And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.

EXODUS 25:28KJV
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Exodus 25:28 (KJV)

What does Exodus 25:28 mean?

Exodus 25:28 gives instructions for making poles out of acacia wood, covering them with gold, so that the table can be carried using these poles. This verse is part of the detailed directions God gives to Moses about building the tabernacle and its furnishings.

In this verse, God is speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, telling him how to construct the table that will hold the "bread of the Presence" in the tabernacle. The poles (or "staves") are meant to allow the table to be moved without touching it directly, showing the care and reverence required for holy objects.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 25:28

  • שֵׁטִים (shittim): This word refers to acacia wood, a durable and common wood in the Sinai region. Its use here highlights the lasting quality expected for the tabernacle's furniture.
  • צָפָה (tsaphah): Translated as "overlay," this word means to cover something, in this case, with gold. The overlaying of wood with gold emphasizes both beauty and sacredness.
  • נָשָׂא (nasa’): This word means "to bear" or "to carry." The verse uses it to explain that the table is meant to be carried with the poles, not by hand, which underlines the special handling of sacred items.

Why Exodus 25:28 matters

  • Exodus 25:28 clarifies that the table was not to be touched directly but carried with poles, showing a separation between the holy and the ordinary.
  • The verse connects to the larger theme in Exodus of careful, detailed obedience in worship and the construction of sacred space.
  • By specifying materials and methods, Exodus 25:28 reveals the importance of both reverence and craftsmanship in the service of God.

Where else these words appear

“shittim” Hebrew H7848 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 25:5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
  • Exodus 27:6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
  • Exodus 37:4 And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.

“overlay” Hebrew H6823 · used in 39 verses

  • Exodus 25:11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
  • Exodus 36:38 And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their chapiters and their fillets with gold: but their five sockets were of brass.
  • 1 Kings 6:22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.

“staves” Hebrew H905 · used in 50 verses

  • Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
  • Exodus 37:5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
  • Numbers 11:14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

“table” Hebrew H7979 · used in 62 verses

  • Exodus 25:23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
  • 1 Samuel 20:34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
  • Job 36:16 Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness.