Consecrated bread, bread of the presence, showbread

The showbread was set out as an offering in the presence of God in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. The size and shape of the bread is not given in Scripture, although there is a detailed description of it in Jewish literature from the time of the New Testament.

The term “showbread” is an English attempt at translating what in Hebrew is literally “bread of the face/presence” or “bread laid out.” The translator should not try to reproduce the English term. In some languages “showbread” is rendered “bread placed before God” or “bread placed in the presence of God.” Others have “sacred bread” (GNT), “sacred loaves of bread” (CEV), or even “special bread” (NCV in 1CH 9:32).