Word Studies¶
H7931 — shakan ("to dwell")¶
Original: שָׁכַן Transliteration: shakan (shaw-kan) Part of Speech: verb Definition: A primitive root; to reside or permanently stay (literally or figuratively): abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-er), have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up). BLB Count: 129 occurrences Total Translation Occurrences: 150
Key Translations¶
- "shall dwell" — 16x (10.7%)
- "dwell" — 11x (7.3%)
- "abode" — 6x (4.0%)
- "to place" — 5x (3.3%)
- "dwelt" — 4x (2.7%)
- "that I may dwell" — 2x (Exo 25:8; Exo 29:46) — THE SANCTUARY PURPOSE STATEMENT
- "and I will dwell" — 3x (Ezk 43:9; Zec 2:10; Zec 2:11)
Critical Occurrences (God as Subject of Dwelling)¶
| Verse | Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 25:8 | "that I may dwell" | Sanctuary command purpose |
| Exo 29:45 | "And I will dwell" | Restated purpose after consecration |
| Exo 29:46 | "that I may dwell" | Egypt deliverance purpose |
| Exo 40:35 | "abode" | Cloud/glory on tabernacle |
| Exo 24:16 | "abode" | Glory on Sinai |
| Num 5:3 | "dwell" | God dwelling in camp |
| Num 35:34 | "dwell" | LORD dwells among Israel |
| Deu 12:5,11 | "to place/dwell" | God choosing a place for His name |
| Deu 33:12 | "shall dwell" | Benjamin dwells safely by the LORD |
| Deu 33:16 | "dwelt" | Him who dwelt in the bush |
| 1Ki 8:12 | "dwell" | "The LORD said he would dwell in thick darkness" |
| Psa 68:16,18 | "dwell" | God desires Zion to dwell in |
| Psa 78:60 | "dwell" | Shiloh where God dwelt among men |
| Isa 57:15 | "dwell" | "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit" |
| Ezk 43:7,9 | "dwell" | "where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever" |
| Joe 3:17,21 | "dwell" | The LORD dwelling in Zion |
| Zec 2:10,11 | "dwell" | "I will dwell in the midst of thee" |
LXX Connections¶
The LXX translates shakan (H7931) primarily as: - κατασκηνόω (kataskenoo, G2681) — 46x, score 28.37 — "to camp down, settle" — directly related to σκηνόω (skenoo, G4637) used in John 1:14 and Rev 21:3 - κατοικέω (katoikeo, G2730) — 25x — "to house permanently, reside" - σκήνωμα (skenoma, G4638) — 4x — "an encampment, dwelling"
This LXX mapping confirms the Hebrew-Greek linguistic bridge: shakan -> kataskenoo/skenoo. The Greek translators understood shakan as tent-dwelling/encamping, which is precisely the imagery John picks up in John 1:14 (eskenosen, "tabernacled").
Semantic Note¶
The root sh-k-n is the basis for "Shekinah" (the visible divine presence), though the noun "Shekinah" itself does not appear in the Hebrew Bible. The verb consistently means permanent, settled dwelling — not temporary visiting. When God says "I will dwell (shakan) among them," it implies a settled, ongoing presence, not occasional visitation.
H4908 — mishkan ("tabernacle, dwelling place")¶
Original: מִשְׁכָּן Transliteration: mishkan (mish-kawn) Part of Speech: masculine noun (derived from shakan, H7931) Definition: From H7931; a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair of animals, figuratively the grave; also the Temple); specifically the Tabernacle (properly, its wooden walls): dwelleth, dwelling (place), habitation, tabernacle, tent. BLB Count: 139 occurrences
Key Translations¶
- "the tabernacle" — 49x (34.0%)
- "of the tabernacle" — 46x (31.9%)
- "tabernacle" — 7x (4.9%)
- "my tabernacle" — 2x
- "the dwelling place" — 2x
- "an habitation" — 2x
Key Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| Exo 25:9 | "the pattern of the tabernacle (mishkan)" — the first naming |
| Exo 26:6,7 | Construction of the mishkan |
| Exo 40:34,35 | Glory fills the mishkan |
| Lev 26:11 | "I will set my tabernacle (mishkan) among you" |
| Num 24:5 | "How goodly are thy tabernacles, O Jacob" |
| 2Sa 7:6 | "I have not dwelt in any house...but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle" |
| Psa 43:3 | "Let them bring me unto thy tabernacles" |
| Psa 84:2 | "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!" |
| Psa 132:5 | "a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob" |
| Ezk 37:27 | "My tabernacle also shall be with them" |
Semantic Note¶
Mishkan derives directly from shakan (H7931). It is literally "the dwelling-place" — the noun form of God's dwelling action. This connects the structure (mishkan) to its purpose (shakan) linguistically. The tabernacle IS the dwelling — its very name declares its purpose.
H4720 — miqdash ("sanctuary")¶
Original: מִקְדָּשׁ Transliteration: miqdash (mik-dawsh) Part of Speech: masculine noun (from qadash, H6942, "to be holy") Definition: A consecrated thing or place, especially a palace, sanctuary (whether of Jehovah or of idols) or asylum: chapel, hallowed part, holy place, sanctuary. BLB Count: 74 occurrences
Key Translations¶
- "the sanctuary" — 16x (20.5%)
- "my sanctuary" — 13x (16.7%)
- "of the sanctuary" — 5x
- "a sanctuary" — 2x
Key Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| Exo 15:17 | "the sanctuary, O Lord, [which] thy hands have established" |
| Exo 25:8 | "And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" — THE KEY VERSE |
| Lev 16:33 | Atonement for the holy sanctuary |
| Lev 19:30 | "reverence my sanctuary" |
| Lev 20:3 | "to defile my sanctuary" |
| Lev 26:31 | "bring your sanctuaries unto desolation" |
| Ezk 5:11 | "thou hast defiled my sanctuary" |
| Ezk 11:16 | "I will be to them as a little sanctuary" |
| Ezk 28:18 | "thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries" |
| Ezk 37:26 | "will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore" |
| Ezk 37:28 | "when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore" |
| Dan 8:11 | "the place of his sanctuary was cast down" |
LXX Connections¶
The LXX translates miqdash (H4720) primarily as: - ἅγιος (hagios, G40) — 46x, score 18.54 — "holy" — the sanctuary is rendered as "the holy (place)" - βεβηλόω (bebeloo, G953) — 11x — "to desecrate/profane" — used in contexts of defiling the miqdash - οἶκος (oikos, G3624) — 21x — "house/dwelling" — the sanctuary as God's house
This shows the LXX translators understood miqdash primarily in terms of its holiness character (hagios), not just its physical structure.
Semantic Note¶
Miqdash derives from qadash ("to be holy, set apart"). The sanctuary is literally "the holy place" — the place set apart for a holy God to dwell. This dual etymology is crucial: the sanctuary is both a dwelling place (mishkan, from shakan) and a holy place (miqdash, from qadash). Together they express the core tension: how can a holy God dwell among sinful people? The sanctuary answers both the "where" (miqdash — a holy place) and the "what" (mishkan — a dwelling).
H168 — ohel ("tent")¶
Original: אֹהֶל Transliteration: ohel (o-hel) Part of Speech: masculine noun Definition: A tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance): covering, (dwelling)(place), home, tabernacle, tent. BLB Count: 345 occurrences
Key Translations¶
- "of the tabernacle" — 71x (20.1%)
- "the tabernacle" — 52x (14.7%)
- "in the tabernacle" — 34x (9.6%)
- "the tent" — 19x (5.4%)
- "tent" — 9x
Key Occurrences (Tent of Meeting)¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| Exo 33:7-11 | The pre-Sinai "tent of meeting" (ohel moed) |
| Exo 27:21 | "tabernacle of the congregation" (ohel moed) |
| Exo 40:2,6,29 | Setting up the ohel |
| Num 12:5 | "the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tent" |
| Deu 31:14,15 | God appearing at the ohel |
| Psa 15:1 | "who shall abide in thy tabernacle?" |
| Psa 27:5 | "in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me" |
| 2Sa 7:6 | "I have not dwelt in any house...but have walked in a tent" |
Semantic Note¶
Ohel is the generic word for "tent." Combined with moed ("appointed time/meeting"), it forms ohel moed — "tent of meeting/appointment." This emphasizes the sanctuary as the appointed place where God meets with His people. Where mishkan emphasizes dwelling, ohel moed emphasizes encounter.
H8403 — tabnith ("pattern, model")¶
Original: תַּבְנִית Transliteration: tabnith (tab-neeth) Part of Speech: feminine noun Definition: From H1129 (banah, "to build"); structure; by implication, a model, resemblance: figure, form, likeness, pattern, similitude. BLB Count: 20 occurrences
Key Translations¶
- "the pattern" — 4x (19.0%)
- "the likeness" — 3x (14.3%)
- "the form" — 2x (9.5%)
- "the similitude" — 1x
Key Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| Exo 25:9 | "the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments" (2x) |
| Exo 25:40 | "make [them] after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount" |
| Deu 4:16-18 | "the likeness of any figure" — idolatry warning (3x) |
| Jos 22:28 | "the pattern of the altar of the LORD" |
| 2Ki 16:10 | "the pattern of the altar" Ahaz saw in Damascus |
| 1Ch 28:11-12,18-19 | David gave Solomon "the pattern" of the temple (5x) |
| Psa 106:20 | "changed...into the similitude of an ox" |
| Isa 44:13 | "he marketh it out...he maketh it after the figure of a man" |
| Ezk 8:3,10 | "the form of a hand" / "the form of creeping things" |
Semantic Note¶
Tabnith implies that the earthly sanctuary was built according to a heavenly original — not merely as an architect's blueprint, but as a copy of a real heavenly reality. The NT confirms this: typos (Acts 7:44), hypodeigma/skia (Heb 8:5), antitypa (Heb 9:24). The pattern was "shewed" (shown) to Moses — he saw the original.
H6944 — qodesh ("holy, sacred")¶
Original: קֹדֶשׁ Transliteration: qodesh (ko-desh) Part of Speech: masculine noun (from qadash, H6942) Definition: A sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity: consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (most) holy (day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary. BLB Count: 468 occurrences
Key Sanctuary-Related Uses¶
| Verse | Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 3:5 | "holy ground" | God's presence makes ground holy |
| Exo 26:33-34 | "the holy place" / "the most holy" | Sanctuary compartments |
| Exo 28:36 | "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" | High priest's crown |
| Lev 16:2,4 | "the holy place" | Day of Atonement |
| 1Ki 6:16; 8:6,10 | "the most holy place" | Temple's inner shrine |
| Psa 20:3 | "out of the sanctuary" (qodesh) | Help from God's holy place |
| Psa 150:1 | "Praise God in his sanctuary" | Worship in the holy place |
| Dan 8:13; 9:24 | "the sanctuary" / "the most holy" | Prophetic sanctuary references |
| Ezk 28:14 | "the holy mountain of God" | Eden-sanctuary connection |
G4637 — skenoo ("to tabernacle, dwell in a tent")¶
Original: σκηνόω Transliteration: skenoo (skay-no-oh) Part of Speech: verb (from G4636 skenos) Definition: To tent or encamp; figuratively, to occupy as a mansion; to reside as God did in the tabernacle. BLB Count: 5 occurrences
ALL NT Occurrences¶
| Verse | Greek Form | Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jhn 1:14 | ἐσκήνωσεν (eskenosen) | "dwelt" | "The Word was made flesh and dwelt [tabernacled] among us" — Aorist Active Indicative |
| Rev 7:15 | σκηνώσει (skenosei) | "shall dwell" | "he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them" — Future Active Indicative |
| Rev 12:12 | σκηνοῦντες (skenountes) | "ye that dwell" | "rejoice, ye that dwell in them [the heavens]" — Present Active Participle |
| Rev 13:6 | σκηνοῦντας (skenountas) | "dwell" | "them that dwell in heaven" — Present Active Participle |
| Rev 21:3 | σκηνώσει (skenosei) | "he will dwell" | "the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them" — Future Active Indicative |
Semantic Note¶
Skenoo is the NT equivalent of the OT shakan (H7931). The Greek root sken- is cognate with the Hebrew sh-k-n (shakan), likely through Semitic influence. The verbal connections are: shakan -> Shekinah (divine presence) | skenoo -> skene (tabernacle) -> skenoma (dwelling). John 1:14 and Revelation 21:3 form an inclusio of the NT dwelling-theme: the Word tabernacled among us (incarnation) and God will tabernacle with men (consummation). All five NT occurrences are in John's writings.
G4633 — skene ("tent, tabernacle")¶
Original: σκηνή Transliteration: skene (skay-nay) Part of Speech: feminine noun Definition: A tent or cloth hut (literally or figuratively). BLB Count: 20 occurrences
Key Translations¶
- "tabernacle" — 13x (65.0%)
- "tabernacles" — 4x (20.0%)
- "habitations" — 1x
- "a tabernacle" — 1x
Key NT Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| Mat 17:4; Mrk 9:5; Luk 9:33 | Peter: "let us make three tabernacles" (Transfiguration) |
| Acts 7:43 | "the tabernacle of Moloch" |
| Acts 7:44 | "the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness" |
| Heb 8:2 | "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" |
| Heb 8:5 | "about to make the tabernacle" |
| Heb 9:1-3,6,8,11 | The earthly and heavenly tabernacle (multiple uses) |
| Heb 11:9 | Abraham dwelling in tabernacles |
| Heb 13:10 | "they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle" |
| Rev 13:6 | "his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven" |
| Rev 15:5 | "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven" |
| Rev 21:3 | "the tabernacle of God is with men" |
G3485 — naos ("inner shrine, temple")¶
Original: ναός Transliteration: naos (nah-os) Part of Speech: masculine noun Definition: From a primary naio (to dwell); a fane, shrine, temple. Specifically the inner shrine (distinct from hieron, the entire temple complex). BLB Count: 46 occurrences
Key Translations¶
- "temple" — 35x (81.4%)
- "the temple" — 4x
- "temples" — 2x
- "shrines" — 1x
Key NT Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| Mat 27:51 | "the veil of the temple was rent in twain" |
| Jhn 2:19,21 | "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" / "he spake of the temple of his body" |
| 1Co 3:16-17 | "ye are the temple of God" (2x) |
| 1Co 6:19 | "your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost" |
| 2Co 6:16 | "ye are the temple of the living God" (2x) |
| Eph 2:21 | "groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord" |
| 2Th 2:4 | "sitteth in the temple of God" |
| Rev 3:12 | "a pillar in the temple of my God" |
| Rev 7:15 | "serve him day and night in his temple" |
| Rev 11:1,2,19 | "the temple of God" in heaven (3x) |
| Rev 14:15,17 | Angels coming out of the temple |
| Rev 15:5,6,8 | "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven" (3x) |
| Rev 16:1,17 | Voice/voices from the temple |
| Rev 21:22 | "I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it" (2x) |
Semantic Note¶
Naos (from naio, "to dwell") is the inner shrine — the dwelling-place proper — as distinct from hieron (the entire temple complex including courts). This distinction is significant: Revelation exclusively uses naos (16 occurrences, never hieron), emphasizing the divine dwelling rather than the institution. In Rev 21:22, naos is first negated ("I saw no naos") then predicated of God and the Lamb ("the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the naos"). The mediating structure becomes unmediated presence.