Exodus 25:30
ESV
And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.
NIV
Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.
NASB
And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me continually.
CSB
Put the Bread of the Presence on the table before me at all times.
NLT
Place the Bread of the Presence on the table to remain before me at all times.
KJV
And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
NKJV
And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
What does Exodus 25:30 mean?
Scripture refers to this bread as either "showbread" (1 Chronicles 9:32), "bread of the Presence," or "continual bread" (Numbers 4:7). These are twelve loaves each made from around four liters, or a gallon, of fine flour (Leviticus 24:5). The loaves were stacked in two piles of six (Leviticus 24:6) on a golden table (Exodus 25:23–29). Each week, on the Sabbath, the loaves were eaten by the priests and replaced (Leviticus 24:8–9).When critics challenged Jesus about breaking Sabbath regulations (Matthew 12:2), He responded by recalling an incident with soon-to-be-King David (Matthew 12:3–4). With the priest at Nob's permission, David, on the run from King Saul, ate this consecrated bread (1 Samuel 21:3–6). That event highlighted the fact that God does not value traditions over human lives.
This table (Exodus 25:23–24) is one of several items created for God's sanctuary (Exodus 25:8–9). Others are the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10–11), the menorāh (Exodus 25:31), an altar of sacrifice (Exodus 27:1–8), and an altar of incense (Exodus 30:1–10). Each item serves a purpose in worship of the Lord.
