Exodus 40:2
New International Version
“Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month.

New Living Translation
“Set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the new year.

English Standard Version
“On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Berean Standard Bible
“On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.

King James Bible
On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

New King James Version
“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

New American Standard Bible
“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

NASB 1995
“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

NASB 1977
“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Legacy Standard Bible
“On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Amplified Bible
“On the first day of the first month (Abib) you shall set up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting [of God with you].

Christian Standard Bible
“You are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month.

American Standard Version
On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Contemporary English Version
Set up my tent on the first day of the year

English Revised Version
On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Set up the tent (the tent of meeting) on the first day of the first month of the year.

Good News Translation
"On the first day of the first month set up the Tent of the LORD's presence.

International Standard Version
"On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tent of the Tent of Meeting.

Majority Standard Bible
“On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.

NET Bible
"On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting.

New Heart English Bible
"On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.

Webster's Bible Translation
On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

World English Bible
“On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“On the first day of the month, in the first month, you raise up the Dwelling Place of the Tent of Meeting,

Young's Literal Translation
'On the first day of the month, in the first month, thou dost raise up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting,

Smith's Literal Translation
In the day of the first month, in the one of the month, thou shalt raise up the dwelling of the tent of the appointment.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The first month, the first day of the month, thou shalt set up the tabernacle of the testimony,

Catholic Public Domain Version
“In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall raise the tabernacle of the testimony,

New American Bible
On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

New Revised Standard Version
On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the congregation.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“In the first day of the first month erect the Time Tabernacle.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
On the first day of the first month shalt thou rear up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
On the first day of the first month, at the new moon, thou shalt set up the tabernacle of witness,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Setting Up the Tabernacle
1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 3Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil.…

Cross References
Exodus 25:8-9
And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. / You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.

Exodus 26:30
So you are to set up the tabernacle according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

Exodus 35:10-11
Let every skilled craftsman among you come and make everything that the LORD has commanded: / the tabernacle with its tent and covering, its clasps and frames, its crossbars, posts, and bases;

Exodus 39:32-33
So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. / Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases;

Leviticus 8:10-11
Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them. / He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.

Numbers 7:1
On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils.

1 Kings 6:1
In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD.

1 Kings 8:10-11
And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD / so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

2 Chronicles 5:13-14
The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments, in praise to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” And the temple, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud / so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Hebrews 8:5
The place where they serve is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

Hebrews 9:1-5
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. / A tabernacle was prepared. In its first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated bread. This was called the Holy Place. / Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, ...

Hebrews 9:23-24
So it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. / For Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.

Acts 7:44
Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.

Revelation 15:5
After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.


Treasury of Scripture

On the first day of the first month shall you set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

the first month

Exodus 40:17
And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

Exodus 12:1,2
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, …

Exodus 13:4
This day came ye out in the month Abib.

tabernacle

Exodus 40:6,18,19
And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation…

Exodus 26:1,7,30
Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them…

Exodus 27:21
In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Jump to Previous
Congregation Erect First House Meeting Month Raise Rear Tabernacle Tent
Jump to Next
Congregation Erect First House Meeting Month Raise Rear Tabernacle Tent
Exodus 40
1. The tabernacle is commanded to be reared, anointed, and consecrated
13. Aaron and his sons to be sanctified
16. Moses performs all things accordingly
34. A cloud covers the tabernacle














On the first day of the first month
This phrase sets a specific time for the event, marking the beginning of a new year in the Hebrew calendar, which is Nisan. Historically, this timing is significant as it aligns with the Israelites' liberation from Egypt, symbolizing new beginnings and God's faithfulness. The Hebrew word for "first" is "רִאשׁוֹן" (rishon), indicating primacy and importance. This timing underscores the renewal and fresh start that God offers His people, reminding believers of the new life and new beginnings found in Christ.

you are to set up
The directive "you are to set up" is a command given to Moses, emphasizing obedience and action. The Hebrew verb "קֻם" (qum) means to arise or establish, indicating that this is not merely a suggestion but a divine mandate. This action represents the human response to divine instruction, highlighting the partnership between God and His people. It serves as a reminder that faith is active and requires our participation in God's plans.

the tabernacle
The "tabernacle" is central to Israelite worship and represents God's dwelling among His people. The Hebrew word "מִשְׁכָּן" (mishkan) means dwelling place, signifying God's desire to be present with His people. The tabernacle is a precursor to the Temple and ultimately points to Jesus Christ, who "tabernacled" among us (John 1:14). It symbolizes God's holiness, accessibility, and the means by which He meets with His people, foreshadowing the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers.

the Tent of Meeting
This phrase refers to the specific area within the tabernacle where God would meet with Moses and the priests. The Hebrew "אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד" (ohel mo'ed) translates to "tent of appointment," indicating a designated place for divine-human interaction. It underscores the importance of intentionality in worship and meeting with God. Historically, it was a place of revelation and guidance, reminding believers of the importance of setting aside time and space to commune with God in prayer and worship.

(2) On the first day of the first month.--The Israelites had quitted Egypt on the fourteenth day of the first month, Abib (Exodus 12:6). They had reached the wilderness of Sinai in the course of the third month, Sivan, and encamped in front of Sinai shortly after (Exodus 19:1-2). The two long absences of Moses in the Mount had occupied nearly three months, and were separated by an interval probably of several days. It must have been the sixth or seventh month before the work was commenced, and very late in the year--the eleventh or twelfth month--before it was accomplished. Hence, the new year was now approaching, and, as it was approaching, its first day was naturally chosen as most fit for the inauguration of the new structure.

The tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.--Rather, the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. The words mishhan and 'ohel are in apposition, not in regimen. (So also in Exodus 40:6.)

Verse 2. - On the first day of the first month. The first of Abib, or Nisan, the "New Year's Day" of Israel, coinciding nearly with the opening of the vernal equinox, a very suitable day for the inauguration of a place of worship. The tabernacle was to be set up first of all; then the tent was to be placed over it. See vers. 18, 19.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“On the first
בְּאֶחָ֣ד (bə·’e·ḥāḏ)
Preposition-b | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

day
בְּיוֹם־ (bə·yō·wm-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3117: A day

of the first
הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן (hā·ri·šō·wn)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7223: First, in place, time, rank

month
הַחֹ֥דֶשׁ (ha·ḥō·ḏeš)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month

you are to set up
תָּקִ֕ים (tā·qîm)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

the tabernacle,
מִשְׁכַּ֖ן (miš·kan)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4908: A residence, the Tabernacle

the Tent
אֹ֥הֶל (’ō·hel)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 168: A tent

of Meeting.
מוֹעֵֽד׃ (mō·w·‘êḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4150: Appointed time, place, or meeting


Links
Exodus 40:2 NIV
Exodus 40:2 NLT
Exodus 40:2 ESV
Exodus 40:2 NASB
Exodus 40:2 KJV

Exodus 40:2 BibleApps.com
Exodus 40:2 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 40:2 Chinese Bible
Exodus 40:2 French Bible
Exodus 40:2 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 40:2 On the first day of the first (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 40:1
Top of Page
Top of Page