This noun carries a double force in the New Testament. On one hand it denotes an example or model held up for imitation or caution — Christ washing the disciples' feet as a pattern of humble service (John 13:15), the prophets as examples of patient endurance (Jas 5:10), or Sodom and Gomorrah as a warning example of divine judgment (2 Pet 2:6). On the other hand, Hebrews employs the word for the earthly tabernacle as a mere copy or shadow of the heavenly original (Heb 8:5; 9:23). The shift between these senses is subtle but real: one points forward ('follow this model'), the other points upward ('this is only a sketch of the true').