Table of Shewbread

TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

"Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep...and ye
shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of
Israel shall kill it in the evening...and they shall eat the flesh in that night..."
Exodus 12:5-6, 8

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,
Take, eat; this is my body."
Matthew 26:26

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them."
Doctrine and Covenants 20:77

Exodus 25:23-29, Exodus 37:10-16

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

The Table of Shewbread was located within the Holy Place on the Northern side of the room (Ex. 26:35). The dimensions of the table and its overall appearance are described in Ex. 25:23-28. Assuming one cubit equals 18 inches, the table was approximately 36 inches in length, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches tall. As with all other vessels in the Holy Place, the Table of Shewbread was overlaid with pure gold. Refer to the table at the bottom of this page for all other components which comprised this vessel. Once again, the rendition of the Table is based on my assumptions. The exact form and appearance of the Table could only be known today by direct revelation from the Lord.

CONTENTS UPON THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD

Upon the table were placed 12 unleavened cakes made from fine flour. The cakes were arranged into two stacks of six. Shewbread in Hebrew can also be translated as "bread of faces, or bread of the presence". This bread was required to constantly be in the presence of the Lord (Ex. 25:30). Frankincense (a type of perfume) was also required to be placed upon each each of the stacks (Lev. 24:7).

In addition to the Shewbread, there were also jars, bowls and spoons placed upon the table. A transliterated Hebrew rendition of Ex. 25:29 reads as follows:

And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and jars thereof, to pour libations. Wherewith of gold pure shalt thou make them.

LIBATION, OR DRINK OFFERING

The word libation is defined in Websters 1828 dictionary as: The act of pouring a liquor, usually wine, either on the ground, or on a victim in sacrifice, in honor of some deity. The Hebrews, Greeks and Romans practiced libation. This was a solemn act and accompanied with prayer.

While not directly mentioned, is can be inferred that the drink offering mentioned within the scriptures, was administered by using the dishes on the Table of Shewbread. So what is the drink offering? The first time this type of offering is mentioned in the scriptures is in Gen. 35:14:

And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el.

The drink offering is mentioned many times in Lev. 23 and Num. 28. The offering was 1/4th of a Hin, or approximately 1 liter of wine.¹ There were several restriction on the use of the wine in the drink offering that help illustrate its use. It should be noted that this type of offering has no set guidance in the scriptures as to how it was administered as the other sacrificial offerings.

Here are the scriptures which dictate the use of wine within the Tabernacle:

Lev. 10:9-11 - It was strictly forbidden for the Priests and High Priest (i.e. anyone) to consume wine within the inner sanctuary. The wine of the drink offering was therefore, exclusively, the property of the Lord.

Num. 28:7 - The drink offering was to be poured out unto the Lord in the holy place. The act of pouring is the "libation" referred to in the alternate Hebrew translation of Ex. 25:29.² The scriptures do not state the location of where this was poured within the holy place. There are only two logical places.

Ex. 30:9 - Forbids pouring any drink offering upon the Altar of Incense. This removes one of the four possible locations. A second possible location is removed if it is assumed that pouring the drink offering upon the Golden Candlestick would be illogical.

The final two locations would be the Table of Shewbread or upon the ground of the Tabernacle floor.

Ex. 29:38-40 - Dictates the drink offering is to be performed two times on a daily basis to accompany the daily burnt offerings.

If the drink offering is poured out unto the Lord upon the Table of Shewbread (presumably into the dishes mentioned in Ex. 25:29), and it was to not be consumed by the Priests, then there would be a buildup of wine on the table. The wine could not evaporate out of the bowls and jars fast enough if one liter of new wine was added two times a day. Either the priests consumed the wine outside of the inner sanctuary (as they did with the shewbread, Lev. 24:9) or it had to be poured out upon the ground. Remember, it was only forbidden for the priests to drink wine within the inner sanctuary (Lev. 10:9-11).

The significance of the ordinance was the act of pouring, the libation. Jacob poured wine onto a pillar, as a drink offering unto the Lord. Num. 28:7 required the drink offering to be poured unto the Lord.

If the drink offering was poured upon the ground, another problem is presented. Assuming the floor of the Tabernacle was bare earth, the spot where the offering was poured might be able to soak up two liters of wine on a daily basis. There would be a continual wet spot on this location however. When this ordinance was performed within the Temple of Solomon, the drink offering would be poured upon fir wood overlaid with gold. It might have time to evaporate, but there would be a wine spot upon the temple floor.

Based on these conclusions, it is my opinion, the drink offering was poured from a jar into a bowl which sat upon the Table of Shewbread. These dishes are mentioned in Ex. 25:29. The priests would then remove the wine either weekly, or on a daily basis outside of the holy place, and consume it as they did the loaves of shewbread. Remember the ordinance was the act of pouring, not where it flowed and rested after the act of pouring. The significance of this offering and the act of pouring will be discussed later.

SHEWBREAD

Every Sabbath day, the priests removed the 12 cakes of shewbread from the table and replaced them with fresh ones (Lev. 24:9). The priests were commanded to consume the bread in a holy place (not the actual holy place). It was probably consumed in the chambers surrounding the tabernacles inner sanctuary. Any left over bread that was not consumed after the Sabbath ended was to be burned with fire (Ex. 29:34). Strangers or non-Israelites were not to eat the bread because it was considered holy (Ex. 29:33). The bread was not consumed exclusively by the priests however. David was given the holy bread in a situation of need (1 Sam. 21:1-6) and Jesus used this example when teaching about Sabbath worship (Luke 6:1-5).

WHAT DOES THE TABLE OF SHEWBREAD TEACH US TODAY?

As with all other components of the Tabernacle and the Law of Moses, the purpose of the Table was to point to Jesus Christ.

And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law [of Moses], every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.
~Alma 34:14

One of the most obvious symbols of the Table of Shewbread is the Sacrament, as instituted by Jesus Christ. The bread and wine representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
~ Matthew 26:26-28

The drink offering provides beautiful symbolism of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In regards to the drink offering, recall that it was the act of pouring that taught about the Lamb of God. The drink offering, the act of pouring wine out of a vessel, points to the actual drink offering made by Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesied about this offering that would be made by the Messiah:

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
~ Isaiah 53:12

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus Christ began the final and most important stages of His atoning sacrifice. The words of James E. Talmage describe this incomprehensible moment:

Christ's agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause... He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion. In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, "the prince of this world" could inflict. The frightful struggle incident to the temptations immediately following the Lord's baptism was surpassed and overshadowed by this supreme contest with the powers of evil. In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world.³

From Luke we read that so great was the agony felt by the Lord as he prayed, that he "sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:44). The great High Priest poured out his soul, and poured out his blood as an offering unto the Father. Precious wine was offered unto the Father in the Tabernacle. An even more precious and sacred liquid, the blood of Jesus Christ, was offered unto the Father by pouring out his soul unto death. The blood of Jesus Christ is the true drink offering.

When Jesus died upon the cross, he offered his body, which we are to remember as we partake of the Sacrament. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Eating at his table will never result in spiritual hunger or thirst (John 6:35). The teachings of the Savior provide the spiritual nourishment that all the children of God need, just as much as they need physical nourishment.

...man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
~ Deuteronomy 8:3

HOW DOES TAKING THE SACRAMENT BRING US CLOSER TO THE LORD?

The shewbread was required to be be changed each Sabbath day as an everlasting covenant (Lev 24:8). In other words, this ordinance was to occur forever, or until further instructions from the Lord. These instructions came on the last night Christ was upon the earth (Matt. 26:26-28). After the Resurrection, the Church would meet each Sunday, the new Sabbath, to partake of the Sacrament (Acts 20:7).

All those who desire to come unto Christ are under command from the Lord to meet every Sunday to partake of the Sacrament. The Lord has commanded this because he knows the nature of His children. Unless we are continually reminded of the sacrifice made through Jesus Christ, we will forget His mercy and become susceptible to temptation.

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High...
~ Doctrine & Covenants 59:9-10

We have been commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy by partaking of the Sacrament and worshiping the Lord. This is a sacrifice required of the Lord and it must be done sincerely. We are required to sacrifice one day a week to worship the Lord and partake of the Sacrament. The Father "forfeited...the most valuable Lamb of His flock. His own Son."⁴ Our small sacrifice is infinitely minuscule by comparison.

Before returning to the presence of the Father, Jesus Christ poured out His soul in Gethsemane and on Calvary. We too must pour out our souls unto the Lord through prayer, studying the Word of the Lord, and keeping the commandments. As we do this, we will have access to the Mercy provided through Jesus Christ, an we will be on the path that leads back to the Father.

FOOTNOTES

¹1 Hin = 3.66 Liters. Drink offering was therefore approximately 1 liter (0.915 liters or 31oz).

²Refer to the King James Version of the Bible, LDS edition footnote c of Exodus 25:29.
³James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983, p. 568.

⁴North, Gary. Leviticus: an economic commentary. Gary North, 1994. p.56.

Subcomponent	L	W	H	Qty	Reference	Material	Overlay	Comments
Table	2	1	1.5	1	EX 25:23	Acacia Wood	Gold
Crown				1	EX 25:24	Gold	-
Border		*		1	EX 25:25			* Handbreadth - Thickness of a palm
Crown for Border				1	EX 25:25	Gold	-
Rings				4	EX 25:26-27	Gold	-
Feet				4	EX 25:26	Acacia Wood	Gold
Staves				2	EX 25:28	Acacia Wood	Gold
Dishes				>2	EX 25:29	Gold	-
Spoons				>2	EX 25:29	Gold	-
Covers (Jugs)				>2	EX 25:29	Gold	-
Bowls				>2	EX 25:29	Gold	-

Google Sketchup Model Data

Click here to download model or click the image below.

This page was last modified on Monday, August 03, 2009