The Tabernacle in the Wilderness

The Tabernacle of Moses as prototype

the tabernacle (Hebrew: מִשְׁכָּן, romanized: miškān, lit. 'residence, dwelling place'), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (Hebrew: אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, romanized: ʔohel mōʕēḏ, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan.

Moses was instructed at Mount Sinai to construct and transport the tabernacle with the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their subsequent conquest of the Promised Land.

After 440 years, Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of God.

The main source describing the tabernacle is the biblical Book of Exodus, specifically Exodus 25–31 and 35–40. Those passages describe an inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, created by the veil suspended by four pillars. This sanctuary contained the Ark of the Covenant, with its cherubim-covered mercy seat. An outer sanctuary (the "Holy Place") contained a gold lamp-stand or candlestick. On the north side stood a table, on which lay the showbread. On the south side was the Menorah, holding seven oil lamps to give light. On the west side, just before the veil, was the golden altar of incense.[2] It was constructed of 4 woven layers of curtains and 48 4.6 m (15 ft) tall standing wood boards overlaid in gold and held in place by its bars and silver sockets and was richly furnished with valuable materials taken from Egypt at God's command.

The English word tabernacle derives from the Latin tabernāculum (meaning "tent" or "hut"), which in ancient Roman religion was a ritual structure.[3][4][5] The Hebrew word mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in".[6][7] In Greek, including the Septuagint, the Hebrew is translated σκηνή (skēnē), itself a Semitic loanword meaning "tent".[8]

According to the Hebrew Bible, so that Yahweh might dwell among the Israelites, he gave Moses instructions for erecting a sanctuary. The directions provide for:

1. The Ark of the Covenant, wood with gilded inside and outside, for the Tablets of Stone, with a pure gold cover as the "mercy seat" for the Shekhinah;
2. A gilt table for the showbread, on which loaves of bread were arranged;
3. A golden Temple menorah, a lampstand of seven oil lamps for a light never to be extinguished;
4. The dwelling, including the curtains for the roof, the walls made of boards resting on silver feet and held together by wooden bolts; the parochet, a multi-colored curtain veiling the Holy of Holies colored blue, purple, crimson, white and gold; the table and candlestick; and the outer curtain
5. A sacrificial altar made of bronzed boards for the korban (sacrifice)
6. The outer court formed by columns resting on bronze pedestals and connected by hooks and crossbars of silver, with embroidered curtains;
7. Recipe and preparation of the fresh olive oil for the lampstand.