The candlestick, often referred to as the "lampstand," is a significant element in the design and function of the Tabernacle as described in the Old Testament. The instructions for its construction are detailed in the Book of Exodus, where it is presented as a symbol of divine light and presence among the Israelites.

Biblical Description and Construction

The form of the candlestick is meticulously outlined in Exodus 25:31-40. According to these verses, the lampstand was to be made of pure gold, hammered out to form a base, shaft, branches, cups, buds, and blossoms. The lampstand was to have six branches extending from its sides, three on each side, with a central shaft. Each branch and the central shaft were to be adorned with almond-blossom cups, buds, and flowers.

Exodus 25:31-32 states: "Then you are to make a lampstand of pure gold. It shall be made of hammered work—its base and shaft, its cups, buds, and petals shall be of one piece. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other."

The detailed craftsmanship required for the lampstand underscores its importance and the skill of Bezalel, the artisan chosen by God to oversee the construction of the Tabernacle's furnishings (Exodus 31:1-5).

Symbolism and Function

The lampstand served both a practical and symbolic purpose. Practically, it provided light within the Holy Place of the Tabernacle, illuminating the area where the priests performed their duties. Symbolically, the lampstand represented the light of God's presence and guidance. The seven lamps, which were to be kept burning continually, signified completeness and perfection, reflecting the divine nature of God.

Exodus 27:20-21 instructs: "And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a perpetual statute for the Israelites throughout their generations."

Theological Significance

The lampstand's design, with its almond blossoms, is often interpreted as a symbol of life and resurrection, as the almond tree is one of the first to bloom in the spring. This imagery aligns with the broader biblical theme of light as a metaphor for life, truth, and divine revelation.

In the New Testament, the imagery of the lampstand is echoed in the Book of Revelation, where the seven golden lampstands represent the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). This continuity highlights the enduring significance of the lampstand as a symbol of God's presence and the light of Christ in the world.

The candlestick for the Tabernacle, therefore, is not merely a piece of religious furniture but a profound symbol of God's eternal light and presence among His people, a theme that resonates throughout the biblical narrative.Exodus 25:31-36
And you shall make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 37:17-22
And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick; his shaft, and his branch, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, were of the same:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Concerning the Tabernacle which Moses Built in the Wilderness for ...
... towards the table were wrought into a square form. ... 8. Now between this candlestick
and the table, which ... Before this tabernacle there was reared a brazen altar ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 concerning the tabernacle.htm

Symbolic Ornaments of the Church
... INRI These letters stand for the Latin form of the title placed on ... Symbols of the
Holy Ghost."The seven-branched Candlestick of the tabernacle, and the ...
/.../regester/the worship of the church/symbolic ornaments of the church.htm

Second Commandment
... we are told that God ordered the bowls of the golden candlestick for the tabernacle
to be ... Some people are born Puritans; they want a simple form of worship ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/second commandment.htm

The Copies of Things in the Heavens
... it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light ... to bring out the meaning of
the Tabernacle and its ... that is, it expressed in material form certain great ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the copies of things in.htm

Of the Priesthood of Aaron.
... all day long, [20] upon the sacred candlestick, before God ... Mount Sinai; but he went
into the tabernacle, and brought ... also set down in writing the form of their ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 of the priesthood.htm

A Gentle Heroine, a Gentile Convert
... weaker than themselves, we may seek to put into distinct form the impressions ... and
were set in their land, as the candlestick in the Tabernacle, that light ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/a gentle heroine a gentile.htm

Exodus
... table for the shewbread, the golden candlestick (xxv.), the ... of the work of constructing
the tabernacle, the sanctity of ... God by worshipping Him in the form of a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/exodus.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... In the holy place was the candlestick, on the south ... of the Hebrews in Canaan, the
tabernacle was replaced ... In this form the sanctuary existed"except while it ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /23 what is the sanctuary.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... In the holy place was the candlestick, on the south ... of the Hebrews in Canaan, the
tabernacle was replaced ... In this form the sanctuary existed"except while it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 23 what is the.htm

Lamps and Bushels
... or under a bed and not upon a candlestick?' There are ... other deities in our Pantheon,
beside the calm form of the ... which stood at first in the Tabernacle was the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/lamps and bushels.htm

What are the seven candlesticks / lampstands of Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

Candlestick: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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