Topical Bible: Tabernacle: Pitched: At Shiloh

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The Tabernacle, also known as the Tent of Meeting, was a portable earthly dwelling place of God among the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness. After the conquest of Canaan, the Tabernacle found a more permanent location at Shiloh, a significant site in the history of Israel's worship and religious practices.

Biblical Context and Significance

The Tabernacle was first erected at Shiloh during the period of the Judges, following the Israelites' settlement in the Promised Land. Shiloh, located in the territory of Ephraim, became the central place of worship and the religious capital of Israel for several centuries. The choice of Shiloh as the site for the Tabernacle is noted in the Book of Joshua: "The whole congregation of the Israelites assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The land was subdued before them" (Joshua 18:1).

Role in Israelite Worship

At Shiloh, the Tabernacle served as the focal point for Israelite worship and the administration of justice. It housed the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God's presence among His people. The Tabernacle at Shiloh was the place where the Israelites gathered for the three annual pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Shavuot (Feast of Weeks), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). It was also the site where sacrifices and offerings were made, and where the priesthood, led by the high priest, performed their sacred duties.

Historical Events

Several significant events in Israel's history are associated with the Tabernacle at Shiloh. It was here that Hannah prayed fervently for a child, leading to the birth of Samuel, who would become a pivotal prophet and judge in Israel (1 Samuel 1:9-20). Samuel was dedicated to the Lord and served under Eli the priest at Shiloh, marking the beginning of his prophetic ministry.

The Tabernacle at Shiloh also witnessed a period of spiritual decline and corruption, particularly among the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who abused their priestly positions (1 Samuel 2:12-17). This moral decay contributed to the eventual downfall of Shiloh as the central place of worship.

The Fall of Shiloh

The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant during a battle with the Israelites, a devastating event that marked the end of Shiloh's prominence as the religious center (1 Samuel 4:10-11). The loss of the Ark symbolized God's judgment on the house of Eli and the nation of Israel for their unfaithfulness. The Tabernacle itself was likely destroyed or abandoned shortly thereafter, as the Ark was never returned to Shiloh.

Legacy

The Tabernacle's presence at Shiloh represents a formative period in Israel's history, where the nation sought to establish its identity and relationship with God in the land He had promised them. Shiloh's role as the religious heart of Israel prefigured the later establishment of Jerusalem as the spiritual center with the building of Solomon's Temple. The lessons from Shiloh's rise and fall continue to serve as a reminder of the importance of faithfulness and obedience to God's covenant.

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Joshua 18:1
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
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Joshua 19:51
These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.
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Judges 18:31
And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.
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Judges 20:18,26,27
And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.
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Judges 21:19
Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
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1 Samuel 2:14
And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the meat hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites that came thither.
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1 Samuel 4:3,4
And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh to us, that, when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
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Jeremiah 7:12,14
But go you now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
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Library

The Coming of a Deliverer
... Until Shiloh come; ... for Christ, our great High Priest, is today "a minister of the
sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 58 the coming of.htm

Faithlessness and Defeat
... beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek ... these presumptuous elders
to bring the ark from Shiloh? ... the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle, with the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/faithlessness and defeat.htm

How Joshua, the Commander of the Hebrews, Made War with The
... auxiliaries out of the land of the Philistines, pitched their camp at ... to the mountainous
country, and placed the tabernacle in the city of Shiloh, for that ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 how joshua the.htm

The Israelites
... to the green wadis of Moab, and there pitched their camp ... Alone at Shiloh, in the
heart of Ephraim, was a ... descendants of Aaron served in the tabernacle, and kept ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... Properly speaking, there were no pitched battles between them ... the destruction of
the sanctuary of Shiloh by the ... who "served at the door of" the tabernacle. ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm