Original Word: קֶרֶשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: qeresh
Pronunciation: keh'-resh
Phonetic Spelling: (keh'-resh)
KJV: bench, board
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to split off]

1. a slab or plank
2. (by implication) a deck of a ship

bench, board

From an unused root meaning to split off; a slab or plank; by implication, a deck of a ship -- bench, board.

קֶ֫רֶשׁ₅₁ noun masculine^{Exodus 26:16} board, boards; — absolute ׳ק Exodus 26:18 +, קָ֑רֶשׁ Exodus 26:20 +; suffix קַרְשֵׁח Ezekiel 27:6; plural קְרָשִׁים Ezekiel 27:15 +; construct קַרְשֵׁי Ezekiel 27:26 +; suffix קְרָשָׁיו Ezekiel 35:11 +; —

1 collective boards, of deck Ezekiel 27:6 (of Tyre under figure of ship).

2 board of tabernacle Exodus 26:15,16 (twice in verse) + 45 t. 26-40; Numbers 3:36; Numbers 4:31 (all P).

קֶ֫רֶת see קרה.

קשׂה (√ of following, meaning dubious; compare Arabic basket of palm-leaves; Ethiopic urn, jar; Late Hebrew קַסְוָה = Biblical Hebrew קשׂוה, compare ᵑ7 קַסְוָותָא, or קסתות; Talmud קִסְטְ, קִיסְטָא a measure, Syriac jar, (ט after ק), Nö^{SB Akkadian 1882, 1179} Frä^{63, 205} Brock^s. see ).

Overview of Usage

קֶרֶשׁ (qeresh) occurs roughly fifty-one times in the Hebrew Scriptures, almost entirely in the Exodus narrative that describes the construction of the wilderness Tabernacle and in Numbers where the Levitical service is outlined. Every appearance designates the structural “boards” or “frames” that formed the skeletal walls of the Mishkan. By design and by context, therefore, qeresh is inseparably linked to the dwelling place of God among His redeemed people.

Distribution of References

Exodus 26:15-29; 26:32, 37 • Exodus 27:6 • Exodus 35:11 • Exodus 36:20-34; 36:36 • Exodus 38:6 • Numbers 3:36 • Numbers 4:31-32

(The only possible extra-Tabernacle use is Ezekiel 27:6 in some textual traditions, but even there the imagery draws on Tabernacle craftsmanship.)

Role in the Construction of the Tabernacle

1. Material and dimensions

“You are to construct the boards for the Tabernacle from acacia wood, standing upright.” (Exodus 26:15)

Each board measured ten cubits high and one and a half cubits wide (Exodus 26:16). Acacia, a hardy desert hardwood, resisted decay, reminding Israel of the incorruptibility of the dwelling place of YHWH.

2. Silver sockets and golden overlay

“Make forty silver bases under the twenty boards… two bases under each board for its two tenons.” (Exodus 26:19)

Every board was planted in silver, the metal most often associated with redemption (cf. Exodus 30:11-16). Yet each board was overlaid with pure gold (Exodus 26:29), reflecting divine glory. Redemption below, glory above—an architectural sermon on God’s saving and sanctifying work.

3. Bars and rings

Five crossbars ran through the rings of the boards to bind them into a unified whole, with the middle bar running “from end to end” (Exodus 26:28). The stability of the dwelling rested upon the interlocking of individual boards, teaching the principle that God’s people find strength in corporate unity.

Symbolic and Theological Significance

• Corporate habitation of God

The individual qeresh did not constitute the Tabernacle; only when joined did they form “a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Later Scripture echoes this truth: “In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21).

• Christological typology

The gold-covered acacia wood finds its ultimate fulfillment in the incarnate Son. His humanity (wood) is sinless and incorruptible; His deity (gold) radiates divine majesty. As the boards bore the curtain that veiled the Holy of Holies, so Christ’s flesh veiled the presence of God (Hebrews 10:20).

• Redemption and responsibility

The silver sockets were made from the census atonement money (Exodus 30:15-16; 38:25-27). Every adult Israelite contributed a half-shekel, symbolizing that each person’s ransom upheld God’s dwelling. In like manner, believers today stand only on the finished redemptive work of Christ.

Levitical Stewardship

The Merarite clan was charged with transporting the qeresh whenever the camp journeyed (Numbers 3:36; 4:31-32). Poles, carts, and oxen were assigned “as their service” (Numbers 7:8). Thus the heaviest elements of God’s sanctuary were entrusted to consecrated servants, foreshadowing the New Testament call that spiritual leaders bear the weight of doctrinal and structural integrity within the church (1 Timothy 3:15).

Mobility and Mission

Unlike the later stone Temple, the Tabernacle’s wooden framework allowed it to be dismantled and re-erected as God led His people. The qeresh therefore speak of a pilgrim church, mobile yet ordered, moving through the wilderness under the cloud of divine guidance.

Practical Ministry Lessons

1. Unity in diversity: each board identical in size yet distinct in placement—an embodied lesson that every believer has equal worth and varied positioning within the body.
2. Stability through connection: no board stood alone; isolation invites collapse (compare Hebrews 10:24-25).
3. Visible glory supported by hidden sockets: the gold overlay captured the eye, but redemption money anchored the structure. Ministry that dazzles without redemptive substance is unstable.

Eschatological Echoes

The heavenly “Tabernacle not made by hands” (Hebrews 9:11) retains the principle of qeresh: redeemed, glorified saints fitted together permanently in God’s eternal dwelling. The temporary wilderness boards anticipate an everlasting city where “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3).

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 7175 portrays more than timber planks; it furnishes a theology of habitation, redemption, unity, and mission. Through the humble yet carefully crafted qeresh, the Old Testament preaches Christ, reveals God’s desire to dwell among His people, and instructs the church in holy order and mutual support until the final, perfect sanctuary descends from above.

הַקְּרָשִׁ֑ים הַקְּרָשִׁ֔ים הַקְּרָשִׁ֖ים הַקְּרָשִׁ֞ים הַקֶּ֣רֶשׁ הַקֶּ֤רֶשׁ הַקֶּ֥רֶשׁ הַקָּ֑רֶשׁ הקרש הקרשים לְקַרְשֵׁ֣י לְקַרְשֵׁ֥י לְקַרְשֵׁי֙ לַקֶּ֙רֶשׁ֙ לקרש לקרשי קְרָשִֽׁים׃ קְרָשִׁ֔ים קְרָשִׁים֙ קְרָשָׁ֔יו קֶ֔רֶשׁ קַרְשֵׁ֤ךְ קַרְשֵׁ֥י קַרְשֵׁי֙ קָֽרֶשׁ׃ קרש קרש׃ קרשי קרשיו קרשים קרשים׃ קרשך hakKaresh hakkeraShim hakKeresh haq·qā·reš haq·qə·rā·šîm haq·qe·reš haqqāreš haqqərāšîm haqqereš Karesh karShech karShei keraShav keraShim Keresh lakKeresh laq·qe·reš laqqereš lə·qar·šê lekarShei ləqaršê qā·reš qar·šê qar·šêḵ qāreš qaršê qaršêḵ qə·rā·šāw qə·rā·šîm qe·reš qərāšāw qərāšîm qerešInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts