Showbread

Showbread (Hebrew: לחם הפנים Leḥem haPānīm, literally: "Bread of the Faces"[1]), in the King James Version shewbread, in a Biblical or Jewish context, refers to the cakes or loaves of bread which were always present, on a specially-dedicated table, in the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God. An alternative, and more appropriate, translation would be presence bread,[2] since the Bible requires that the bread be constantly in the presence of God (Exodus 25:30).

  1. ^ Commentary of Rashi on Exodus 25:30 – "Bread of the Faces: because it had faces," "לחם פנים - שהיה לו פנים", and commentary of Nachmanides on the same verse – "Bread of the Faces: because it had faces facing this way and that way," "לחם פנים - שיש לו פנים רואים לכאן ולכאן".
  2. ^ Jewish Encyclopedia.