Topical Bible: Tabernacle: The Courtyard of

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The Courtyard of the Tabernacle served as the outer area surrounding the sacred Tent of Meeting, where the Israelites worshiped and offered sacrifices during their wilderness journey. This courtyard was an integral part of the Tabernacle complex, which was constructed according to the divine instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The details of the courtyard's construction and its significance are primarily found in the Book of Exodus.

Dimensions and Structure

The courtyard was a rectangular enclosure measuring 100 cubits in length and 50 cubits in width (approximately 150 feet by 75 feet). It was surrounded by a fence made of fine twisted linen curtains, which were supported by 60 pillars made of bronze. Each pillar was set in a bronze base and topped with silver capitals, with silver hooks and bands to hold the curtains in place (Exodus 27:9-19).

The entrance to the courtyard was located on the east side and was 20 cubits wide. This entrance was covered by a curtain made of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer (Exodus 27:16). This entrance curtain symbolized the way into the presence of God, accessible only through the prescribed means.

Sacred Furnishings

Within the courtyard stood two primary pieces of sacred furniture: the Bronze Altar and the Bronze Basin.

1. The Bronze Altar: Positioned near the entrance, the Bronze Altar was used for burnt offerings and sacrifices. It was made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, measuring five cubits square and three cubits high (Exodus 27:1-8). The altar had horns on its four corners and was equipped with bronze utensils for handling the sacrifices.

2. The Bronze Basin: Located between the altar and the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Bronze Basin was used by the priests for ceremonial washing before they entered the Tent or approached the altar to minister (Exodus 30:17-21). This act of washing symbolized purification and the need for holiness in approaching God.

Symbolism and Significance

The Courtyard of the Tabernacle represented the initial stage of approaching God, emphasizing the necessity of sacrifice and purification. The layout and materials used in the courtyard underscored the holiness and separateness of God, while also providing a means for the Israelites to draw near to Him through obedience to His commands.

The use of bronze in the courtyard's construction, particularly in the altar and basin, symbolized judgment and purification. The sacrifices offered on the Bronze Altar pointed to the need for atonement and foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the sacrificial system through His death on the cross.

The Courtyard of the Tabernacle served as a constant reminder to the Israelites of God's presence among them and His desire for a holy people. It was a place of worship, sacrifice, and preparation, setting the stage for entering the more sacred spaces of the Tabernacle, where God's glory dwelled.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 27:9-17
And you shall make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:
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Exodus 38:9-16,18
And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:
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Exodus 40:8,33
And you shall set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.
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Library

The Annunciation
... busily about the house and then walking at leisure together in the courtyard. ... th
Psalm were fulfilled: The Most High has sanctified His own tabernacle; God is ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/viii the annunciation.htm

Appendix xvii. The Ordinances and Law of the Sabbath as Laid Down ...
... Ornaments which could not easily be taken off might be worn in one's courtyard. ... to
be connected with some work that had been done about the Tabernacle, or to ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xvii the ordinances and.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... was almost as good as her mother's: it had a walled courtyard with a ... Joshua assembled
the people near this tree and erected the tabernacle containing the Ark ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

The Promised Land
... Mentu discovered the ape burying something in the sand of the courtyard flower-beds ...
every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xlvii the promised land.htm

Carried by Four
... CH SPURGEON,. At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. "And ... story. Perhaps
the room was open to the courtyard, which was crowded. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/carried by four.htm

Ancestors of the Blessed virgin
... and went with a shaded light to the great tree in the courtyard which I ... I can only
describe by saying that I recognized in her the cradle and tabernacle of the ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/i ancestors of the blessed.htm

A Sight of the Crowned Christ
... Jesus, and held him steady that awful night in palace and courtyard, and that ... the
voice in the night heard by Samuel, the flooding of Tabernacle and Temple ...
/.../quiet talks on the crowned christ of revelation/iii a sight of the crowned.htm

The Census and the Journey of the Holy Family
... ( Gen.35.4.) Under this tree Joshua built the tabernacle for the ... Mary is with some
women in a little house beside the courtyard: they are very friendly to her ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/x the census and the.htm

Appendix. The Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament.
... As he lay one night by the wall of his courtyard, being unclean from the ... that all
men marvelled; how Jeremiah, at God's command, carried the tabernacle, the ark ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/appendix the apocryphal books of.htm

The Unjust Steward - Dives and Lazarus - Jewish Agricultural Notes ...
... tabernacles' mean the well-known heavenly home; in which sense the term tabernacle'
is, indeed ... the Pharisee as he went out or came in, or sat in his courtyard. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xviii the unjust steward.htm