A tent or cloth hut (literally or figuratively)
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Σκηνή names a tent, temporary dwelling, booth, or tabernacle. In the Transfiguration accounts, Peter offers to build three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, but the heavenly voice directs attention uniquely to the beloved Son.
Reader summary
Full entry for σκηνή (G4633) · Open the biblical lexicon
Σκηνή names a tent, temporary dwelling, booth, or tabernacle. In the Transfiguration accounts, Peter offers to build three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, but the heavenly voice directs attention uniquely to the beloved Son.
The BSB source-word alignment has 20 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include tabernacle (10), shelters (3), [was] a room (1), A tabernacle (1), dwelling place (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 17:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Hebrews (10), Acts (3), Revelation (3), Luke (2).
Σκηνή names a tent, temporary dwelling, booth, or tabernacle. In the Transfiguration accounts, Peter offers to build three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, but the heavenly voice directs attention uniquely to the beloved Son. Stephen quotes Amos to condemn Israel's carrying of an idolatrous tent, showing that a sacred-looking dwelling can serve false worship.
Hebrews speaks of the true tabernacle erected by the Lord, where the exalted High Priest ministers, and contrasts it with the earthly copy. The noun does not carry one symbolic meaning in every text. It may be an ordinary shelter, an idolatrous shrine, the Mosaic sanctuary, or a heavenly-cultic image. Context and covenant location govern the theological claim.
Σκηνή ranges from tent and shelter to cultic tabernacle. The New Testament contrasts temporary structures and false worship with God's true dwelling and Christ's priestly ministry.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Peter's shelter proposal is interrupted by divine revelation that identifies Jesus as the beloved Son who must be heard.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Mark emphasizes the disciples' fear and confusion, preventing the three shelters from becoming a model for equalizing Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.
As Moses and Elijah were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
Luke explicitly says Peter did not know what he was saying as the cloud and voice reveal Jesus' unique identity.
You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
Stephen's quotation uses the tent of Molech as evidence of idolatrous worship carried alongside Israel's outward religious identity.
And who ministers in the sanctuary and true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
Hebrews presents Christ as minister of the true tabernacle established by God, grounding confidence in His superior priestly work.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Temporary dwelling that shifts from literal tent to tabernacle to heaven's eternal dwelling place
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 20 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
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Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read versea tent, tabernacle
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Read versea tent, tabernacle
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Read versea tent, tabernacle
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 20 lexical occurrence verses.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Tents can be useful shelters, locations of worship, or symbols of something greater. Peter's instinct at the Transfiguration is not allowed to define the event; God directs the disciples to listen to Jesus, who cannot be placed alongside Moses and Elijah as one equal figure among three. Stephen's sermon warns that people can carry a tabernacle and still direct worship toward an idol.
Hebrews then gathers sanctuary imagery around Christ, the enthroned High Priest who ministers in the true tent established by God. These passages shift confidence away from humanly managed sacred space and toward God's revelation and the Son's finished ministry. Churches should value places of gathering without treating buildings, atmosphere, or inherited forms as guarantees of divine approval.
The decisive questions are whom we worship, whose word we hear, and whether our access rests in Christ.
Matt.17.4
Σκηνή is the ordinary noun for tent or temporary dwelling and becomes established terminology for a tabernacle or shrine. Modifiers and narrative setting identify whether the reference is domestic, cultic, earthly, idolatrous, or heavenly.
God dwells among Israel in the tabernacle without being contained by it. The prophets expose idolatrous worship, Jesus embodies God's presence, and His priestly work opens access until God's dwelling fills the renewed creation.