5578 tents
Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  5000 Humanity  »  5200 Human civilisation  »  5578 tents

A portable structure made of cloth or skins used mainly by nomads or semi-nomads. God's tent or tabernacle is a meeting-place with him.

Tents as portable dwellings used especially by semi-nomadic peoples

They were living quarters for God's people

Genesis 4:20 See also Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:12; Genesis 18:1; Genesis 25:27; Numbers 11:10; 1 Samuel 4:10; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16

Sometimes women of distinction had their own tents

Genesis 24:67 See also Genesis 31:33; Judges 4:17-18

A tent housed the ark of God

2 Samuel 6:17 pp 1 Chronicles 16:1 See also 2 Samuel 7:2; 1 Chronicles 15:1; 2 Chronicles 1:4

Tents associated with other peoples

Judges 6:5 See also Genesis 9:27; Judges 7:13; Habakkuk 3:7

Kings and armies camped in tents

Judges 7:13 See also Numbers 31:10; 2 Kings 7:7-8

Tents for storage

1 Samuel 17:54 See also Joshua 7:21-23

Tents were illustrative of a nomadic life

Jeremiah 35:7; Hebrews 11:9-10 See also Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:5,18; Genesis 18:1-6; Genesis 20:13; Exodus 16:16; Exodus 33:8,10; Numbers 1:50

Tents sometimes associated with sin

Job 8:22 See also Genesis 9:21 Noah's drunkenness; Numbers 16:26 the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; Joshua 7:21-23 Achan's sin; 1 Kings 20:16; Job 4:21; Job 11:14; Job 12:6; Job 15:34; Job 18:6; Job 21:28; Job 22:23; Psalm 84:10

The construction of tents

Tentmakers

Acts 18:3

The materials used

Exodus 26:7 pp Exodus 36:14 See also Exodus 26:14-29 pp Exodus 36:19-34

Tent pegs and ropes

Exodus 27:19 See also Exodus 35:18; Exodus 38:20,31; Exodus 39:40; Numbers 3:26,37; Numbers 4:32; Judges 4:21; Isaiah 22:25; Zechariah 10:4

Colours of tents

Songs 1:5 See also Exodus 26:14

Pitching tents

Jeremiah 10:20 See also Genesis 26:25; Genesis 33:19; Judges 4:11; 2 Samuel 16:22

The metaphorical use of tents

As an image of creation

Psalm 104:2 See also Psalm 19:4

As a metaphor for death

2 Corinthians 5:1; 2 Peter 1:13-14

God's tent is a meeting-place with him

The tabernacle

Exodus 25:8-9 See also Exodus 26:1-37; Exodus 39:32

The Tent of Meeting

Exodus 27:21; Exodus 33:7 See also Exodus 28:43; Exodus 29:10-11,30,44; Exodus 33:11; Leviticus 1:1; Numbers 1:1; Deuteronomy 31:14-15

God “tenting” with his people

John 1:14 See also Exodus 25:8; Exodus 29:45-46; Exodus 40:34-38; Leviticus 26:11-12; Numbers 5:3; Deuteronomy 12:11; Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3

See also

5340  house
5427  nomads
6606  access to God
7306  ark of the covenant
7344  curtain
7459  tabernacle, in OT
7474  Tent of Meeting



Top of Page
Top of Page






Topical Bible

Bible Hub