A Good Word – σκηνή (Tent)

A while ago, I overheard someone say, "Hey, you should come visit my new digs!" I could guess the phrase’s meaning from the context, but I wanted to know for sure since English is not my native language. After some digging, I found a non-academic article that suggested the connotation of "digs" for a place of lodging could be traced back to the sixteenth century, when the word "diggings" referred to a place where mining operations were conducted. One might associate the picture of a dug-up hole with a place of accommodation. This imagery brings me to our word, σκηνή (skēnē), which has the literal meaning, "tent," and in its verb form σκηνόω (skēnoō), "to pitch a tent." In ancient times, people pitched tents for shelter when they moved from place to place. Therefore, the term also came to mean "dwelling place." ^[1]  

While the use of the term "new digs" may not carry any interpretive or historical significance, σκηνή (skēnē) does have significant historical and interpretive nuances. It was used over 400 times in the Old Testament, with approximately 330 instances translating the Hebrew terms for "tent" and "dwelling place." Most notably is its use for the tabernacle of God (e.g., Ex 25:9, 30:16, etc.), where it symbolizes God dwelling among His people (Ex 29:42-46; Lev 26:11).   In the New Testament, σκηνή (skēnē) occurs twenty times, ten of which are found in the book of Hebrews (chapters 8, 9, and 13). Thirteen times it refers to the tabernacle or the dwelling place of God (e.g., Hebrews 9:21, 13:10; Revelation 13:6, 21:3).

The verb σκηνόω (skēnoō) occurs five times in the New Testament, all in John's writings (John 1:14; Rev 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; 21:3). In John 1:14, he writes, "Now the word became flesh and dwelt (ἐσκήνωσεν) among us." This term is variously translated as "took up residence" (NET), "lived" (NRSV), "made his dwelling" (NIV), and "dwelt" (ESV and NASB). John could have used other words, such as οἰκέω (oikeō) or related verbs, which convey the straightforward meaning of dwelling. Alternatively, he could use μένω (menō), which he employs frequently in the Gospel, often in the sense of "to remain/stay," particularly when Jesus exhorts the disciples to remain in Him (e.g., John 11:54, 14:10). Yet by choosing this particular word, σκηνόω (skēnoō), John connected its significance to the book of Exodus. The literal meaning of this verse reads, "Now the word became flesh and pitched his tent among us." Such pictorial language undoubtedly connects Jesus' dwelling with the tabernacle in Exodus, where God instructed the Israelites to make a tent and symbolizes God living among his people.

Let's take a step back and examine the immediate context of John 1:14. The first part of verse 14 states that "And the word became flesh." In Exodus 25, Moses was commanded to build a tabernacle because God would dwell among His people. Now, in John 1:14, Jesus, the Word, took on human form and lived among His people. This is the incarnation. This was how the word "pitched his tent" among his people! In Ex 40:34-35, God's glory with His presence at the tabernacle filled the tent, so much so that Moses was unable to enter. Likewise, we see in the second part of John 1:14, "And we saw his glory–the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father." Yes, John and the other disciples saw and experienced the glory of God when they encountered Jesus, the Word who "pitched a tent" and dwelled among them. They experienced Jesus in person, who manifested grace and truth from the Father in heaven. As a result of this encounter with Jesus in the flesh–his life, death, and resurrection–the disciples' lives were transformed. And John writes in 1 John 1:1-4 that he wanted to proclaim this encounter and the effects on their lives to other believers.

As believers today, may we continue to experience the Word that dwells in us as we dwell in Him. May the people in this world have a taste of God's grace and truth when they encounter us who have the Word dwelling now in us, as our light shines before them.

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^[1] For a more in-depth study, see NIDNTTE, vol, 4, 301–306, and TDNT, 7:369-381.