Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before Yahweh continually. It is on the behalf of the children of Israel an everlasting covenant.
- KJV Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
- BSB Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant.
- NKJV Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
- NLT Every Sabbath day this bread must be laid out before the Lord as a gift from the Israelites; it is an ongoing expression of the eternal covenant.
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 was renewed every Sabbath as an everlasting covenant token on Israel's behalf. It marked God's ongoing relationship with his people.
Overview
Each Sabbath the priests replaced the loaves, keeping fresh bread continually before God as a sign of the everlasting covenant. The weekly renewal testified that fellowship with God is sustained by his faithfulness, not human achievement. The Sabbath rhythm and covenant bread point ahead to the rest and communion secured by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Num 4:7“On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be on it.
- 2 Chr 2:4Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, to dedicate it to him, to burn before him incense of sweet spices, for the continual show bread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts of Yahweh our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
- 1 Chr 9:32Some of their brothers, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the show bread, to prepare it every Sabbath.
- 1 Chr 23:29for the show bread also, and for the fine flour for a meal offering, whether of unleavened wafers, or of that which is baked in the pan, or of that which is soaked, and for all measurements of quantity and size;
- Neh 10:33for the show bread, for the continual meal offering, for the continual burnt offering, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
- Matt 12:3–5But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him;
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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 24:8 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.