“You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.
Parallel translations
- KJV And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
- BSB Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
- NKJV Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
- NASB And you shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
- NLT Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the Tabernacle entrance.
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 was to set the altar of burnt offering in front of the tabernacle entrance. The place of sacrifice stood at the threshold of approach.
Overview
The bronze altar was positioned first in the courtyard, directly before the entrance, so that no one could approach God's dwelling without passing the place of sacrifice. This taught that fellowship with a holy God requires atonement for sin. It foreshadows the cross of Christ, the one sacrifice through which sinners are reconciled and given access to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Exod 40:29He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Exod 38:1–7He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. It was square. Its length was five cubits, its width was five cubits, and its height was three cubits.
- Exod 27:1–8“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square: and its height shall be three cubits.
- Eph 1:6–7to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
- Heb 13:10We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have no right to eat.
- 1 Jn 4:9–10By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
- 1 Jn 2:2And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
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 40:6 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.