Tabernacle
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
—a movable tent and sacred dwelling. Exodus 33 describes a temporary “tent of meeting” outside the camp, where Moses sought the LORD, received revelation, and met those who inquired of God. David later pitched a tent in Jerusalem for the Ark (2 Sam. 6:17). The principal Tabernacle, however, was the sanctuary built by Moses at God’s command according to the pattern shown on Sinai. It was the visible sign of God dwelling among Israel, the palace of Israel’s divine King, the center of public worship, and a figure of heavenly realities (Exod. 25–40; Heb. 9:1–8). The people freely supplied costly materials, and Bezalel and Oholiab directed the work by divinely given skill.