Objects — C

cakes

Unleavened cakes mixed with oil, of fine wheat flour, placed in the basket with unleavened bread and wafers for the priests' consecration. A cake of bread made with oil is waved with the ram of investiture.

calf

Abraham prepared a tender calf as part of his hospitality at the Oak of Mamre.

camel

Camels carry Abraham's servant to Nahor's city, bear Jacob's household in flight from Paddan-Aram, and mark his wealth.

carved-image

The Decalogue forbids making a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the waters under the earth, or bowing down to such images.

cassia

Cassia, five hundred shekels by the sanctuary shekel, is blended with myrrh, cinnamon, scented reed and a hin of olive oil into the holy anointing oil.

cattle

Livestock of the patriarchal households; at Sinai sheep and cattle are named for burnt offerings and communion sacrifices on an altar of earth.

cave

Natural hollow used for shelter or burial; in Genesis 50 Jacob is buried in the cave at Machpelah.

cereal-offering

Moses offers the cereal offering with the burnt offering on the altar at the entrance to the Dwelling.

chariot

Royal vehicle of honor in Genesis; the Song of the Sea celebrates that Pharaoh's chariots were hurled into the Sea of Reeds.

chisel

A tool forbidden on a stone altar at Sinai: dressed stones worked with a chisel would profane the altar.

cinnamon

Fragrant cinnamon, two hundred and fifty shekels, is blended with myrrh, scented reed, cassia and olive oil into the holy anointing oil.

circumcision

Circumcision is the sign of God's covenant with Abraham; in Exodus 4 Zipporah circumcises her son, and in Exodus 12 only the circumcised may eat the Passover.

clasps

The skilled men make fifty gold clasps to join the linen sheets of the Dwelling into a unified whole, and fifty bronze clasps to join the goats' hair tent over it.

clay

Earthen material dug for brick-making; in Exodus 1 digging clay is part of the forced labour Egypt imposes on Israel.

cloak

A cloak covers Noah's nakedness; if taken in pledge it must be returned at sunset, for it is the covering a poor person sleeps in.

clothes

Clothes appear as gifts and as disputed property: in every case of law-breaking involving clothing or lost property, both parties lay their case before God.

cloud

The cloud covers the Tent of Meeting and the glory of Yahweh fills the Dwelling. Whenever the cloud rises the Israelites resume their march; Yahweh's cloud stays over the Dwelling by day.

coffin

Burial container; in Genesis 50 Joseph is embalmed and laid in a coffin in Egypt.

communion-sacrifice

Sacrifices offered with burnt offerings; at Sinai young Israelites sacrifice bullocks as communion sacrifices when Moses seals the covenant. By perpetual decree, Aaron and his sons receive the portion set aside from the ram of investiture — the portion the Israelites set aside for Yahweh from their communion sacrifices. At the golden calf the people bring communion sacrifices with their burnt offerings.

copper

Copper is listed among metals worked by Tubal-Cain in Genesis 4.

cord

Judah's cord is one of the personal items Tamar keeps as a pledge when he sleeps with her at Enaim in Genesis 38.

cornelian

They work two cornelians, mounted in gold and engraved with the names of the sons of Israel, on the ephod's shoulder-straps. A cornelian is also in the fourth row of the breastplate, with beryl and jasper.

court

Moses sets up the court round the Dwelling and the altar and hangs the screen at the gateway of the court.

crossbars

Moses puts the Dwelling's crossbars in position when he erects it.

cubit

The ark's dimensions are given in cubits in Noah's construction instructions.

cultic-stones

Israel must smash the cultic stones of the nations whose land they enter, along with tearing down their altars and cutting down their sacred poles.

cup

Pharaoh's cup appears in the chief cup-bearer's prison dream in Genesis 40; in Genesis 44 Joseph plants his own silver cup in Benjamin's sack to test his brothers.

curds

Curds were served with milk and calf in Abraham's meal for the visitors.

curtain

Moses puts the screening curtain in place, screening the ark of the Testimony, as Yahweh ordered.