He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing;
Parallel translations
- WEB He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash.
- KJV And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
- NKJV He set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water there for washing;
- NASB He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing.
- NLT Next Moses placed the washbasin between the Tabernacle and the altar. He filled it with water so the priests could wash themselves.
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
Moses placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and filled it with water for washing. Cleansing was required for those who would serve before God.
Overview
The bronze basin stood between the altar of sacrifice and the entrance to the Holy Place, holding water for the priests' ritual washing. Its location taught that those who approach God must be cleansed as well as covered by sacrifice. This points to the cleansing believers receive in Christ, who washes His people and fits them to serve God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 40:7And place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
- Ezek 36:25I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
- Exod 38:8Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
- Exod 30:18–21“You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,
- Heb 10:22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 40:30 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.