What does the Bible mean by badger skin?
In the biblical sense, the badger skin was actually a seal skin—a hairless sea animal's hide. It was used as the outermost covering of the tabernacle because it could withstand the extreme weather of the Sinai, including heat, wind, and rain, though it was not attractive in appearance.
Les teaches that the tabernacle’s outer covering was called badger skin in the King James Bible, but in the biblical sense it was a seal. He clarifies that the North American badger is a large fur-bearing animal, whereas this was a hairless sea animal. Its hide could withstand the extreme weather of the Sinai—heat, sun, wind, and rain—and, as Les likes to point out, it was not pretty in appearance.