Shulchan (שֻׁלְחָן) means a table — both a literal table for eating and the sacred table in the tabernacle/temple where the showbread was kept. It appears about 71 times. The table is a powerful symbol of covenant fellowship, provision, and priestly service in the Old Testament.
The two dominant uses of shulchan create a rich biblical theology of the table. First, the table of the LORD in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:23–30): the twelve loaves of showbread representing the twelve tribes before God constantly — a table of perpetual covenant fellowship. Second, Psalm 23:5: 'You prepare a table [shulchan] before me in the presence of my enemies' — God as the generous host who provides in the midst of danger. Ezekiel 44:16 calls the altar itself 'the table of the LORD.' The New Testament completes this: the Lord's Supper is the ultimate shulchan — a table of covenant, presence, and victory. Every meal can be an act of worship when we eat in His presence.