The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Tent of Meeting and the Tabernacle

I've been reading through Exodus and Leviticus recently and have gotten a bit confused about the Tent of Meeting and the Tabernacle. Sometimes it seems like these are referred to as two separate structures (Exodus 33) and sometimes it seems like they are the same (Exodus 40). In Exodus 40, the terms are alternated so much it makes you think for a moment they might be separate structures, even though at the start it identifies them as the same. My best guess is that before the tabernacle was built there was the Tent of Meeting and then the Tent of Meeting became part of the Tabernacle after God ordered it to be built. Or is the Tabernacle a specific part of the Tent of Meeting? If they are identically the same structure, why is the terminology interchanged so often?

Thanks,
John

It seems to me that they are indeed the same structure, though it is interesting that some chapters of Exodus seem to prefer one term over the other, much the same way that we seem to occasionally see some chapters prefer one title for God over another. Rather than see these of necessity being an evidence for differing authors or even differing literary sources, it seems that these can be seen merely as occasional stylistic fluctuations. As you noted, both terms are heavily in evidence in chapter 40.

The Hebrew term MISHKAN is used of the Tabernacle as well as of a dwelling place in general

Psalm 26:8. O LORD, I love the habitation of Thy house, And the place where Thy glory dwells

Psalm 43:3. O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill, And to Thy dwelling places.

It would seem, then, that the references to the Tent of Meeting are more specific to refer to the USE for which the Tabernacle was intended.

Hi John,

That's an interesting idea. I'm going to go back and reread some of the passages with that in mind and see how it fits.

John