H4908 — מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4908
Original: מִשְׁכָּן
Transliteration: mishkan
Pronunciation: mish-kawn'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: שָׁכַן (shakan, H7931) — to dwell, settle, abide
Occurrences: 129 unique verses (145 tokens) across 14 books
First Occurrence: Exo 25:9 — "According to all that I shew thee, [after] the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H7931 (shakan); 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.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
the tabernacle	44	34.1%
of the tabernacle	43	33.3%
tabernacle	6	4.7%
for the tabernacle	4	3.1%
thy tabernacles	3	2.3%
an habitation	2	1.6%
my tabernacle	2	1.6%
the dwelling place	2	1.6%
the dwellings	2	1.6%
dwelling(s)/dwellingplaces	6	4.7%
habitation(s)	4	3.1%
his tabernacle / tabernacles	3	2.3%
Other (tents, places, where, etc.)	8	6.2%

"Tabernacle" dominates at ~80% of all uses; "dwelling/habitation" accounts for the remainder, concentrated in poetic and prophetic books.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Exodus	55	4.5
Numbers	35	2.7
Psalms	11	0.4
1 Chronicles	6	0.6
Leviticus	4	0.5
Isaiah	3	0.2
Jeremiah	3	0.2
Job	3	0.3
Joshua	2	0.3
2 Chronicles	2	0.2
Ezekiel	2	0.2
Habakkuk	1	1.8
2 Samuel	1	0.1
Song of Solomon	1	0.0

Exodus and Numbers account for 70% of all occurrences, reflecting the Tabernacle construction and wilderness service narratives. Outside the Pentateuch, usage shifts toward the extended meaning of "dwelling place" — either God's (Psalms, Chronicles) or human/animal habitations (Job, Jeremiah).

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Tabernacle Structure (Construction and Physical Components)¶

Exo 25:9 — "the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof"
Exo 26:1 — "thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen"
Exo 26:15 — "thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up"
Exo 36:8 — "every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains"

2. The Tabernacle as Functional Worship Center¶

Exo 38:21 — "the sum of the tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony"
Num 1:50 — "thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof"
Num 3:7-8 — "they shall keep his charge... keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation"
1Ch 6:32 — "they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing"

3. God's Dwelling Among His People¶

Lev 26:11 — "I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you"
Exo 40:34-35 — "the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle... the cloud abode thereon"
Eze 37:27 — "My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people"
Num 9:15 — "on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle"

4. Human Dwelling Places (General)¶

Isa 32:18 — "my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings"
Num 24:5 — "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!"
Psa 49:11 — "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations"
Song 1:8 — "go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents"

5. God's Heavenly/Sacred Dwelling (Poetic)¶

Psa 26:8 — "LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth"
Psa 43:3 — "let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles"
Psa 46:4 — "the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High"
Psa 132:5 — "Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob"

6. Dwelling Places of the Wicked / Judgment¶

Job 18:21 — "Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God"
Job 21:28 — "Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?"
Psa 74:7 — "They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name"
Jer 51:30 — "The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
אֹהֶל (ohel)	H168	33x	"tabernacle of the tent of the congregation" — ohel covers the entire tent complex; mishkan refers to the wooden-walled inner structure
כֹּל (kol)	H3605	30x	"all the work/vessels of the tabernacle" — inventory and totality formulas
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	29x	"tabernacle of the LORD" — identifying the dwelling as God's
עָשָׂה (asah)	H6213	26x	"make/made the tabernacle" — construction commands and reports
קֶרֶשׁ (qeresh)	H7175	21x	"boards for/of the tabernacle" — structural component
מוֹעֵד (moed)	H4150	17x	"tabernacle of the congregation" (ohel moed) — appearing alongside mishkan in dual-designation verses
עֲבֹדָה (abodah)	H5656	14x	"service of the tabernacle" — Levitical work
כְּלִי (keliy)	H3627	13x	"vessels/instruments of the tabernacle"
מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach)	H4196	12x	"altar before/by the tabernacle" — spatial reference
פֶּתַח (pethach)	H6607	11x	"door of the tabernacle" — the entrance point

Synonyms¶

H168 אֹהֶל (ohel) — tent; the broader term for the entire tent structure including coverings, while mishkan refers specifically to the wooden-walled core
H3407 יְרִיעָה (yeriyah) — curtain; the fabric components that form the mishkan's inner layer

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
אֹהֶל (ohel)	H168	"tabernacle" (52x ohel vs 44x mishkan)	ohel = tent/covering as a whole; mishkan = the dwelling-structure proper (wooden framework + curtains)
סֻכָּה (cukkah)	H5521	"tabernacle" (1x cukkah)	cukkah = temporary booth/hut (Feast of Tabernacles); mishkan = the permanent portable sanctuary
נָוֶה (naveh)	H5116	"habitation" (1x naveh)	naveh = pastoral dwelling, pleasant abode; mishkan = formal residence, especially the sanctuary

Semantic Domain: Dwelling¶

Other words in domain: H166 (ahal, to pitch a tent), H167 (ahal, to tent), H168 (ohel, tent), H169 (ohel, tent), H1481 (gur, sojourn), H1644 (garash, drive out).

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
σκηνή (skene) G4633	88	25.70	Primary: the tent/tabernacle structure
σκήνωμα (skenoma) G4638	17	16.64	"dwelling-place" — used for extended/figurative senses
μαρτύριον (martyrion) G3142	25	14.27	"testimony" — rendering "tabernacle of testimony" phrases
στῦλος (stylos) G4769	13	12.47	"pillar" — tabernacle component context
κάλυμα (kalyma) G2571	4	9.36	"covering/veil"

The LXX overwhelmingly renders mishkan as skene (68% of co-occurrences), establishing the primary translation bridge into the NT.