tabernacle (noun)

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “tabernacle” in English is translated in San Blas Kuna as “house of prayer that can be carried.” (Source: Ronald Ross)

In Bandi it is translated as “holy sitting place.” The “sitting place for the Bandi is where you live.” Therefore the tabernacle is the place where God lived. (Source: Becky Grossmann in this newsletter )

In Vidunda it is translated as “God’s tent” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Tibetan as gur mchog (གུར་​མཆོག) or “perfect tent” (source: gSungrab website )

In American Sign Language it is translated with with a sign for “tent” combined with a sign referring to the outer court surrounding the tent (see Exodus 27:9 and following). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Tabernacle” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

See also tabernacle (verb) / dwell, festival of Tabernacles and ark of the covenant.

complete verse (Exodus 26:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 26:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “two pegs which joins those frames. Each frame must have these pegs.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “It must be joined striking two-two tenons in all planks. You must make all the planks of the tent of the meeting in this way.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “On each board put two tenons/projections so they can-be-joined to the other board. Each board must-be made the same-as this.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And hew the ends of all of these studs to become somewhat long, for them to go into their silva post bases and so stand on [them].” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “built it with crossbeam two. build wood of Dwelling-Tent-of-God thus all.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “They must make two projections at the bottom of each frame. These will be to fasten the frames to the bases underneath them. They must make these projections at the bottom of each frame.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 26:17

There shall be two tenons in each frame is literally “two hands for one frame.” The Hebrew word is the common word for “hand,” but as a technical term it may mean “pegs” (New Revised Standard Version), “arms” (New American Bible), or “projections” (New International Version). These wooden tenons were evidently placed at the bottom end of each frame, to be inserted into the silver bases mentioned in verse 19. For fitting together is literally “joined a woman unto her sister.” (See the comment for this expression at verse 3.) The word translated as fitting, or “joined,” was used in later Hebrew for rungs of a ladder, so Good News Translation has “matching projections,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and New International Version have “parallel to each other.”

However, it is more likely that these frames had as their main elements two upright “arms” (New American Bible) which were about fifteen feet high, and possibly not more than a few inches wide, something like modern two-by-fours. Each arm was joined to the other by cross-pieces or rungs and had a tenon-like projection at the bottom which was mortised or sunk into a silver base (see the illustration). There are therefore two possible interpretations for verse 17: (1) The frames were huge planks secured into silver bases at the bottom by two tenons or projections. This view is suggested by New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, and others. (2) The frames were lighter wooden frames composed of two arms connected by cross-pieces, with a tenon at the bottom of each arm to fit into a silver base. Translators are encouraged to follow this second view. (For further discussion of this possibility, see Hatton, 1991.)

So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle is quite literal. New International Version has “Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way,” and Good News Translation has “All the frames are to have these projections.” Given the two interpretations above, alternative translation models for verses 15-17 are the following:

• Build upright frames for the sacred tent out of acacia wood. Each frame is to be fifteen feet high and twenty-seven inches wide. Make two wooden pegs for the bottom of each frame.

• Build upright frames for the sacred tent out of acacia wood. Each frame is to be fifteen feet high and twenty-seven inches wide, with two matching arms that are joined together by cross-pieces. All the frames will have these cross-pieces.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .