Shewbread

The shewbread (Hebrew lechem ha-panim, bread of the face or bread of the presence) consisted of twelve loaves of unleavened bread arranged in two rows of six on the golden table in the holy place of the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5–9). The twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel continually presented before the face of God. They were made of fine flour, renewed each Sabbath by the priests, and the removed loaves were eaten exclusively by the priests in the holy place.

The shewbread symbolized Israel's perpetual covenant relationship with God — continually before his presence, renewed weekly, and shared in sacred meal with the priestly mediators. The most famous narrative incident involving the shewbread is David's taking of the consecrated loaves from the priest Ahimelech at Nob to feed his starving men (1 Samuel 21:1–6), which Jesus cited in his dispute with the Pharisees about Sabbath regulations, arguing that human need can take precedence over cultic restriction (Matthew 12:3–4; Mark 2:25–26; Luke 6:3–4).