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Tabernacle

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The portable sanctuary where the Israelites worshiped during their wilderness journey.

Detailed Definition
The Tabernacle was the movable tent-sanctuary described in the Hebrew Bible, a constructed dwelling for divine presence during Israel's wilderness years. In poetry, it offers a rich image of holiness made portable: sacred space can be woven, assembled, carried, and raised again after each departure. Curtains, poles, lamps, incense, and guarded thresholds make the invisible tangible. The Tabernacle can therefore symbolize a body, a household, a poem, or any temporary shelter where transcendence meets daily labor.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem may portray the Tabernacle as a portable sanctuary carried through the wilderness; Tabernacle can symbolize the human body as a temporary dwelling for the sacred; A poet may contrast the Tabernacle’s holy interior with the surrounding desert; An allusion to the Tabernacle can suggest that divine presence travels with a displaced or wandering people
Additional Notes
The Tabernacle was the movable sanctuary used by the Israelites in the wilderness before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. It represented God's dwelling among the people and contained the ark of the covenant. Related images include the holy of holies, priesthood, pilgrimage, cloud, and divine presence.
Other Meanings of “Tabernacle”
Also Known As
Tent of Meeting Tent of Congregation Mishkan
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