And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Parallel translations
- WEB “You shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it: two tenths of an ephah shall be in one cake.
- BSB You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf,
- NKJV “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake.
- NASB “Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake.
- NLT “You must bake twelve flat loaves of bread from choice flour, using four quarts of flour for each loaf.
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
Twelve cakes of fine flour were to be baked and set before the LORD. They represented all twelve tribes of Israel.
Overview
The bread of the Presence consisted of twelve loaves, one for each tribe, made of fine flour in generous measure. Placed continually before God, they pictured the whole nation held in fellowship and remembrance before him. This communion bread anticipates Christ, the bread of life, who unites his people in himself (John 6:35).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Exod 25:30And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
- Exod 40:23And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- 1 Sam 21:4–5And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
- 1 Kgs 18:31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
- Acts 26:7Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
- Jas 1:1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
- Matt 12:4How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 24:5 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.