Lance Carson
The burning of incense has been a significant part of religious practices and is often associated with prayer. The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The incense was burned each morning and evening, and the appointed priests were the only ones permitted to perform this ritual. The Book of Exodus describes the recipe for the sacred incense, which was to be made of costly materials contributed by the congregation. The incense offering is also mentioned in the New Testament, with references to the coals from the altar of incense taken behind the veil on the Day of Atonement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Incense offering | Hebrew: קְטֹרֶת qəṭōreṯ |
| Incense offering mentioned in | The Book of Exodus |
| Incense ingredients mentioned in the Book of Exodus | Sweet spices, stacte, onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense |
| Incense ingredients mentioned in rabbinic literature | Rosin, onycha, ḥelbanah, sweet spices with pure frankincense |
| Number of ingredients according to the Torah | 4 |
| Number of ingredients according to rabbinic interpretation | 11 |
| Incense offering in the Holy of Holies | Once a year, on the Day of Atonement |
| Incense offering in the Holy Place | Every morning and evening |
| Purpose of incense offering | To cover the Holy of Holies with a kind of 'smoke screen' to shield the priest from the presence of God, to purify the air and perfume it, to ward off evil spirits and demons, to atone for the "evil tongue", to mitigate and render impending judgments less severe |
| Incense offering in Christian typology | The smoke of incense in the tabernacle signifies offered prayer |
| Incense offering in the New Testament | References to incense include a Christological reference to the coals from the altar of incense taken behind the veil on the Day of Atonement |
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What You'll Learn
The incense offering was made of costly, sweet-smelling materials
The offering of incense was an important component of priestly liturgy in the Temple in Jerusalem. The incense offering was made of costly, sweet-smelling materials, including various spices. The recipe for the incense was prescribed by God and recorded in the Book of Exodus:
> Take unto yourself sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together [salted], pure and holy: And you shall beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with you: it shall be unto you most holy.
The materials for the incense were contributed by the congregation, and the House of Avtinas was responsible for compounding the incense in the days of the Second Temple. The incense was burned on a golden altar in the Holy Place, and the fragrant odour would rise above the veil and fill the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant sat. The incense was to be burned continually, morning and evening, so that its sweet-smelling smoke issued from it day and night.
The incense offering is often associated with prayer in Scripture. For example, David prayed, "May my prayer be set before you like incense" (Psalm 141:2). The smoke of the incense rising towards God is thought to symbolise the prayers of God's people rising towards Him.
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Incense was burned morning and evening, and on the Day of Atonement
The burning of incense was a significant practice in ancient Jewish religious rites and is still used in some Christian liturgical practices today. Incense was burned morning and evening, and on the Day of Atonement, it was taken into the Holy of Holies.
The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The incense was burned on a golden altar, and the fragrant smoke would rise above the veil and fill the inner Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant sat. The incense was made from costly materials contributed by the congregation, including sweet spices, stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense. The recipe for this sacred incense was given by God, and it was to be the only incense burned on the altar.
The burning of incense each morning and evening was a regular offering to the Lord. Priests would refill the incense on the altar, ensuring that a sweet-smelling smoke issued from it day and night. The smoke from the incense was believed to carry the prayers of the people to God. In Scripture, incense is often associated with prayer, such as in Psalm 141:2, where David prays, "May my prayer be set before you like incense."
Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take coals from the altar, along with two handfuls of incense, into the Holy of Holies. There, the incense would smoke before the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. This practice is referenced in the New Testament, where the coals from the altar of incense are said to be taken behind the veil on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:3-4).
The incense offering is also mentioned in rabbinic literature, with some suggesting that it served to purify the air and mask the odours of sacrificed animals. Others believed it warded off evil spirits or atoned for the "evil tongue." The rabbis taught that the incense mixture contained 368 mina, corresponding to the days of the solar year, with three extra mina brought into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.
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Incense symbolised the prayers of God's people
The use of incense has been a significant part of religious rituals since ancient times. The practice originated in the Indus Valley Civilisation in 3600 BC and was later adopted by the Egyptians during the Fifth Dynasty (2345-2494 BC). Incense has been used in various religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Mandaeism, Shintoism, and Christianity.
In the context of the Holy of Holies, the use of incense holds a symbolic meaning. The altar of incense was situated in the Holy Place, just before the veil that separated it from the Holy of Holies. Priests would burn incense on this altar, and the fragrant odor would rise above the veil and fill the inner Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant sat, symbolizing God's presence. This act of burning incense was a regular offering to the Lord and was done according to a specific recipe prescribed by God.
The sweet fragrance of the incense also represents the intercession of Christ and the perpetual nature of his mediation. Christ's work on earth and in heaven is likened to the pleasant aroma of incense, which is pleasing to God. The altar of incense, therefore, serves as a reminder of Christ's mediation and our ability to enter God's presence through faith in Him.
Additionally, the use of incense in Christian liturgies, such as the Mass, symbolizes the unity of the congregation as God's people, joining together in prayer and offering sacrifices to God. The rising smoke of incense visually represents their prayers ascending to God. The number of spoons of incense used during the liturgy can also hold symbolic meanings, with one spoonful representing the Oneness of God, two spoonfuls signifying the dual nature of Christ, and three spoonfuls indicating the Holy Trinity.
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The altar of incense was made with gold and acia wood
The burning of incense was a significant part of the rituals in the Tabernacle and the First and Second Temple periods. Priests would burn incense on the altar in the morning and evening, and the sweet-smelling smoke would rise above the veil and fill the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant sat. The incense was made from costly materials contributed by the congregation.
The altar of incense was made with gold and acacia wood. It was a small square, with each side measuring 1.5 feet and a height of 3 feet. It had four "horns", one at each corner, and rings of gold were built into the altar. The gold rings allowed the priests to carry the altar using acacia wood poles that were slipped through the rings.
The altar of incense was situated before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. On the other side of the veil was the Ark of the Testimony, where the presence of God was believed to reside. Aaron was instructed to burn incense on the altar each morning and at twilight as a regular offering to the Lord.
The altar of incense was considered a sacred object and was to be used exclusively for burning incense. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the horns of the altar with blood to cleanse it of the sins of the Israelites.
The sweet-smelling smoke from the altar of incense symbolized the prayers of God's people rising to God. The altar can be seen as a representation of Christ's mediation and intercession on behalf of humanity.
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The Book of Exodus describes the recipe for the incense
> Take unto yourself sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together [salted], pure and holy: And you shall beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with you: it shall be unto you most holy.
The incense was to be burned on the golden altar, with the fragrant smoke rising day and night. The recipe was carefully guarded, and the Bible warns against making incense for personal enjoyment, stating that those who do so will "be cut off from his people".
The Talmud and oral Torah provide additional details on the incense recipe, listing seven and eleven ingredients, respectively. The four main ingredients from the Book of Exodus have been studied and interpreted in various ways. Stacte, for example, is described as either the extract of myrrh resin or a type of balsam, while onycha may refer to a shell operculum or the exudation from a rock rose bush. Galbanum is typically identified as Ferula galbaniflua, with potential variations including a milder Levant variety or a related plant called narthex or giant fennel.
The incense offering played a significant role in priestly liturgy and was associated with prayer. The sweet-smelling smoke symbolised the prayers of the people rising to God, and the altar of incense represented the work of the Israelites in offering their prayers to the Lord.
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Frequently asked questions
Priests offered incense in the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement.
The incense was offered to purify the air and perfume the Holy of Holies, masking the bad odours from sacrificed animals. It was also believed to ward off evil spirits and demons.
The incense was made of costly materials contributed by the congregation. The Book of Exodus describes the recipe as follows: "Take unto yourself sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight". The Talmud lists seven additional components, bringing the total number of ingredients to eleven, according to some interpretations.
The altar of incense was situated before the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God was believed to reside. The incense was burned to symbolise the perpetual nature of Christ's mediation and the prayers of believers.
