tent
o.hel denotes a tent, especially the meeting place associated with worship, and also the dwellings and shelters of people or camps.
The word most often identifies the designated tent associated with the ark, meeting, priestly service, and offerings. It also denotes the tents to which people return, live in, store possessions in, or find standing in a camp.
Senses in use
-
Designated tent for meeting and worship · dominant
Singular construct forms occur in clauses concerning the tent of meeting: in Exodus 29:42 the APB renders a continual offering at its entrance, where God says, “I will meet you there to speak to you.” In Exodus 30:20 it is the place priests enter after washing, while 1 Kings 8:4 places the ark and holy articles in connection with the tent.
-
Personal, household, or camp shelter · common
Plural forms identify the places to which individuals or groups go: in 1 Samuel 13:2 the APB renders that each man was sent “to his tent,” and in 1 Kings 12:16 the people answer, “To your tents, O Israel!” A singular form can mark an individual shelter as well; in 2 Kings 7:8 men enter one tent and then another to eat and carry away goods.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly renders the term as “tent,” including “tent of meeting” and “tent of the LORD,” and uses plural “tents” for household or camp settings. These renderings present the verse-level context rather than a fixed English equivalent for every form.