Exodus 40:34-35

Context

This scene appears in the final chapter of Exodus. At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses instructions for the design of the tabernacle (chapters 25–31). After the episode of the golden calf (chapters 32–34), the people brought offerings and built the tabernacle (chapters 35–39). In chapter 40, Moses sets up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Exodus, arranges its furnishings, and finishes the work. At that very moment the cloud covers the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD fills the tabernacle. The "tent of meeting," meaning the tent where God meets with his people, is another name for the tabernacle.

These verses are not spoken by any character; they are the narrator's report of events. The verses that follow (36–38) relate that this cloud led the people on their journeys through the wilderness. The scene marks the fulfillment of the command to build "a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8).

Interpretation

• The relocation of the divine presence: This reading sees the cloud and the glory that had rested on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:15-18) as now having moved to a tent in the midst of the people. The verb in verse 35 describing the cloud resting on the tent is the Hebrew shakan ("to abide, to dwell"). It shares a root with mishkan, the word for the tabernacle. Later rabbinic literature referred to God's presence as the Shekhinah, a term derived from the same root.
• Parallels with the creation account: Some biblical scholars note that the language of the account of the tabernacle's completion resembles the account of the completion of creation in Genesis 1–2, as in the scenes of finishing the work and of blessing. These scholars interpret the tabernacle as a miniature world in which God dwells.
• A typological reading pointing to Christ: Many Protestant interpretive traditions regard the tabernacle as a type, that is, a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. They therefore connect this passage with John 1:14, where "dwelt" renders a Greek word meaning "to pitch a tent." Preachers also contrast the scene in which even Moses could not enter with the bold access through Christ described in Hebrews 10:19-20.
• Application to the presence of the Holy Spirit: An interpretation linking the passage with 1 Corinthians 3:16, which views the church and believers as the temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells, is common across denominations. In Pentecostal and charismatic circles, the passage is cited especially often as grounds for praying that the glory of God will descend during worship.

Questions of Application

• Calling a church building a "temple": It is a common practice in Korean churches to call church buildings "temples" (seongjeon) and to apply this passage to the construction of church buildings and to services marking the move into a new building. By contrast, pastors and theologians of various denominations hold that in the New Testament the temple refers not to a building but to Christ and the community of faith. They therefore argue that the term "house of worship" is more appropriate.
• Glory and experience: Some applications directly equate the glory of God with the emotional atmosphere of a worship service. Critics argue that this departs from the context of the text. Those who emphasize the experience of God's presence respond that the passage speaks of a real presence.
• Translation: The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, renders the verb describing the cloud in verse 35 with a verb meaning "to overshadow." Because the same verb appears in Luke 1:35, in the announcement of Mary's conception, some interpreters connect the two passages.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently used as a sermon text at church dedication services and at services marking the move into a new building, together with the account of the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8).

Related Passages

• Exodus 24:15-18
• 1 Kings 8:10-11
• 2 Chronicles 7:1-2
• John 1:14
• Revelation 21:3