A tent, in biblical terms, is a portable dwelling made of fabric or skins, supported by poles and ropes. Tents were the primary form of habitation for the nomadic peoples of the ancient Near East, including the patriarchs of Israel. The use of tents is a significant theme throughout the Bible, symbolizing both the transient nature of human life and the presence of God among His people.

Patriarchal Era

The patriarchs, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lived in tents as they journeyed through the land of Canaan. Genesis 12:8 describes Abraham pitching his tent between Bethel and Ai, signifying his nomadic lifestyle and obedience to God's call. The tent was not only a dwelling but also a place of worship and divine encounter. Genesis 18:1-2 recounts how the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre as he sat at the entrance of his tent.

The Tabernacle

The most significant tent in the Bible is the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary that served as the dwelling place of God among the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. Detailed instructions for its construction are given in Exodus 25-31. The Tabernacle was a tent of meeting where God communicated with Moses and the Israelites. Exodus 33:7 states, "Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting."

Symbolism and Spiritual Lessons

Tents in the Bible often symbolize the temporary nature of earthly life. Hebrews 11:9-10 highlights the faith of Abraham, who "by faith made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." This passage underscores the patriarchs' focus on the eternal city designed by God.

The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a tent to describe the human body, emphasizing the transient nature of earthly existence and the hope of eternal life. In 2 Corinthians 5:1, Paul writes, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, tents were typically made from goat hair or animal skins, providing shelter from the elements. They were easily dismantled and transported, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of many biblical figures. The design and construction of tents varied, but they generally consisted of a central pole or poles, with fabric stretched over and secured by ropes and pegs.

Conclusion

The tent serves as a powerful biblical symbol of faith, obedience, and the presence of God. It reminds believers of the temporary nature of earthly life and the promise of eternal dwelling with God. Through the imagery of tents, the Bible communicates profound spiritual truths about the journey of faith and the hope of eternal life.Tent

Among the leading characteristics of the nomad races, those two have always been numbered whose origin has been ascribed to Jabal the son of Lameth, (Genesis 4:20) viz., to be tent-dwellers and keepers of cattle. The same may be said of the forefathers of the Hebrew race; nor was it until the return into Canaan from Egypt that the Hebrews became inhabitants of cities. An Arab tent is called beit , "house;" its covering consists of stuff, about three quarters of a yard broad, made of black goat's-hair, (Solomon 1:5) laid parallel with the tent's length. This is sufficient to resist the heaviest rain. The tent-poles or columns are usually nine in number, placed in three groups; but many tents have only one pole, others two or three. The ropes which hold the tent in its place are fastened, not to the tent-cover itself, but to loops consisting of a leathern thong tied to the ends of a stick, round which is twisted a piece of old cloth, which is itself sewed to the tent-cover. The ends of the tent-ropes are fastened to short sticks or pins, which are driven into the ground with a mallet. (Judges 4:21) Round the back and sides of the tent runs a piece of stuff removable at pleasure to admit air. The tent is divided into two apartments, separated by a carpet partition drawn across the middle of the tent and fastened to the three middle posts. When the pasture near an encampment is exhausted, the tents are taken down, packed on camels and removed. (Genesis 26:17,22,25; Isaiah 38:12) In choosing places for encampment, Arabs prefer the neighborhood of trees, for the sake of the shade and coolness which they afford. (Genesis 18:4,8)

Tent

Dwelling in tents was very general in ancient times among Eastern nations, Genesis 4:20; their way of life being pastoral, locomotion became necessary for pasturage, and dwellings adapted for such a life became indispensable, Isaiah 38:12. The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt in tents, Genesis 18:1 Hebrews 11:9; and on the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, throughout their peregrinations until they obtained the promised land, and to some extent afterwards, they adopted the same kind of habitation. See BOOTHS. Hence the expression. "Every man to his tents, O Israel," etc.,

Jud 7:8 2 Samuel 20:1 2 Kings 8:21. Indeed, the people of the East, men, women, and children, lived very much in the open air, as is obvious from the New Testament narratives. And the same is true of them at the present day. The Midianites, the Philistines, the Syrains, the descendants of Ham, the Hagarites, and the Cushanites are mentioned in Scripture as living in tents. But the people most remarkable for this unsettled and wandering mode of life are the Arabs, who from the time of Ishmael to the present have continued the custom of dwelling in tents. Amid the revolutions which have transferred kingdoms from one possessor to another, these wandering tribes still dwell in tents, unsubdued and wild as was their progenitor. This kind of dwelling is not, however, confined to the Arabs, but is used throughout the continent of Asia. The word tent is formed from the Latin, "to stretch;" tents being usually made of canvas stretched out, and sustained by poles with cords secured to pegs driven into the ground. The "nail of the tent" with which Jael pierced the head of Sisera was such a tent-pin, Jud 4:21. See also Isaiah 33:20 40:22 54:2. The house of God, and heaven, are spoken of in Scripture as the tent or tabernacle of Jehovah, Psalm 15:1 61:4 84:1 Heb 8:2:9:11; and the body as the tabernacle of the soul, taken down by death, 2 1 Corinthians 5:1 2 Peter 1:13. Says Lord Lindsay, "There is something very melancholy in our morning flitting. The tentpins are plucked up, and in a few minutes a dozen holes, a heap or two of ashes, and the marks of the camels' knees in the sand, soon to be obliterated, are the only traces left of what has been for a while our home." "Often," says M-Cheyne, "we found ourselves shelterless before being fully dressed. What a type of the tent of our body! Ah, how often is it taken down before the soul is made meet for the inheritance of he saints in light." A tent is also put for its inmates, Habakkuk 3:7 Zechariah 12:7.

Tents are of various colors; black, as tents of Kedar, Psalm 120:5 So 1:5; red, as of scarlet cloth; yellow, as of gold shining brilliantly; white, as of canvas. They are also of various shapes; some circular, others of an oblong figure, not unlike the bottom of a ship turned upside down. In Syria, the tents are generally made of cloth of goats' hair, woven by women, Exodus 35:26. Those of the Arabs are of black goats' hair. Some other nations adopt the same kind, but it is not common. The Egyptian and Moorish inhabitants of Askalon are said to use white tents; and D-Arvieux mentions that the tent of an Arab emir he visited was distinguished from the rest by its being of white cloth. An Arab sheikh will have a number of tents, of himself, his family, servants, and visitors; as in patriarchal times Jacob had separate tents for himself, for Leah, Rachel, and their maids, Genesis 31:33 Jud 4:17. Usually, however, one tent suffices for a family; being divided, if large, into several apartments by curtains.

(1.) Hebrews `ohel (Genesis 9:21, 27). This word is used also of a dwelling or habitation (1 Kings 8:66; Isaiah 16:5; Jeremiah 4:20), and of the temple (Ezek. 41:1). When used of the tabernacle, as in 1 Kings 1:39, it denotes the covering of goat's hair which was placed over the mishcan.

(2.) Hebrews mishcan (Cant. 1:8), used also of a dwelling (Job 18:21; Psalm 87:2), the grave (Isaiah 22:16; Comp. 14:18), the temple (Psalm 46:4; 84:2; 132:5), and of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9; 26:1; 40:9; Numbers 1:50, 53; 10:11). When distinguished from 'ohel, it denotes the twelve interior curtains which lay upon the framework of the tabernacle (q.v.).

(3.) Hebrews kubbah (Numbers 25:8), a dome-like tent devoted to the impure worship of Baal-peor.

(4.) Hebrews succah (2 Samuel 11:11), a tent or booth made of green boughs or branches (see Genesis 33:17; Leviticus 23:34, 42; Psalm 18:11; Jonah 4:5; Isaiah 4:6; Nehemiah 8:15-17, where the word is variously rendered).

Jubal was "the father of such as dwell in tents" (Genesis 4:20). The patriarchs were "dwellers in tents" (Genesis 9:21, 27; 12:8; 13:12; 26:17); and during their wilderness wanderings all Israel dwelt in tents (Exodus 16:16; Deuteronomy 33:18; Joshua 7:24). Tents have always occupied a prominent place in Eastern life (1 Samuel 17:54; 2 Kings 7:7; Psalm 120:5; Cant. 1:5). Paul the apostle's occupation was that of a tent-maker (Acts 18:3); i.e., perhaps a maker of tent cloth.

1. (n.) A kind of wine of a deep red color, chiefly from Galicia or Malaga in Spain; -- called also tent wine, and tinta.

2. (n.) Attention; regard, care.

3. (n.) Intention; design.

4. (v. t.) To attend to; to heed; hence, to guard; to hinder.

5. (v. t.) To probe or to search with a tent; to keep open with a tent; as, to tent a wound. Used also figuratively.

6. (n.) A roll of lint or linen, or a conical or cylindrical piece of sponge or other absorbent, used chiefly to dilate a natural canal, to keep open the orifice of a wound, or to absorb discharges.

7. (n.) A probe for searching a wound.

8. (n.) A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, -- used for sheltering persons from the weather, especially soldiers in camp.

9. (n.) The representation of a tent used as a bearing.

10. (v. i.) To lodge as a tent; to tabernacle.

TENT

tent ('ohel; skene; 'ohel is a derivative of 'ahal, "to be clear," "to shine"; hence, 'ohel, "to be conspicuous from a distance"): In the great stretches of uncultivated lands in the interior of Syria or Arabia, which probably have much the same aspect today as in Abraham's time, it is an easy matter to espy an encampment of roving Bedouin, "a nation.... that dwelleth without care.... that have neither gates nor bars" (Jeremiah 49:31). The peaks of their black (compare Songs 1:5) goats' hair tents stand out in contrast against the lighter colors of the soil.

There seems to be little doubt about the antiquity of the Arab tent, and one can rightly believe that-the dwelling-places of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and their descendants were made on the same pattern and of the same materials (Genesis 4:20; Genesis 9:27; Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3; 18:06; 31:25, 30 Psalm 78:55 Hebrews 11:9, etc.). Long after the children of Israel had given up their tents for houses they continued to worship in tents (2 Samuel 7:1-6 2 Chronicles 1:3, 4) (for the use of tents in connection with religious observances see TABERNACLE).

The Arab tents (called bait sha`r, "house of hair") are made of strips of black goats' hair cloth, sewed together into one large piece (see GOATS' HAIR; WEAVING). Poles are placed under this covering at intervals to hold it from the ground, and it is stretched over these poles by ropes of goats hair or hemp (compare Job 4:21 Isaiah 54:2 Jeremiah 10:20) "fastened to hard-wood pins driven into the ground (Isaiah 54:2 Judges 4:21; Judges 5:26). A large wooden mallet for driving the pegs is part of the regular camp equipment (Judges 4:21; Judges 5:26). The sides (curtains) of the tent (Isaiah 54:2) are made of strips of goats hair cloth or from mats woven from split cane or rushes (see Illustration, p. 2948). Where more than one family occupies the same tent or the animals are provided with shelter under the same roof (compare 2 Chronicles 14:15), curtains of the same materials mentioned above form the dividing walls. A corner of the matting where two ends meet is turned back to form the door of the tent (Genesis 18:1). In the summer time the walls are mostly removed. New tents are not water-proof, and the condition of the interior after a heavy rain is not far from squalid. The tent material becomes matted by use, especially if wool has been woven into the fabric, and is then a better protection against the rain. It is the women's duty to pitch the tents.

The poorer Arabs have no mats to cover the ground under their tents. Straw mats, goats' hair or woolen rugs (compare Judges 4:18), more or less elaborate as the taste and means of the family allow, are the usual coverings for the tent floor. The food supplies are usually kept in goats' hair bags, the liquids, as oil or milk products, in skins. One or two tinned copper cooking-vessels, a shallow tray of the same material, a coffee set consisting of roasting pan, mortar and pestle, boiling-pot and cups, make up the usual camp furniture. The more thrifty include bedding in their equipment, but this increases the difficulties of moving, since it might require more than the one animal, sometimes only a donkey, which carries all the earthly belongings of the family. A sheikh or chief has several tents, one for himself and guests, separate ones for his wives and female servants, and still others for his animals (compare Genesis 31:33).

Other Hebrew words translated "tent" are forms of chanah (Numbers 13:19 1 Samuel 17:53 2 Kings 7:16 2 Chronicles 31:2 Zechariah 14:15); cukkah (2 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 22:12); mishkenoth (Songs 1:8).

Figurative: "Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there" typified utter desolation (Isaiah 13:20). "Enlarge the place of thy tent.... stretch forth the curtains.... lengthen thy cords.... strengthen thy stakes" prophesied an increase in numbers and prosperity of God's people (Isaiah 54:2; compare 33:20; Luke 16:9 2 Corinthians 5:4). Tent cords plucked up denoted death. (Job 4:21). Jeremiah 10:20 is a picture of a destroyed household as applied to Judah. Hezekiah in his sickness bewails that his dwelling (life) had been carried away as easily as a shepherd's tent is plucked up (Isaiah 38:12). Isaiah compared the heavens to a tent spread out (Isaiah 40:22). "They shall pitch their tents against her" i.e. they shall make war (Jeremiah 6:3).

James A. Patch

1981. episkenoo -- to tent upon, fig. abide
... 1980b, 1981. episkenoo. 1982 . to tent upon, fig. abide. Part of Speech:
Verb Transliteration: episkenoo Phonetic Spelling: (ep ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1981.htm - 7k

4637. skenoo -- to have one's tent, dwell
... to have one's tent, dwell. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: skenoo Phonetic
Spelling: (skay-no'-o) Short Definition: I dwell as in a tent, encamp Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4637.htm - 7k

4636. skenos -- a tent, fig. for the body
... 4635, 4636. skenos. 4637 . a tent, fig. ... Word Origin from skene Definition
a tent, fig. for the body NASB Word Usage tent (2). tabernacle. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4636.htm - 6k

4633. skene -- a tent
... a tent. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: skene Phonetic Spelling:
(skay-nay') Short Definition: a tent, tabernacle Definition: a tent, booth ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4633.htm - 6k

4638. skenoma -- a tent
... a tent. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: skenoma Phonetic Spelling:
(skay'-no-mah) Short Definition: a dwelling Definition: a tent pitched, a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4638.htm - 7k

2681. kataskenoo -- to pitch one's tent, encamp, dwell
... to pitch one's tent, encamp, dwell. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: kataskenoo
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-as-kay-no'-o) Short Definition: I encamp, tabernacle ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2681.htm - 6k

4635. skenopoios -- making tents
... making tents. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: skenopoios Phonetic
Spelling: (skay-nop-oy-os') Short Definition: a tent-maker Definition: a tent ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4635.htm - 6k

4078. pegnumi -- to make fast
... to make fast. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pegnumi Phonetic Spelling:
(payg'-noo-mee) Short Definition: I pitch a tent Definition: I fasten, pitch a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4078.htm - 6k

167. ahal -- to move a tent (from place to place)
... 166, 167. ahal. 168 . to move a tent (from place to place). Transliteration:
ahal Phonetic Spelling: (aw-hal') Short Definition: moved. ...
/hebrew/167.htm - 6k

168. ohel -- a tent
... 167, 168. ohel. 169 . a tent. Transliteration: ohel Phonetic Spelling:
(o'-hel) Short Definition: tent. Word Origin from an unused ...
/hebrew/168.htm - 6k

6898. qubbah -- a large vaulted tent
... 6897, 6898. qubbah. 6899 . a large vaulted tent. Transliteration: qubbah
Phonetic Spelling: (koob-baw') Short Definition: tent. ...
/hebrew/6898.htm - 6k

172. Oholibah -- "tent in her," a symbolic name for Jer.
... 171, 172. Oholibah. 173 . "tent in her," a symbolic name for Jer. ... Word Origin
from the same as ohel Definition "tent in her," a symbolic name for Jer. ...
/hebrew/172.htm - 6k

171. Oholiab -- "father's tent," an assistant of Bezalel
... 170, 171. Oholiab. 172 . "father's tent," an assistant of Bezalel. Transliteration:
Oholiab Phonetic Spelling: (o''-hol-e-awb') Short Definition: Oholiab. ...
/hebrew/171.htm - 6k

170. Oholah -- "she who has a tent," a symbolic name for Samaria
... 169, 170. Oholah. 171 . "she who has a tent," a symbolic name for Samaria.
Transliteration: Oholah Phonetic Spelling: (o-hol-aw') Short Definition: Oholah. ...
/hebrew/170.htm - 6k

173. Oholibamah -- "tent of the high place," wife of Esau, also an ...
... "tent of ... Word Origin from ohel and bamah Definition "tent of the high place," wife
of Esau, also an Edomite leader NASB Word Usage Oholibamah (8). Aholibamah. ...
/hebrew/173.htm - 6k

2334. Chavvoth Yair -- "tent villages of Jair," an area East of ...
... "tent villages of Jair," an area East of the Jordan. Transliteration: Chavvoth Yair
Phonetic Spelling: (khav-vothe' yaw-eer') Short Definition: Havvoth-jair. ...
/hebrew/2334.htm - 6k

2333. chavvah -- a tent village
... 2332, 2333. chavvah. 2334 . a tent village. Transliteration: chavvah
Phonetic Spelling: (khav-vaw') Short Definition: towns. Word ...
/hebrew/2333.htm - 6k

2583. chanah -- to decline, bend down, encamp
... camped (3), Settling (1). abide in tents, camp, dwell, encamp, grow to an end,
lie, pitch tent, rest in tent. A primitive root (compare ...
/hebrew/2583.htm - 6k

Tent and Building
... CORINTHIANS (To II Corinthians, Chap. V) TENT AND BUILDING. 'For we know
that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/tent and building.htm

March the Fifth the Tent and the Building
... MARCH The Fifth THE TENT AND THE BUILDING. ... At present we live in a tent""the earthly
house of this tabernacle." And often the tent is very rickety. ...
/.../jowett/my daily meditation for the circling year/march the fifth the tent.htm

How He Took Bishops with Him on an Expedition against the Persians ...
... Book IV. Chapter LVI."How he took Bishops with him on an Expedition against the
Persians, and took with him a Tent in the Form of a Church. ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter lvi how he took bishops.htm

Our Tented Neighbour.
... Listen: the Word, this wondrous One, became a man, one of ourselves, and pitched
His tent in close amongst our tents.There's only a stretch of canvas between ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/our tented neighbour.htm

The Tournament at Constantinople.
... was the Champion. His tent was of the colour of the celandine, and on the
summit flamed a sun of wondrous brilliancy. His horse, an ...
/.../the seven champions of christendom/chapter twelve the tournament at.htm

The Story of the Tower of Babel
... From there he removed to the hill near Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel on
one side and Ai on the other, and there too he built an altar to Jehovah and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the story of the tower.htm

The Copies of Things in the Heavens
... 'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. On the first day of the first month shalt
thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.3. And thou ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the copies of things in.htm

January the Second the Larger Outlook
... "And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven!" The tent
was changed for the sky! ... Is it a thing of the tent or of the sky? ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/january the second the larger.htm

A Battle Without a Sword
... a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of
barley-bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/a battle without a sword.htm

Chapter eight
... The top of the evangelist's tent just showed over the buildings around the Rectangle.
He looked out of his window every time he turned in his walk. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter eight.htm

Tent (333 Occurrences)
... tabernacle (qv). (3.) Hebrews kubbah (Numbers 25:8), a dome-like tent devoted
to the impure worship of Baal-peor. (4.) Hebrews succah ...
/t/tent.htm - 48k

Tent-door (6 Occurrences)
Tent-door. Tent-curtain, Tent-door. Tent-dwelling . Multi-Version
Concordance Tent-door (6 Occurrences). Genesis 18:1 And Jehovah ...
/t/tent-door.htm - 8k

Tent-pin (4 Occurrences)
Tent-pin. Tent-makers, Tent-pin. Tent-pins . Multi-Version Concordance
Tent-pin (4 Occurrences). Judges 4:21 Then Jael Heber's wife ...
/t/tent-pin.htm - 7k

Tent-circle (45 Occurrences)
Tent-circle. Tent-chamber, Tent-circle. Tent-circles . Multi-Version
Concordance Tent-circle (45 Occurrences). Exodus 33:7 Now it ...
/t/tent-circle.htm - 20k

Tent-circles (4 Occurrences)
Tent-circles. Tent-circle, Tent-circles. Tent-cord . Multi-Version
Concordance Tent-circles (4 Occurrences). Genesis 25:16 These ...
/t/tent-circles.htm - 7k

Tent-pins (2 Occurrences)
Tent-pins. Tent-pin, Tent-pins. Tent-pitching . Multi-Version Concordance
Tent-pins (2 Occurrences). Isaiah 33:20 Let your eyes ...
/t/tent-pins.htm - 7k

Tent-maker (1 Occurrence)
Tent-maker. Tentmaker, Tent-maker. Tentmakers . Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia TENT-MAKER. tent'-mak-er (skenopoios): Mentioned ...
/t/tent-maker.htm - 7k

Tent-cord (1 Occurrence)
Tent-cord. Tent-circles, Tent-cord. Tent-curtain . Multi-Version Concordance
Tent-cord (1 Occurrence). Job 4:21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them ...
/t/tent-cord.htm - 6k

Tent-makers (1 Occurrence)
Tent-makers. Tentmakers, Tent-makers. Tent-pin . Multi-Version
Concordance Tent-makers (1 Occurrence). Acts 18:3 And ...
/t/tent-makers.htm - 6k

Tent-chamber (1 Occurrence)
Tent-chamber. Tent, Tent-chamber. Tent-circle . Multi-Version Concordance
Tent-chamber (1 Occurrence). Numbers 25:8 and he went ...
/t/tent-chamber.htm - 6k

What was the tent of meeting? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Jael in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Sisera in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Tent: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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