Plate קְעָרָה

We are moving into chapter thirty-seven of Exodus with our word for today. קְעָרָה dish, bowl, platter, plate. It is used 17 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used in the sense of a shallow or flat dish for holding, serving, or eating food. 14 out of the 17 times our word is used refer to the dedication offering made by each of the twelve tribes of Israel in Numbers chapter seven. After each one is referenced in this chapter we also have a summary of their gifts. Numbers 7:84-85 This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day when it was anointed, from the chiefs of Israel: twelve silver קַעֲרֹ֨ת plates … each silver הַקְּעָרָ֤ה plate weighing 130 shekels. The other three uses are in the context of the utensils used in the tabernacle worship. Exodus 25:29-30 And you shall make its קְּעָרֹתָ֜יו plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly. Numbers 4:7 And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it הַקְּעָרֹ֤ת the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it. This is exactly how our word is used in our chapter today. Exodus 37:16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its קְעָרֹתָ֤יו plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings. What is interesting is that our word was used to help people connect to God through the temple worship but in the New Testament Jesus uses it to make an analogy. The word in the New Testament that is translated plate is used by Jesus to point out that the religious leaders were not who they were pretending to be on the outside. I’ll close with Jesus words to them. Matthew 23:25-26 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.