Topical Bible: Curtain

◄ Curtain ►

Jump to: ISBE • Easton's • Webster's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Greek • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the term "curtain" primarily refers to the fabric partitions used in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, serving both practical and symbolic purposes. These curtains were integral to the design and function of these sacred spaces, delineating areas of holiness and facilitating the worship practices of the Israelites.

The Tabernacle Curtains

The Tabernacle, as described in the Book of Exodus, was a portable sanctuary used by the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. The curtains of the Tabernacle were made according to specific divine instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Exodus 26:1 states, "You are to construct the Tabernacle itself with ten curtains of finely spun linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim skillfully worked into them." These curtains formed the walls and roof of the Tabernacle, creating a sacred space for the presence of God.

The inner curtain, or veil, separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies), where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This veil was a significant symbol of the separation between God and humanity due to sin. Only the high priest could pass beyond this veil, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), as described in Leviticus 16.

The Temple Curtains

Solomon's Temple, which succeeded the Tabernacle as the central place of worship, also featured curtains. According to 2 Chronicles 3:14, "He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim worked into it." This veil served the same purpose as in the Tabernacle, maintaining the separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

Curtain in the New Testament

The most significant mention of a curtain in the New Testament occurs at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Matthew 27:51 records, "At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split." This event is rich in theological significance, symbolizing the removal of the barrier between God and humanity through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. The tearing of the curtain signifies that believers now have direct access to God, as emphasized in Hebrews 10:19-20: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body."

Symbolism and Significance

The curtains of the Tabernacle and Temple were not merely functional but carried deep symbolic meaning. They represented the holiness of God and the separation caused by sin. The intricate designs, including cherubim, pointed to the heavenly realities and the presence of God among His people. The colors and materials used—blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen—were associated with royalty, divinity, and purity.

In Christian theology, the tearing of the Temple curtain at Christ's death is a pivotal moment, illustrating the new covenant and the believer's access to God through Jesus Christ. This event underscores the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the establishment of a new way of relating to God, no longer mediated by earthly priests but through the eternal high priesthood of Christ.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Ten curtains, each twenty-eight cubits long and four wide, made of fine linen, also eleven made of goat's hair, covered the tabernacle (Exodus 26:1-13; 36:8-17).

(2.) The sacred curtain, separating the holy of holies from the sanctuary, is designated by a different Hebrew word (peroketh). It is described as a "veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work" (Exodus 26:31; Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 18:7).

(3.) "Stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain" (Isaiah 40:22), is an expression used with reference to the veil or awning which Orientals spread for a screen over their courts in summer. According to the prophet, the heavens are spread over our heads as such an awning. Similar expressions are found in Psalm 104:2; comp. Isaiah 44:24; Job 9:8.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) A hanging screen intended to darken or conceal, and admitting of being drawn back or up, and reclosed at pleasure; esp., drapery of cloth or lace hanging round a bed or at a window; in theaters, and like places, a movable screen for concealing the stage.

2. (n.) That part of the rampart and parapet which is between two bastions or two gates. See Bastion.

3. (n.) That part of a wall of a building which is between two pavilions, towers, etc.

4. (n.) A flag; an ensign; -- in contempt.

5. (v. t.) To enclose as with curtains; to furnish with curtains.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

CURTAIN

kur'-t'-n, -ten, -tin: The word ordinarily used for curtain is yeri`ah. Thus in Exodus 26:1; Exodus 36:8 of the curtains of the tabernacle (see TABERNACLE); in 2 Samuel 7:2 Psalm 104:2 Songs 1:5 Isaiah 54:2 Jeremiah 4:20; Jeremiah 10:20; Jeremiah 49:29 Habakkuk 3:7.

Figurative: In Isaiah 40:22 (like Psalm 104:2, of the heavens), the word used is doq, literally, "gauze."

Greek

2665. katapetasma -- a curtain (the inner veil of the temple)
... a curtain (the inner veil of the temple). Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration:
katapetasma Phonetic Spelling: (kat-ap-et'-as-mah) Short Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2665.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

1852. doq -- a veil, curtain
... 1851, 1852. doq. 1853 . a veil, curtain. Transliteration: doq Phonetic
Spelling: (doke) Short Definition: curtain. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/1852.htm - 6k

3407. yeriah -- curtain
... 3406, 3407. yeriah. 3408 . curtain. Transliteration: yeriah Phonetic
Spelling: (yer-ee-aw') Short Definition: curtains. ... curtain. ...
/hebrew/3407.htm - 6k

6532. paroketh -- a curtain
... 6531, 6532. paroketh. 6533 . a curtain. Transliteration: paroketh Phonetic
Spelling: (po-reh'-keth) Short Definition: veil. Word ...
/hebrew/6532.htm - 6k

7050b. qela -- a curtain, hanging
... 7050a, 7050b. qela. 7051 . a curtain, hanging. Transliteration: qela
Short Definition: hangings. Word Origin from qala Definition ...
/hebrew/7050b.htm - 5k

4539. masak -- a covering, screen
... covering, curtain, hanging. From cakak; a cover, ie Veil -- covering, curtain, hanging.
see HEBREW cakak. 4538, 4539. masak. 4540 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4539.htm - 6k

Library

When Night Her Sable Curtain Spreads
... EVENING When night her sable curtain spreads. 8,8,8,4 tr., John Brownlie. I. When
night her sable curtain spreads,. And darkness falls on sea and land,. ...
/.../brownlie/hymns from the east/when night her sable curtain.htm

First Part of the Subject, Touching the Constitution of the ...
... Part of the Subject, Touching the Constitution of the Pleroma, Briefly Recapitulated
Transition to the Other Part, Which is Like a Play Outside the Curtain. ...
/.../tertullian/against the valentinians/chapter xiii first part of the.htm

The Child Samuel.
... A thick curtain of purple, scarlet, and gold hung down inside, dividing off the
Holy of Holies at the end from the rest of the place, where the priests went ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/the child samuel.htm

Concerning the Tabernacle which Moses Built in the Wilderness for ...
... cubit long, which, at every pillar, were driven into the floor, and would keep the
tabernacle from being shaken by the violence of winds; but a curtain of fine ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 concerning the tabernacle.htm

The Death of the Blessed virgin Mary at Ephesus
... It was all simple and dignified. The farthest corner or apse of this room
was divided off by a curtain and formed Mary.s oratory. ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xviii the death of the.htm

The Early Life of St. Joseph
... I have often seen figures like these, and there were some on the curtain
which hung by the praying-place of St. Anne and also of ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/v the early life of.htm

Then Jesus, Crying Out with a Loud Voice, Father...
... And the tombs of the dead were opened, and the curtain of the temple was rent,
and there was darkness from the sixth hour till the ninth. ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of nicodemus /chapter 11 then jesus crying.htm

Remarkable Speaking Statue
... It was the figure of an old man standing in a case, with a curtain drawn before
him, over against a clock which stood on the other side of the room. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/remarkable speaking statue.htm

Chapter twenty-two
... When the company was seated in the box and the curtain had gone up Felicia was
back of the others and remained for the evening by herself. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter twenty-two.htm

Seed Scattered and Taking Root
... So Luke lifts the curtain for a moment, and in that glimpse of the whirling tumult
of the city we see the three classes, of the brave and prudent disciples ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture the acts/seed scattered and taking root.htm

Thesaurus

Curtain (60 Occurrences)
... (2.) The sacred curtain, separating the holy of holies from the sanctuary,
is designated by a different Hebrew word (peroketh). ...CURTAIN. ...
/c/curtain.htm - 27k

Tent-curtain (1 Occurrence)
Tent-curtain. Tent-cord, Tent-curtain. Tent-door . Multi-Version
Concordance Tent-curtain (1 Occurrence). Psalms 104 ...
/t/tent-curtain.htm - 6k

Entrance-curtain (1 Occurrence)
Entrance-curtain. Entrance, Entrance-curtain. Entrances .
Multi-Version Concordance Entrance-curtain (1 Occurrence). ...
/e/entrance-curtain.htm - 6k

Half-curtain (1 Occurrence)
Half-curtain. Half-blind, Half-curtain. Half-dead . Multi-Version
Concordance Half-curtain (1 Occurrence). Exodus 26 ...
/h/half-curtain.htm - 6k

Loops (7 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:4 You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the
edge in the coupling; and likewise you shall make in the edge of the curtain...
/l/loops.htm - 8k

Coupling (8 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:4 You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the
edge in the coupling; and likewise you shall make in the edge of the curtain...
/c/coupling.htm - 10k

Joining (43 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Exodus 26:4 And thou hast made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain,
at the end in the joining; and so thou makest in the edge of the outermost ...
/j/joining.htm - 19k

Twists (12 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:4 And you are to put twists of blue cord on the edge of the outside curtain
of the first group of five, and on the edge of the outside curtain of the ...
/t/twists.htm - 9k

Curtains (34 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth
of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains shall have one measure. ...
/c/curtains.htm - 17k

Group (32 Occurrences)
... Exodus 26:4 And you are to put twists of blue cord on the edge of the outside curtain
of the first group of five, and on the edge of the outside curtain of the ...
/g/group.htm - 16k

Resources

Who were the sons of Korah in the Old Testament? | GotQuestions.org

What is a priest? | GotQuestions.org

What were the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the temple / tabernacle? | GotQuestions.org

Curtain: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Curtain (60 Occurrences)

Matthew 27:51
Immediately the curtain of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom: the earth quaked; the rocks split;
(WEY BBE RSV NIV)

Mark 15:38
And the curtain in the Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom.
(WEY BBE RSV NIV)

Luke 23:45
The sun was darkened, and the curtain of the Sanctuary was torn down the middle,
(WEY BBE RSV NIV)

Hebrews 6:19
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;
(See RSV NIV)

Hebrews 9:3
After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,
(See RSV NIV)

Hebrews 10:20
by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
(See RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:2
The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: all the curtains shall have one measure.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:4
You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling; and likewise you shall make in the edge of the curtain that is outmost in the second coupling.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:5
You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that is in the second coupling. The loops shall be opposite one to another.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:8
The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits: the eleven curtains shall have one measure.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:9
You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shall double over the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tent.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:10
You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which is outmost in the second coupling.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:12
The overhanging part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 26:33
And thou shalt bring the veil under the clasps, and bring in thither, inside the veil, the ark of the testimony; and the curtain shall make a division to you between the holy place and the holiest of all.
(DBY NIV)

Exodus 26:35
You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and you shall put the table on the north side.
(See NIV)

Exodus 26:36
And you are to make a curtain for the doorway of the Tent, of the best linen with needlework of blue and purple and red.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 26:37
And make five pillars for the curtain, of hard wood plated with gold; their hooks are to be of gold and their bases of brass
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 27:16
And for the gate of the court a curtain of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined byssus, embroidered with needlework; their pillars four, and their bases four.
(DBY NIV)

Exodus 27:21
In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh: it shall be a statute forever throughout their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
(See NIV)

Exodus 30:6
You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
(See NIV)

Exodus 35:12
the ark, and its poles, the mercy seat, the veil of the screen;
(See NAS NIV)

Exodus 35:15
And the altar for burning spices, with its rods, and the holy oil and the sweet perfume, and the curtain for the door, at the door of the House;
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 35:17
The hangings for the open space, its pillars and their bases, and the curtain for the doorway;
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 36:9
The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains had one measure.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 36:11
He made loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain from the edge in the coupling. Likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the second coupling.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 36:12
He made fifty loops in the one curtain, and he made fifty loops in the edge of the curtain that was in the second coupling. The loops were opposite one to another.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 36:15
The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits the breadth of each curtain. The eleven curtains had one measure.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 36:17
He made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the coupling, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain which was outmost in the second coupling.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Exodus 36:37
And they made a curtain for the door of the tent, of the best linen with needlework of blue and purple and red;
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 36:38
And five pillars for the curtain, with their hooks; the heads of the pillars were of gold and they were circled with bands of gold; and their five bases were of brass.
(BBE)

Exodus 38:18
And the curtain for the doorway of the open space was of the best linen, with designs of blue and purple and red in needlework; it was twenty cubits long and five cubits high, to go with the hangings round the sides.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 38:27
The one hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets for the one hundred talents, a talent for a socket.
(See NIV)

Exodus 39:34
the covering of rams' skins dyed red, the covering of sea cow hides, the veil of the screen,
(See NIV)

Exodus 39:38
And the gold altar, and the holy oil, and the sweet perfume for burning, and the curtain for the doorway of the tent;
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 39:40
The hangings for the open space, with the pillars and their bases, and the curtain for the doorway, and the cords and nails, and all the instruments necessary for the work of the House of the Tent of meeting;
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 40:3
You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.
(See NIV)

Exodus 40:5
And put the gold altar for burning perfumes in front of the ark of the law, hanging the curtain over the doorway of the House.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 40:8
And put up the hangings forming the open space all round it, with the curtain over its doorway.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 40:21
He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
(See NIV)

Exodus 40:22
He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the side of the tabernacle northward, outside of the veil.
(See NIV)

Exodus 40:26
He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil;
(See NIV)

Exodus 40:28
And he put up the curtain at the doorway of the House.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Exodus 40:33
And he put up the hangings forming the open space round the House and the altar, and put the curtain over the doorway. So Moses made the work complete.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Leviticus 4:6
The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh, before the veil of the sanctuary.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 4:17
and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh, before the veil.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 16:2
and Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother, not to come at all times into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die: for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 16:12
He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
(See NIV)

Leviticus 16:15
"Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
(See NIV)

Leviticus 21:23
He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.'"
(See NIV)

Leviticus 24:3
Outside of the veil of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Yahweh continually: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.
(See NIV)

Numbers 3:25
And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting was: the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the curtain of the entrance to the tent of meeting.
(DBY NIV)

Numbers 3:26
And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
(KJV BBE DBY WBS NIV)

Numbers 3:31
And their charge was the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all that belongs to its service.
(DBY NIV)

Numbers 4:5
When all the people go forward, Aaron is to go in with his sons, and take down the veil of the curtain, covering the ark of witness with it;
(BBE NIV)

Numbers 4:25
they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above on it, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 4:26
And the hangings for the open space round the House and the altar, and the curtain for its doorway, with the cords and all the things used for them; whatever is necessary for these, they are to do.
(BBE DBY NIV)

Numbers 18:7
You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death."
(See NIV)

2 Samuel 7:2
that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains."
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Psalms 104:2
He covers himself with light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Isaiah 40:22
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV)

Subtopics

Curtain

Related Terms

Curtains (34 Occurrences)

Width (58 Occurrences)

Bases (80 Occurrences)

Sides (170 Occurrences)

Hanging (82 Occurrences)

Curtain (60 Occurrences)

Space (98 Occurrences)

Wide (206 Occurrences)

Best (252 Occurrences)