TAANACH

(Taʹa·nach).

An enclave city of Manasseh in the territory of Issachar (Josh. 17:11; 1 Chron. 7:29) that was assigned to the Kohathite Levites. (Josh. 21:20, 25) Under the command of Joshua, the Israelites defeated the king of Taanach. (Josh. 12:7, 21) But the Manassites failed to drive out the Canaanites from this and other cities. Eventually, however, these Canaanites were put to forced labor. (Judg. 1:27, 28) In the time of Judge Barak the forces of Jabin the king of Hazor, led by his army chief Sisera, were defeated at Taanach. (Judg. 5:19) During Solomon’s reign the city was in the district assigned to Baana, one of the twelve deputies in charge of supplying food for the royal table. (1 Ki. 4:7, 12) Archaeological evidence from Taanach and the relief on a temple wall at Karnak indicate that the city was taken by Pharaoh Shishak when he invaded Palestine in the fifth year of the reign of Solomon’s son and successor Rehoboam.—2 Chron. 12:2-4.

Taanach is identified with Tell Taʽannak, about five miles (8 kilometers) SE of Megiddo and on the S edge of the Plain of Esdraelon. The site occupied an important position on two trade routes, one leading to the Plain of Acco (Acre) and the other to the Plain of Sharon.

TAANATH-SHILOH

(Taʹa·nath-shiʹloh) [approach to Shiloh].

A site on Ephraim’s border. (Josh. 16:5, 6) It is often identified with modern Khirbet Taʽnah el-Foqa, about six miles (c. 10 kilometers) SE of the suggested location of ancient Shechem.

TABBAOTH

(Tab·baʹoth) [signet rings].

Forefather of a family of Nethinim. Some of his descendants returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel.—Ezra 2:1, 2, 43; Neh. 7:46.

TABBATH

(Tabʹbath) [possibly, celebrated].

After being attacked by Gideon’s forces, the enemy Midianites fled “as far as the outskirts of Abel-meholah by Tabbath.” (Judg. 7:12, 19-22) Tabbath is usually identified with Ras Abu Tabat, about three miles (c. 5 kilometers) E of the Jordan River and six miles (c. 10 kilometers) N of the suggested site of Succoth. Abel-meholah apparently was W of the Jordan and is spoken of as “by [opposite, JB] Tabbath.”—See ABEL-MEHOLAH.

TABEEL

(Taʹbe·el) [God is good].

1. Father of a man whom the kings of Israel and Syria intended to place on the throne in Jerusalem if they captured Judah’s capital. The name of the son is not given. The incident occurred during the period when the reigns of Ahaz and Pekah overlapped (between c. 762 and 758 B.C.E.).—Isa. 7:5, 6.

2. Joint author of an Aramaic letter sent to Persian King Artaxerxes opposing the Jews’ reconstruction work in Jerusalem and resulting in a halt of temple rebuilding.—Ezra 4:7, 24.

TABERAH

(Tabʹe·rah) [burning, conflagration, blaze].

An Israelite encampment in the wilderness of Sinai, the precise location of which is uncertain. On account of Israel’s complaining there, God sent a fire that consumed some of the people at the extremity of the camp. But, when Moses supplicated Jehovah, the “sank down” or was extinguished. This incident gave rise to the name “Taberah,” meaning “burning, conflagration, blaze.”—Num. 11:1-3; Deut. 9:22.

TABERNACLE

[Heb., mish·kanʹ, habitation, dwelling, a tent or tabernacle; ʼoʹhel, tent, tabernacle; miq·dashʹ, sanctuary; Gr., ske·neʹ, tent, booth, tabernacle].

WHEN INAUGURATED

The tabernacle or “tent of meeting” (called “the temple of Jehovah” at 1 Samuel 1:9 and “the house of Jehovah” at 1 Samuel 1:24) was constructed in the wilderness at Mount Sinai in 1512 B.C.E. It was completely set up, with its furniture and utensils installed, on the first day of the first month, Abib or Nisan. (Ex. chap. 40) The priesthood was installed at Jehovah’s direction by the mediator Moses on that day, and the full installation services occupied seven days. On the eighth day the priests began to carry out their official functions.—Lev. chaps. 8, 9.

DESIGN

Jehovah had spoken to Moses in the mountain, giving him the complete pattern for the tabernacle, commanding him: “See that you make all things after their pattern that was shown to you in the mountain.” It served in providing “a shadow of the heavenly things,” and therefore had to be accurate to the least detail. (Heb. 8:5) Jehovah inspired Bezalel and Oholiab, so that the work, shared in also by others, both men and women, could be done perfectly as Moses gave the instructions. The result was: “According to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses, that was the way the sons of Israel did all the service.” (Ex. 39:42; 35:25, 26; 36:1, 4) The materials were provided through voluntary contributions from the people. (Ex. 36:3, 6, 7) Doubtless the gold, silver and copper, the yarns, fabrics and skins came as contributions largely from that which the Israelites had taken out of Egypt. (Ex. 12:34-36) Acacia wood was available in the wilderness.—See ACACIA; SEALSKIN.

Coverings and screens

The entire framework of the structure was covered first by a linen covering embroidered with colorful figures of cherubs. The covering was in two large sections of five cloths each, the sections being joined by loops of blue thread that fastened over gold hooks. The cloths of which this curtain was made were only twenty-eight cubits (c. 40.8 feet; 12.4 meters) long, which would be at least one cubit (17.5 inches; 44.4 centimeters) short of reaching the ground on each side of the structure.—Ex. 26:1-6.

On top of the linen covering went a goat’s hair cover, made of eleven cloths thirty cubits (c. 43.8 feet; 13.3 meters) long, also in two sections, one of