And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always.
- KJV And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
- NKJV And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
- NASB And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me continually.
- NLT Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before me at all times.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The bread of the presence was to be set on the table before God continually. This perpetual bread symbolized fellowship and God's ongoing provision.
Overview
The 'bread of the presence,' renewed regularly, represented the twelve tribes set before God and the communion between the LORD and His people. Its continual placement signified an unbroken relationship and God's constant provision. The bread testified that Israel lived in God's presence and by His sustaining grace. It points to Christ, the bread of life, who feeds His people and grants enduring fellowship with God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 12:4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.
- Lev 24:5–9You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf,
- Exod 39:36the table with all its utensils and the Bread of the Presence;
- Exod 35:13the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence;
- 1 Sam 21:6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
- Mal 1:7By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.
- 2 Chr 13:11Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.
- Num 4:7Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it, along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The regular bread offering is to remain on it.
- 1 Chr 23:29as well as for the rows of the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size.
- 1 Chr 9:32Some of their Kohathite brothers were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread every Sabbath.
- Mal 1:12“But you profane it when you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is contemptible.’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 25:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.