iv, 6-9 55 71, n83 
 
 iv, 6, 8 82 
 
 iv, 7, 8 ra57 
 
 V, 1 n85 
 
 v, 9, 10 7i80 
 
 viii, 6 92 
 
 viii, 13 7i83 
 
 xii, 14 7i83 
 
 xiii Ji56 
 
 xiv, ti ),.^:i. 92 
 
 xix, 8 94 
 
 xxi, 16 ,i85 
 
 xxi, 17 h13 
 
 PRAISE-YE JAH! 
 

 DATE DUE 
 
 
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