 thumb|260px|right|model of the tabernacle in timna park, israel the tabernacle (, mishkan, "residence" or "dwelling place"), according to the hebrew bible, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the exodus from egypt through the conquering of the land of canaan. built to specifications revealed by god (yahweh) to moses at mount sinai, it accompanied the israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the promised land. the first temple in jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of god. there is no mention of the tabernacle in the tanakh after the destruction of jerusalem and the temple by the babylonians in 587 bce. the fullest description of the tabernacle describes an inner shrine (named holy of holies) housing the ark of the covenant and an outer chamber (holy place) with a golden lampstand, table for showbread, and altar of incense. this description is generally identified as part of the priestly source (p),"tabernacle." cross, f. l., ed. the oxford dictionary of the christian church. new york: oxford university press. 2005 written in the 6th or 5th century bce. many scholars contend that it is of a far later date than moses, and that the description reflects the structure of the temple of solomon, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at shiloh. traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of moses and thereafter.catholic encyclopedia, tabernacle according to historical criticism an earlier, pre-exilic source (e) describes the tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary. ==meaning== the english word "tabernacle" is derived from the latin tabernÄculum meaning "tent" or "hut", which in ancient roman religion was a ritual structure.william warde fowler, the religious experience of the roman people (london, 1922), p. 209; john scheid, an introduction to roman religion (indiana university press, 2003), pp. 113â114; jerzy linderski, "the augural law", aufstieg und niedergang der rÃ¶mischen welt ii.16 (1986), pp. 2164â2288. tabernÄculum is a diminutive of taberna, meaning "hut, booth, tavern." the word sanctuary is also used for the biblical tabernacle, as well as the phrase the "tent of meeting". the hebrew word mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in", referring to the 
Book_of_Exodus Tabernacle_and_Temples_in_Jerusalem