Lexical Summary maareketh: Arrangement, setting, row Original Word: מַעֲרֶכֶת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance row, showbread From arak; an arrangement, i.e. (concretely) a pile (of loaves) -- row, shewbread. see HEBREW arak NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom arak Definition a row, line NASB Translation row (2), rows (1), showbread (3), showbread* (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַּעֲרֶ֫נֶת noun feminine row, line; — only of the rows of 'shew'-bread; absolute ׳מ Leviticus 24:7, מַעֲרָ֑כֶת Leviticus 24:6 (P); elsewhere Chronicles: ׳לֶחֶם הַמּ 1 Chronicles 9:32; 1 Chronicles 23:29; Nehemiah 10:34, ׳שֻׁלְחַן הַמּ2Chronicles 29:18, compare 1 Chronicles 28:16; construct מַעֲרֶכֶת לֶחֶם2Chronicles 13:11 the row of bread, so ׳מ2Chron 2:3 the row of continuity, bread continually present in rows; plural absolute שׁתַּיִם מַעֲרָכוֺת Leviticus 24:6. ערל (√ of following; meaning dubious; compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Central Concept מַעֲרֶכֶת (maʿăreket) designates the ordered “arrangement” or “row” of the twelve unleavened loaves known as the bread of the Presence (showbread). The term underscores careful placement before the LORD on the gilded table situated in the Holy Place. Canonical Occurrences and Liturgical Practice • Leviticus 24:6–7 establishes the foundational pattern: “Arrange them in two rows, six per row, on the table of pure gold before the LORD. And you are to put pure frankincense near each row…”. Ritual Function 1. Perpetual Memorial: Twelve loaves represented the tribes continually borne “before the LORD,” dramatizing Israel’s abiding place in His presence. Historical Trajectory • Wilderness Origins: Laid out in the Tabernacle, the arrangement testified to order amid mobility. Theological Significance Presence—The bread’s location directly before the veil typified unbroken fellowship offered by a holy God. Provision—Twelve loaves of sustenance each Sabbath proclaimed divine bounty over every tribe. Order—Meticulous rows illustrated that acceptable worship is neither casual nor self-styled but regulated by revealed instruction. Christological Foreshadowing In the New Covenant, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). The weekly replaced, ever-fresh maʿăreket anticipates the perpetual sufficiency of Christ, whose once-for-all offering provides constant access. The frankincense points to His intercessory ministry “always living to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Ministerial Lessons • Guard the pattern: fidelity in small ordinances reflects reverence for the whole counsel of God. Contemporary Application Believers, now “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), are commissioned to keep spiritual service continuously ordered—devotion, prayer, Word, and fellowship—mirroring the ancient maʿăreket that silently proclaimed God’s unceasing welcome and abundant grace. Forms and Transliterations הַֽמַּעֲרֶ֖כֶת הַֽמַּעֲרֶ֜כֶת הַֽמַּעֲרֶ֡כֶת הַֽמַּעֲרָ֑כֶת המערכת וּמַעֲרֶ֨כֶת ומערכת ham·ma·‘ă·rā·ḵeṯ ham·ma·‘ă·re·ḵeṯ hamma‘ărāḵeṯ hamma‘ăreḵeṯ hammaaRachet hammaaRechet ū·ma·‘ă·re·ḵeṯ ūma‘ăreḵeṯ umaaRechetLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 24:6 HEB: מַֽעֲרָכ֖וֹת שֵׁ֣שׁ הַֽמַּעֲרָ֑כֶת עַ֛ל הַשֻּׁלְחָ֥ן NAS: them [in] two rows, six KJV: six on a row, upon the pure INT: rows six rows and table Leviticus 24:7 1 Chronicles 9:32 1 Chronicles 23:29 1 Chronicles 28:16 2 Chronicles 2:4 2 Chronicles 13:11 2 Chronicles 29:18 Nehemiah 10:33 9 Occurrences |
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foreskin; Aramaic עוּרְלְתָא, 
; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; also Egyptian karna θ a BrugschÄZ 1876, 128 KrallSB der Wlener Akkadian, hist.-phil. Cl. cxvi (1888), 659 f.).