Staves
What Were the Staves?
In the context of the tabernacle, staves were long poles or bars designed to carry the most sacred objects of Israelite worship from place to place during the wilderness wanderings. The Hebrew word most commonly used is baddim, which appears over thirty times in Exodus, Numbers, Kings, and Chronicles. These were not ordinary walking sticks or staffs; they were purpose-built carrying poles, inserted through rings attached to the holy furniture, allowing the Levites to transport these items on their shoulders without directly touching the sacred objects.
The Four Items They Carried
God gave specific instructions for equipping four pieces of tabernacle furniture with staves:
The Ark of the Covenant was fitted with gold-covered acacia wood staves passed through four gold rings on its feet (Exodus 25:13-15). Uniquely, God commanded that the staves of the ark were never to be removed, signifying the ark's readiness to move at God's direction and the absolute prohibition against touching the ark itself.
The Table of Showbread also had acacia wood staves overlaid with gold, inserted through gold rings (Exodus 25:27-28). This table, holding the twelve loaves representing the tribes of Israel, needed to travel with the congregation.
The Golden Altar of Incense was carried by gold-covered acacia staves through gold rings positioned beneath its decorative molding (Exodus 30:4-5).
The Bronze Altar of Sacrifice used staves of acacia wood overlaid with bronze rather than gold, befitting its position in the outer court. These poles passed through rings attached to a bronze grating at the altar's midpoint (Exodus 27:6-7).
The Staves and the Ark's Journey
The most significant narrative involving staves centers on the Ark of the Covenant. When David brought the ark from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem, the initial attempt used a new cart rather than the prescribed carrying poles (2 Samuel 6:3). This departure from God's instructions led to the death of Uzzah when he touched the ark to steady it (2 Samuel 6:6-7). The incident prompted David to follow the proper procedure, with Levites carrying the ark on staves as Moses had commanded (1 Chronicles 15:15). Notably, the chronicler uses a different Hebrew word (motah) for the staves in this passage, possibly because the original poles had been lost during the ark's long absence from the tabernacle.
The Staves in Solomon's Temple
When Solomon completed the temple and the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, the staves remained in position. The ends of the poles were long enough that they could be seen by priests standing in the Holy Place, just in front of the inner sanctuary, though they were not visible from outside (1 Kings 8:8). The writer of Kings notes that the staves were still visible at the time of writing, providing a small but significant detail about the temple's layout and the dating of the text.
Significance of the Carrying Method
The requirement that sacred objects be carried on staves rather than placed on carts or dragged reflects deep theological principles. The poles created a physical buffer between human hands and holy objects, reinforcing the distinction between the sacred and the common. The shoulder-carrying method also demonstrated that transporting God's presence was a privilege requiring personal effort and reverent care, not a mechanical task to be completed with maximum efficiency.
Biblical Context
The staves are described in detail in Exodus 25-30 as part of the tabernacle construction instructions. They appear in the narrative of Numbers during the wilderness journeys. The consequences of not using them properly emerge in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13-15 during David's transport of the ark. Their final mention comes in 1 Kings 8:8 within Solomon's temple.
Theological Significance
The staves embody the tension between God's transcendence and His immanence. They enabled God's presence to travel with His people while maintaining the boundary of holiness that protected both the sacred objects and those who served them. The command never to remove the ark's staves pointed to God's readiness to lead and accompany His people. The disaster that followed using a cart instead of staves (2 Samuel 6) powerfully illustrates that God cares not only about the destination but about obedience in the method.
Historical Background
Ancient Near Eastern cultures commonly used carrying poles for transporting sacred objects and royal furniture. Egyptian reliefs show divine barques carried on poles by priests, and Mesopotamian records describe similar practices for processional statues. The Israelite use of staves thus fits within a broader cultural context, though the specific regulations about materials and permanent attachment distinguished Israel's practice. Acacia wood was abundant in the Sinai wilderness and known for its durability, making it ideal for items that needed to withstand years of travel.