tabernacle (noun)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “tabernacle” in English is translated in San Blas Kuna as “house of prayer that can be carried.” (Source: Ronald Ross)

In Bandi it is translated as “holy sitting place.” The “sitting place for the Bandi is where you live.” Therefore the tabernacle is the place where God lived. (Source: Becky Grossmann in this newsletter )

In Vidunda it is translated as “God’s tent” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Tibetan as gur mchog (གུར་​མཆོག) or “perfect tent” (source: gSungrab website )

In American Sign Language it is translated with with a sign for “tent” combined with a sign referring to the outer court surrounding the tent (see Exodus 27:9 and following). (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Tabernacle” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

See also tabernacle (verb) / dwell, festival of Tabernacles and ark of the covenant.

Translation commentary on Exod 26:7

Verses 7-13 describe the second layer for the tabernacle, which was probably intended to protect the inner layer. You shall also make is literally “And you [singular] shall make.” Curtains of goats’ hair is literally “tent-fabrics of goats.” (See the comment on goats’ hair at 25.4.) In certain languages it will be more natural style to say “Use goat hair to weave a cover.”

For a tent over the tabernacle is literally “for an ʾohel over the mishkan.” (See the introductory remarks above for this chapter.) This means that this covering of goats’ hair, this tent (ʾohel), was to be laid over the covering of linen, identified here as the tabernacle (mishkan). Good News Translation‘s “Make a cover for the Tent” is confusing, for the word ʾohel means “tent,” and Good News Translation translates the word mishkan as “Tent.” It would be clearer to say “Make a cover for the tabernacle.” (See the comment on tabernacle at 25.8-9.)

Eleven curtains shall you make means, as Good News Translation translates, that “eleven pieces of cloth” are to be made out of the goats’ hair.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .