Starting after Sukkot 2024, Hallel Fellowship switched to a three-year cycle of Torah and parallel Bible readings (2024–2027), outlined by TorahResource. While there’s ancient evidence for a triennial cycle, a major benefit is to provide more time to mine more of Scripture for lessons.
- Readings
- Corresponding reading from the 1-year Torah cycle
- Insights from this week’s readings
- Lessons
- Key Hebrew and Greek terms
- מִשְׁכָּן Mishkān — “Dwelling Place”
- מִקְדָּשׁ Miqdāsh — “Sanctuary”
- שָׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי shamayim kis’i — “heaven is My throne” (Isa 66:1)
- עָנִי ‘ānî (humble, afflicted)
- נִכְנֵה־רוּחַ nikhnê-rūaḥ (contrite of spirit)
- חָרֵד עַל־דְּבָרִי ḥārēd ‘al devarî (trembling at My word)
- Ναός Naos — Inner Sanctuary
- ἀγοράζω agorazō — “to purchase”
- Studies
Readings
- Exodus 25:1-26:30
- Isaiah 66:1-13
- 1Corinthians 6:12-20
Corresponding reading from the 1-year Torah cycle
Insights from this week’s readings
Lessons
All three passages wrestle with the same question: How does the Holy God dwell among human beings?
Exodus 25–26: God commands the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), a sacred, ordered space where His kavod (glory) may dwell.
Isaiah 66: God relativizes physical structures and insists that humility and obedience, not architecture, determine His dwelling.
1Corinthians 6: Paul builds on the themes communicated by the Prophets, Psalms and Messiah. The believer’s body itself is God’s temple, purchased and inhabited by God’s Spirit.
| Biblical stage | Focus of God’s dwelling |
|---|---|
| Exodus | Constructed sanctuary (Skene/Mishkan) |
| Isaiah | Humble, obedient hearts |
| Paul | Redeemed bodies indwelt by the Spirit |
From tent → people → embodied holiness, the trajectory is profoundly Messianic:
- The Tabernacle was never about containment.
- The Temple was never about permanence.
- The goal was always transformation.
Through Messiah: God dwells with us (mishkan/skene), within us (naos), so that holiness is not only displayed in gold and linen, but best by redeemed, embodied obedience. This is not a rejection of Israel’s Scriptures. It is their intended destination.
Key Hebrew and Greek terms
מִשְׁכָּן Mishkān — “Dwelling Place”
Hebrew: מִשְׁכָּן mishkān, from the verb שָׁכַן shākhan (“to dwell”)
Key verse: “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exod 25:8)
Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, LXX): Translated primarily with σκηνή skēnē (“tent, tabernacle”).
σκηνῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου skēnē tou martyriou (“tent of testimony/witness/martyrdom”)
Exodus 27:21 Greek Septuagint
New Testament usage:
ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν (“The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.”)
John 1:14
ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων (“the tabernacle of God is among men”)
Revelation 21:3
Messianic insight: Yeshua is presented as the living Mishkan, the embodied presence of God. The Tabernacle’s purpose is fulfilled not by permanence in wood and gold, but by incarnation.
מִקְדָּשׁ Miqdāsh — “Sanctuary”
Root: קָדַשׁ qadash (“to be holy”)
- Emphasizes separation and consecration
LXX translation: ἁγίασμα hagiasma or ἅγιον hagion
New Testament usage:
1Cor 3:16: ναὸς θεοῦ ἐστε (“you are God’s temple”)
1Cor 6:19: τὸ σῶμα ὑμῶν ναὸς τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἁγίου πνεύματός ἐστιν (“your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”)
Messianic insight: Holiness is not localized. It is internalized through the Spirit given by Messiah.
שָׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי shamayim kis’i — “heaven is My throne” (Isa 66:1)
עָנִי ‘ānî (humble, afflicted)
נִכְנֵה־רוּחַ nikhnê-rūaḥ (contrite of spirit)
חָרֵד עַל־דְּבָרִי ḥārēd ‘al devarî (trembling at My word)
LXX translations:
- עָנִי → ταπεινός tapeinos
- חָרֵד → τρέμων tremōn
NT usage:
- Matthew 5:3–5 (Beatitudes)
- James 4:6: ὁ θεὸς… ταπεινοῖς δίδωσιν χάριν
Messianic insight: Isaiah anticipates Yeshua’s teaching. God’s true dwelling is with the lowly, not the self-assured. The indwelling Spirit is Heaven’s goal, not just a monumental temple.
Ναός Naos — Inner Sanctuary
Unlike ἱερόν hieron, which refers to temple precincts (like the courtyard of the Tabernacle/Temple, and the court of the nations in Herod’s Temple), ναός naos denotes the holy inner dwelling place (אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד Ohel Moed, “Tent of Meeting/Appointment”; including the הַקֹּדֶשׁ HaQodesh, “The Holy [Place],” and קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים Qodesh HaQadashim, “Holy of Holies” or “Most Holy Place”).
Your body is a temple (ναός) of the Holy Spirit
1Cor 6:19
LXX: ναός commonly translates הֵיכָל heikhal, or sacred inner space
Messianic Insight: Paul intentionally chooses ναός to say, you are not merely near holiness; you are transformed by the Spirit’s indwelling.
ἀγοράζω agorazō — “to purchase”
1Cor 6:20: ἠγοράσθητε γὰρ τιμῆς (“you were bought with a price”)
LXX: Translates גָּאַל gā’al — “to redeem.” Used for redeeming persons or property (e.g., Lev 25)
insight: Redemption language evokes Passover, kinsman-redeemer, and ultimately Messiah’s atoning work.
Studies
Understanding the Tabernacle’s bronze altar: Sacrifice and spiritual transformation (Exodus 26–27)
How we build a house for God on Earth (Exodus 25–26; Isaiah 66; 1Corinthians 6)
Torah reading Terumah (תרומה): Exodus 25:1–27:19
You’re invited to God’s big tent (Exodus 25:1–27:19)
Covered by mercy: Meeting Messiah via the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25)
Why we must guard Heaven’s tabernacle in our hearts (Exodus 25)
No box large enough to contain HaShem (Exodus 25:1–27:19)
Exodus 25:1–27:19: How thankful are we for our Savior?
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