σκην-ή G4633
A tent, booth, or tabernacle; the sacred tent of God's presence or an ordinary temporary shelter.
Skene is one of those words where a simple object -- a tent of cloth and poles -- opens onto vast theological meaning. In the Septuagint it regularly translates the Hebrew mishkan, the portable sanctuary where God's glory dwelt among Israel. The letter to the Hebrews builds its entire priestly argument around this word, contrasting the earthly skene with the true heavenly tabernacle (Heb 8:2; 9:2-3). At the Transfiguration, Peter's offer to build three skenai (Matt 17:4; Mark 9:5) recalls the Feast of Booths while unwittingly pointing to something greater. Luke 16:9 stretches the tent-image to eternity: the faithful are received into 'eternal dwellings.'
3. dwelling place, habitation — A metaphorical dwelling or permanent habitation, stretching the tent-image beyond the temporal. In Luke 16:9, Jesus speaks of being received into 'eternal tents' (aionious skenas), a striking paradox -- tents are by nature temporary, yet these are everlasting. Spanish renders this 'moradas' (dwelling places), dropping the tent imagery entirely, which highlights how far the metaphor has traveled from its literal root. 1×
AR["مَسَاكِنَ"]·ben["তাঁবুতে"]·DE["σκηνάς"]·EN["tents"]·FR["tente"]·heb["מִשְׁכְּנוֹת"]·HI["डेरों।"]·ID["tempat-tinggal"]·IT["skenas"]·jav["tarub."]·KO["처소로"]·PT["moradas"]·RU["обители"]·ES["moradas"]·SW["maskani"]·TR["çadırlar"]·urd["خیموں"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. tabernacle, sacred tent — The sacred tabernacle -- the portable tent-sanctuary of Israel and its heavenly archetype. Hebrews uses skene extensively for both the Mosaic tabernacle and the 'true tent' pitched by the Lord (Heb 8:2; 9:2-3, 11, 21). Acts 7:43-44 recalls the wilderness tabernacle, and Acts 15:16 quotes Amos about rebuilding David's fallen tent. Spanish 'tabernaculo,' French 'tente,' and German 'Zelt' all serve this meaning. Fifteen of twenty occurrences carry sacral weight. 15×
AR["الخَيْمَةَ","الخَيْمَةِ","المَسْكَنَ","المَسْكَنِ","خَيمَةَ","خَيمَةِ","خَيْمَة","خَيْمَةٌ","خَيْمَةَ","خَيْمَةُ","مَسكَنَهُ","مَسْكَنُ"]·ben["তাঁবু","তাঁবুকেও","তাঁবুতে","তাঁবুর"]·DE["Zelt","σκηνὴ","σκηνὴν"]·EN["tabernacle","tent"]·FR["tente"]·heb["אֹהֶל","דָּוִד","הַמִּשְׁכָּן","מִשְׁכַּן","מִשְׁכָּן","מִשְׁכָּנוֹ","סֻכַּת"]·HI["डेरे-को","तंबू","तंबू,","तंबू;","तम्बू","तम्बू-में"]·ID["Kemah","kemah"]·IT["tabernacolo","tenda"]·jav["papan-panggenanipun","tarub","tarubipun"]·KO["성막-에서","장막-을","장막-의","장막-이","장막도","장막에","장막으로","장막을","장막의","장막이","장막이라"]·PT["Tabernáculo","tabernáculo","tenda"]·RU["жилище","скинии","скинию","скиния","шатёр"]·ES["tabernáculo","tienda"]·SW["hema","maskani"]·TR["çadır","çadıra","çadırı","çadırın","çadırını"]·urd["خیمہ","خیمہ-کو","خیمے","خیمے-میں","خیمے-میں-سے","خیمے-پر","خیمے-کا","خیمے-کی"]
2. tent, temporary shelter — An ordinary tent or temporary booth for human shelter. At the Transfiguration, Peter proposes making three tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (Matt 17:4; Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33) -- physical shelters recalling the Feast of Booths. Hebrews 11:9 describes Abraham dwelling in tents as a sojourner. Spanish 'tiendas' and 'enramadas' (booths) distinguish this everyday sense from the sacral 'tabernaculo.' 4×
AR["خِيَام","خِيَمٍ","مَظالَّ","مَظَالَّ"]·ben["তাঁবু","তাঁবুতে"]·DE["Zelt","σκηνάς","σκηνὰς"]·EN["tents"]·FR["tente"]·heb["אֹהָלִים","סֻכּוֹת"]·HI["तंबू","तंबूओं","तम्बु","तम्बू"]·ID["kemah","kemah-kemah"]·IT["skenas","tabernacolo"]·jav["tarub-tarub","tarub:","tenda"]·KO["장막들에","초막들-을","초막을"]·PT["tendas"]·RU["кущи","шатра","шатрах"]·ES["enramadas","tiendas"]·SW["mahema","vibanda","vitatu"]·TR["çadır","çadırlar","çadırlarda"]·urd["خیموں","خیمے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σκην-ή, Doric dialect σκᾱνά, ἡ (not in Refs 8th c.BC+. __I tent, booth, Refs 5th c.BC+; σκηνῆς ὕπαυλοςRefs 5th c.BC+; τὰς σ. καταλύειν, διαλύειν, strike camp, Refs 3rd c.BC+; but also σ. μάλα ἰσχυρῶν ξύλων hut, Refs 1st c.AD+; booth in the marketplace, Refs 5th c.BC+: plural, camp, Refs 5th c.BC+ __I.2 σκηνὰς ἐς ἱεράς to the holy tabernacle, LXX+5th c.BC+ __II stage-building as background for…