The place where God was seen to dwell with his people, initially the tabernacle and subsequently the temple at Jerusalem.
Early references to the house of God
Genesis 28:16–17 “house of God” was first used by Jacob to commemorate the place where he met with God; Genesis 28:19 “Bethel” means “house of God”. See also Genesis 28:22
When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!”
and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
The tabernacle as the house of God
The tabernacle was referred to as such before its construction
Exodus 23:19 See also Exodus 34:26
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
In the wilderness God said he would dwell with his people in the tabernacle
And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.
God's presence came and dwelt in the tabernacle when it was completed
Exodus 40:33–34 See also Exodus 40:35–38
And Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
The temple as the permanent house of God
David's desire to build the LORD a permanent house
After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”
This was not the LORD's will for David
2 Samuel 7:5–7, 2 Samuel 7:12–13 See also Acts 7:45–47
“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a house to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling. In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’
And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Solomon builds the temple in Jersualem
God's presence dwelt there but was conditional upon the faithfulness of the people
1 Kings 8:10–13 parallel 2 Chronicles 5:11–6:2 See also 1 Kings 9:6–9
And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. I have indeed built You an exalted house, a place for You to dwell forever.”
Zerubbabel's temple referred to as the house of God
Ezra 1:5 Ezra 2:68, Ezra 3:8–9, Ezra 3:11, Ezra 4:24, Ezra 5:2, Ezra 5:13, Ezra 5:16–17; Ezra 10:1, Ezra 10:6, Ezra 10:9; Nehemiah 6:10, Nehemiah 8:16, Nehemiah 10:32, Nehemiah 10:34–38, Nehemiah 11:11, Nehemiah 11:22, Nehemiah 12:40; Nehemiah 13:9, Nehemiah 13:11, Nehemiah 13:14
So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites— everyone whose spirit God had stirred— prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
Other names given to the house of God
Sanctuary
House of prayer
Matthew 21:13 parallels Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46; Isaiah 56:7
God's dwelling-place
The need for due reverence in worship
The house of God under the new covenant
In the hearts of God's people
1 Corinthians 3:16; Galatians 4:6 See also Acts 7:48, Acts 17:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 3:17
Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
In the church, the body of Christ
Hebrews 3:6 See also Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Peter 2:4–5
But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.