Reference: Altar
American
A table-like structure, on which sacrifices and incense were offered, built of various materials, usually of stone, but sometimes of brass, etc. It is evident that sacrifices were offered long before the flood; but the first mention of an altar in Scripture is when Noah left the ark. Mention is made of altars reared by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The latter was commanded to build an altar of earth, Ex 20:24. If stone was employed, it must be rough and unhewn, probably lest the practice of sculpture should lead them to violate the second commandment. It was not to be furnished with steps, De 27:2-6.
The altars in the Jewish tabernacle, and in the temple at Jerusalem, were the following: 1. The altar of burnt offerings. 2. The altar of incense. 3. The table of showbread, for which see BREAD.
1. THE ALTAR OF BURNT-OFFERINGS was a kind of coffer of shittim-wood covered with brass plates, about seven feet six inches square, and four feet six inches in height. At the four corners were four horns, or elevations. It was portable, and had rings and staves for bearing in, Ex 27-28. It was placed in the court before the tabernacle, towards the east. The furniture of the altar was of brass, and consisted of a pan, to receive the ashes that fell through the grating; shovels; basins, to contain the blood with which the altar was sprinkled; and forks, to turn and remove the pieces of flesh upon the coals. The fire was a perpetual one, kindled miraculously, and carefully cherished. Upon this altar the lamb of the daily morning and evening sacrifice was offered, and the other stated and voluntary blood-sacrifices and meat and drink-offerings. To this also certain fugitives were allowed to flee and find protection. The altar in Solomon's temple was larger, being about thirty feet square and fifteen feet high, 2Ch 4:1. It is said to have been covered with thick plates of brass and filled with stones, with an ascent on the east side. It is often called "the brazen altar."
2.THE ALTAR OF INCENSE was a small table of shittim-wood, covered with plates of gold; it was eighteen inches square, and three feet high, Ex 30; 37:25, etc. At the four corners were four horns, and all around its top was a little border or crown. On each side were two rings, into which staves might be inserted for the purpose of carrying it. It stood in the Holy place; not in the Holy of Holies, but before it, between the golden candlestick and the table of showbread, and the priests burned incense upon it every morning and evening. So Zacharias, Lu 1:9,11. See TEMPLE.
3. ALTAR AT ATHENS, inscribed "to the unknown God,"
Ac 17:23. It is certain. Both from Paul's assertion and the testimony of Greek writers, that altars to an unknown or gods existed at Athens. But the attempt to ascertain definitely whom the Athenians worshipped under this appellation must ever remain fruitless for want of sufficient data. The inscription afforded to Paul a happy occasion of proclaiming the gospel; and those who embraced it found it indeed that the Being whom they had thus ignorantly worshipped was the one only living and true God.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you.
And it shall be on the day when you shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the LORD your God gives you, that you shall set yourselves up great stones, and plaster them with plaster: And you shall write upon them all the words of this law, when you are passed over, that you may go in unto the land which the LORD your God gives you, a land that flows with milk and honey; as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you. read more. Therefore it shall be when you are gone over Jordan, that you shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. And there shall you build an altar unto the LORD your God, an altar of stones: you shall not lift up any iron tool upon them. You shall build the altar of the LORD your God of whole stones: and you shall offer burnt offerings on it unto the LORD your God:
Moreover he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height.
According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
Easton
(Heb. mizbe'ah, from a word meaning "to slay"), any structure of earth (Ex 20:24) or unwrought stone (Ex 20:25) on which sacrifices were offered. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places (Ge 22:9; Eze 6:3; 2Ki 23:12; 16:4; 23:8; Ac 14:13). The word is used in Heb 13:10 for the sacrifice offered upon it--the sacrifice Christ offered.
Paul found among the many altars erected in Athens one bearing the inscription, "To the unknown God" (Ac 17:23), or rather "to an [i.e., some] unknown God." The reason for this inscription cannot now be accurately determined. It afforded the apostle the occasion of proclaiming the gospel to the "men of Athens."
The first altar we read of is that erected by Noah (Ge 8:20). Altars were erected by Abraham (Ge 12:7; 13:4; 22:9), by Isaac (Ge 26:25), by Jacob (Ge 33:20; 35:1,3), and by Moses (Ex 17:15, "Jehovah-nissi").
In the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, two altars were erected.
(1.) The altar of burnt offering (Ex 30:28), called also the "brasen altar" (Ex 39:39) and "the table of the Lord" (Mal 1:7).
This altar, as erected in the tabernacle, is described in Ex 27:1-8. It was a hollow square, 5 cubits in length and in breadth, and 3 cubits in height. It was made of shittim wood, and was overlaid with plates of brass. Its corners were ornamented with "horns" (Ex 29:12; Le 4:18).
In Ex 27:3 the various utensils appertaining to the altar are enumerated. They were made of brass. (Comp. 1Sa 2:13-14; Le 16:12; Nu 16:6-7.)
In Solomon's temple the altar was of larger dimensions (2Ch 4:1. Comp. 1Ki 8:22,64; 9:25), and was made wholly of brass, covering a structure of stone or earth. This altar was renewed by Asa (2Ch 15:8). It was removed by Ahaz (2Ki 16:14), and "cleansed" by Hezekiah, in the latter part of whose reign it was rebuilt. It was finally broken up and carried away by the Babylonians (Jer 52:17).
After the return from captivity it was re-erected (Ezr 3:3,6) on the same place where it had formerly stood. (Comp. 1 Macc. 4:47.) When Antiochus Epiphanes pillaged Jerusalem the altar of burnt offering was taken away.
Again the altar was erected by Herod, and remained in its place till the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (70 A.D.).
The fire on the altar was not permitted to go out (Le 6:9).
In the Mosque of Omar, immediately underneath the great dome, which occupies the site of the old temple, there is a rough projection of the natural rock, of about 60 feet in its extreme length, and 50 in its greatest breadth, and in its highest part about 4 feet above the general pavement. This rock seems to have been left intact when Solomon's temple was built. It was in all probability the site of the altar of burnt offering. Underneath this rock is a cave, which may probably have been the granary of Araunah's threshing-floor (1Ch 21:22).
(2.) The altar of incense (Ex 30:1-10), called also "the golden altar" (Ex 39:38; Nu 4:11), stood in the holy place "before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony." On this altar sweet spices were continually burned with fire taken from the brazen altar. The morning and the evening services were commenced by the high priest offering incense on this altar. The burning of the incense was a type of prayer (Ps 141:2; Re 5:8; 8:3-4).
Illustration: Brazen and Golden Altars
This altar was a small movable table, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold (Ex 37:25-26). It was 1 cubit in length and breadth, and 2 cubits in height.
In Solomon's temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood (1Ki 6:20; 7:48) overlaid with gold. In Eze 41:22 it is called "the altar of wood." (Comp. Ex 30:1-6.)
In the temple built after the Exile the altar was restored. Antiochus Epiphanes took it away, but it was afterwards restored by Judas Maccabaeus (1 Macc. 1:23; 4:49). Among the trophies carried away by Titus on the destruction of Jerusalem the altar of incense is not found, nor is any mention made of it in Heb 9. It was at this altar Zacharias ministered when an angel appeared to him (Lu 1:11). It is the only altar which appears in the heavenly temple (Isa 6:6; Re 8:3-4).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your descendants will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants dug a well.
And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.
And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it, The LORD is my banner:
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you. And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it.
And you shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height of it shall be three cubits. And you shall make the horns of it upon its four corners: its horns shall be of one piece with it: and you shall overlay it with bronze. read more. And you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all the utensils of it you shall make of bronze.
And you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all the utensils of it you shall make of bronze. And you shall make for it a grate of network of bronze; and upon the net shall you make four bronze rings in the four corners. read more. And you shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the net may extend halfway down the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. And the poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. Hollow with boards shall you make it: as it was shown you on the mount, so shall they make it.
And you shall take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
And you shall make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shall you make it.
And you shall make an altar to burn incense upon: of acacia wood shall you make it. A cubit shall be the length of it, and a cubit the breadth of it; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height of it: its horns shall be of one piece with it.
A cubit shall be the length of it, and a cubit the breadth of it; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height of it: its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, the top of it, and the sides of it round about, and its horns; and you shall make unto it a molding of gold round about.
And you shall overlay it with pure gold, the top of it, and the sides of it round about, and its horns; and you shall make unto it a molding of gold round about. And two golden rings shall you make for it under its molding, by its two corners, upon the two sides of it shall you make it; and they shall be places for the poles with which to bear it.
And two golden rings shall you make for it under its molding, by its two corners, upon the two sides of it shall you make it; and they shall be places for the poles with which to bear it. And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
And you shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning: when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. read more. And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall offer no unholy incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor grain offering; neither shall you pour a drink offering on it. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon its horns once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
And the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base.
And he made the incense altar of acacia wood: the length of it was a cubit, and the breadth of it a cubit; it was foursquare; and two cubits was the height of it; the horns of it were of one piece with it. And he overlaid it with pure gold, both the top of it, and the sides of it round about, and the horns of it: also he made for it a molding of gold round about.
And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door, The bronze altar, and its grate of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the laver and its base,
And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of meeting, and shall pour out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning on it.
And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badger skins, and shall put in its poles:
This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire in them, and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much upon you, you sons of Levi.
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh, unto all the Israelites that came there.
And the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and also covered the altar which was of cedar.
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, on which was the showbread,
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brass altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
And he brought also the bronze altar, which was before the LORD, from the front of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.
Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar on it unto the LORD: you shall give it to me for the full price: that the plague may be averted from the people.
Moreover he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height.
And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim, and repaired the altar of the LORD, that was before the vestibule of the LORD.
And they set the altar upon its bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.
Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Also the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands, and the bronze sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke, and carried all their bronze to Babylon.
And say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
The altar of wood was three cubits high, and its length two cubits; and its corners, and its length, and its walls, were of wood: and he said unto me, This is the table that is before the LORD.
You offer polluted bread upon my altar; and you say, How have we polluted you? In that you say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Then the priest of Jupiter, being before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle.
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Fausets
The first of which we have mention was built by Noah after leaving the ark (Ge 8:20). The English (from the Latin) means an elevation or high place: not the site, but the erections on them which could be built or removed (1Ki 12:7; 2Ki 23:15). So the Greek bomos, and Hebrew bamath. But the proper Hebrew name mizbeach is "the sacrificing place;" Septuagint thusiasterion. Spots hallowed by divine revelations or appearances were originally the sites of altars (Ge 12:7; 13:18; 26:25; 35:1). Mostly for sacrificing; sometimes only as a memorial, as that named by Moses Jehovah Nissi, the pledge that Jehovah would war against Amalek to all generations (Ex 17:15-16), and that built by Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, "not for burnt offering, nor sacrifice, but as a witness" (Jos 22:26-27).
Altars were to be made only of earth or else unhewn stone, on which no iron tool was used, and without steps up to them (Ex 20:24-26). Steps toward the E. on the contrary are introduced in the temple yet future (Eze 43:17), marking its distinctness from any past temple. No pomp or ornament was allowed; all was to be plain and simple; for it was the meeting place between God and the sinner, and therefore a place of shedding of blood without which there is no remission (Le 17:11; Heb 9:22), a place of fellowship with God for us only through death. The mother dust of earth, or its stones in their native state as from the hand of God, were the suitable material. The art of sinful beings would mar, rather than aid, the consecration of the common meeting ground. The earth made for man's nourishment, but now the witness of his sin and drinker in of his forfeited life, was the most suitable (see Fairbairn, Typology). The altar was at "the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation" (Ex 40:29).
In the tabernacle the altar of burnt offering was made of shittim (acacia) boards overlaid with brass, terming a square of five cubits, or eight feet. three cubits high or five feet, the hollow within being probably filled with earth or stones. A ledge (Hebrew karkob) projected on the side for the priest to stand on, to which a slope of earth gradually led up on the S. side, and outside the ledge was a network of brass. At the grainers were four horn shaped projections. to which the victim was bound (Ps 118:27), and which were touched with blood in consecrating priests (Ex 29:12), and in the sin offering (Le 4:7). The horn symbolizes might. The culmination's of the altar, being hornlike, imply the mighty salvation and security which Jehovah engages to the believing worshippers approaching Him in His own appointed way. Hence it was the asylum or place of refuge (1Ki 1:50; Ex 21:14).
So the Antitype, Christ (Isa 27:5; 25:4). To grasp the altar horns in faith was to lay hold of Jehovah's strength. In Solomon's temple the altar square was entirely of brass, and was 20 cubits, or from 30 to 35 feet, and the height 10 cubits. In Mal 1:7,12, it is called "the table of the Lord." In Herod's temple the altar was 50 cubits long, and 50 broad, and 15 high; a pipe from the S.W. grainer conveyed away the blood to the brook Kedron. Except in emergencies (as Jg 6:24; 1Sa 7:9-10; 2Sa 24:18,25; 1Ki 8:64; 18:31-32) only the one altar was sanctioned (Le 17:8-9; De 12:13-14), to mark the unity and ubiquity of God, as contrasted with the many altars of the manifold idols and local deities of pagandom. Every true Israelite, wherever he might be, realized his share in the common daily sacrifices at the one altar in Zion, whence Jehovah ruled to the ends of the earth.
Christ is the antitype, the one altar or meeting place between God and man, the one only atonement for sinners, the one sacrifice, and the one priest (Ac 4:12; Heb 13:10). Christ's Godhead, on which He offered His manhood, "sanctifieth the gift" (Mt 23:19), and prevents the sacrifice being consumed by God's fiery judicial wrath against man's sin. To those Judaizers who object that Christians have no altar or sacrificial meats, Paul says, "we have" (the emphasis in Greek is on have; there is no we) emphatically, but it is a spiritual altar and sacrifice. So Heb 4:14-15; 8:1; 9:1; 10:1,19-21. The interpretation which makes "altar" the Lord's table is opposed to the scope of the Epistle to the Heb., which contrasts the outward sanctuary with the unseen spiritual sanctuary.
Romanisers fall under the condemnation of Ho 8:11. The Epistle to the Hebrew reasons, servile adherents to visible altar meats are excluded from our Christian spiritual altar and meats: "For He, the true Altar, from whom we derive spiritual meats, realized the sin offering type" (of which none of the meat was eaten, but all was burnt: Le 6:30) "by suffering without the gate: teaching that we must go forth after Him from the Jewish high priest's camp of legal ceremonialism and meats, which stood only until the gospel times of reformation" (Heb 9:10-11). The temple and holy city were the Jewish people's camp in their solemn feasts.
The brass utensils for the altar (Ex 27:3) were pans, to receive the ashes and fat; shovels, for removing the ashes; basins, for the blood; flesh hooks, with three prongs, to take flesh out of the cauldron (1Sa 2:13-14); firepans, or censers, for taking coals off the altar, or for burning incense (Le 16:12; Nu 16:6-7; Ex 25:38); the same Hebrew maktoth means snuff dishes, as "tongs" means snuffers for the candlesticks. Asa "renewed" the altar, i.e. reconsecrated it, after it had been polluted by idolatries (2Ch 20:8). (See AHAZ (see) removed it to the N. side of the new altar which Urijah the priest had made after the pattern which Ahaz had seen at Damascus (2Ki 16:14). Hezekiah had it "cleansed" (2Ch 29:12-18) of all the uncleanness brought into it in Ahaz' reign. Manasseh, on his repentance, repaired it (2Ch 33:16). Rabbis pretended it stood on the spot where man was created. In Zerubbabel's temple the altar was built before the temple foundations were laid (Ezr 3:2).
After its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, Judas Maccabaeus built a new altar of unhewn stones. A perpetual fire kept on it symbolized the perpetuity of Jehovah's religion; for, sacrifice being the center of the Old Testament worship, to extinguish it would have been to extinguish the religion. The perpetual fire of the Persian religion was different, for this was not sacrificial, but a symbol of God, or of the notion that, fire was a primary element. The original fire of the tabernacle "came out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat" (Le 9:24). The rabbis say, It couched upon the altar like a lion, bright as the sun, the flame solid and pure, consuming things wet and dry alike, without smoke. The divine fire on the altar; the shekinah cloud, representing the divine habitation with them, which was given to the king and the high priest with the oil of unction; the spirit of prophecy; the Urim and Thummim whereby the high priest miraculously learned God's will; and the ark of the covenant, whence God gave His answers in a clear voice, were the five things of the old temple wanting in the second temple.
Heated stones (Hebrew) were laid upon the altar, by which the incense was kindled (Isa 6:6). The golden altar of incense (distinguished from the brazen altar of burnt offering), of acacia wood (in Solomon's temple cedar) underneath, two cubits high, one square. Once a year, on the great day of atonement, the high priest sprinkled upon its horns the blood of the sin offering (Ex 30:6-10; Le 16:18-19). Morning and evening incense was burnt on it with fire taken from the altar of burnt offering. It had a border round the top, and two golden rings at the sides for the staves to bear it with. It was "before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat;" between the candlestick and the shewbread table. In Heb 9:4, KJV, "censer," not "altar of incense," is right; for the latter was in the outer not the inner holy place.
The inner, or holiest, place "had the golden censer" belonging to its yearly atonement service, not kept in it. The altar of incense also was close by the second veil, directly before the ark (1Ki 6:22), "by (Hebrew b
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your descendants will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your descendants will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants dug a well.
And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants dug a well.
And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.
And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it, The LORD is my banner:
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it, The LORD is my banner: For he said, Because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
For he said, Because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you.
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you. And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it.
And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it. Neither shall you go up by steps unto my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.
Neither shall you go up by steps unto my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.
But if a man comes presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
But if a man comes presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
And you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all the utensils of it you shall make of bronze.
And you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels, and its basins, and its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all the utensils of it you shall make of bronze.
And you shall take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
And you shall take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
And you shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
And you shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning: when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
And Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning: when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall offer no unholy incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor grain offering; neither shall you pour a drink offering on it.
You shall offer no unholy incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor grain offering; neither shall you pour a drink offering on it. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon its horns once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
And Aaron shall make an atonement upon its horns once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and shall pour the rest of the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and shall pour the rest of the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
And no sin offering, from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
And no sin offering, from which any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
And you shall say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among you, that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
And you shall say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among you, that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, And brings it not unto the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
And brings it not unto the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.
This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire in them, and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much upon you, you sons of Levi.
And put fire in them, and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much upon you, you sons of Levi.
Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offerings in every place that you see:
Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offerings in every place that you see: But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, you have no part in the LORD.
But that it may be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, you have no part in the LORD.
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh, unto all the Israelites that came there.
And he thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh, unto all the Israelites that came there.
And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.
And they spoke unto him, saying, If you will be a servant unto this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.
And they spoke unto him, saying, If you will be a servant unto this people this day, and will serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.
And he brought also the bronze altar, which was before the LORD, from the front of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.
And he brought also the bronze altar, which was before the LORD, from the front of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.
And they dwelt in it, and have built you a sanctuary in it for your name, saying,
And they dwelt in it, and have built you a sanctuary in it for your name, saying,
Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:
Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeuel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:
And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeuel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah: And of the sons of Heman; Jehuel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.
And of the sons of Heman; Jehuel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel. And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.
And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.
And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the vestibule of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the vestibule of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all its utensils, and the showbread table, with all its utensils.
Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all its utensils, and the showbread table, with all its utensils.
And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed on it peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed on it peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
God is the LORD, who has showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
God is the LORD, who has showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
For you have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
For you have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
So the altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth and extending upward shall be four horns.
So the altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth and extending upward shall be four horns.
And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides; and the rim around it shall be half a cubit wide; and its base shall be a cubit all around; and its steps shall face toward the east.
And the ledge shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides; and the rim around it shall be half a cubit wide; and its base shall be a cubit all around; and its steps shall face toward the east.
Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin offerings, the altars shall be unto him for sinning.
Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin offerings, the altars shall be unto him for sinning.
You offer polluted bread upon my altar; and you say, How have we polluted you? In that you say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
You offer polluted bread upon my altar; and you say, How have we polluted you? In that you say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
But you have profaned it, in that you say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his food, is contemptible.
But you have profaned it, in that you say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his food, is contemptible.
You fools and blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
You fools and blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and an earthly sanctuary.
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and an earthly sanctuary.
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, in which was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, in which was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
Which stood only in foods and drinks, and various washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Which stood only in foods and drinks, and various washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the ones approaching perfect.
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the ones approaching perfect.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having a high priest over the house of God;
Be not carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with foods, which have not profited them that have been observing them.
Be not carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with foods, which have not profited them that have been observing them. We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle.
We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle.
We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle.
We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to share forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
But to do good and to share forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Hastings
1. The original purpose of an altar was to serve as a means by which the blood of an animal offered in sacrifice might be brought into contact with, or otherwise transferred to, the deity of the worshipper. For this purpose in the earliest period a single stone sufficed. Either the blood was poured over this stone, which was regarded as the temporary abode of the deity, or the stone was anointed with part, and the rest poured out at its base. The introduction of fire to consume the flesh in whole or in part belongs to a later stage in the history of sacrifice (wh. see). But even when this stage had long been reached, necessity might compel a temporary reversion to the earlier modus operandi, as we learn from Saul's procedure in 1Sa 14:33 f. From the altar of a single 'great stone' (1Sa 6:14) the transition was easy to an altar built of unhewn stones (Ex 20:25; De 27:5 f. RV), which continued to he the normal type of Hebrew altar to the end (see 1Ma 4:41; Josephus BJ V. v. 6).
2. Another type of pre-historic altar, to which much less attention has been paid, had its origin in the primitive conception of sacrifice as the food of the gods. As such it was appropriately presented on a table. Now the nearest analogy to the disc of leather spread on the ground, which was and is the table of the Semitic nomad, was the smooth face of the native rock, such as that on which Manoah spread his offering (Jg 13:19 f., cf. Jg 6:20 f.). The well-known rock-surfaces, in Palestine and elsewhere, with their mysterious cup-marks
See Verses Found in Dictionary
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you.
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you. And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it. read more. Neither shall you go up by steps unto my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.
And if a man lie not in wait, but God delivers him into his hand; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
And you shall make them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
And you shall take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and shall pour the rest of the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
These are the statutes and judgments, which you shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of your fathers gives you to possess, all the days that you live upon the earth.
And there shall you build an altar unto the LORD your God, an altar of stones: you shall not lift up any iron tool upon them.
And the angel of God said unto him, Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
So Manoah took a kid with a grain offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did a wondrous thing; and Manoah and his wife looked on.
And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they split the wood of the cart, and offered the cows a burnt offering unto the LORD.
Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, you have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day.
And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, erect an altar unto the LORD in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon: for, lo, he has caught hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
And the inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and also covered the altar which was of cedar.
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, on which was the showbread,
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the hosts of heaven.
And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king pull down, and broke them down from there, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled like the place of Topheth, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods.
Morish
A structure on which to offer sacrifices to God: imitated by the heathen in honour of their false gods. The first altar we read of was built by Noah on leaving the ark, on which he offered burnt offerings of every clean beast and clean fowl. Ge 8:20. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob also built altars to the Lord: these would have been constructed of stone or earth, but it is remarkable that we seldom read of their offering sacrifices on them. At times it is simply said they built an altar unto the Lord and at other times they built an altar and called upon the name of the Lord. The altars appear to have been erected as places of drawing near to God, of which sacrifice was the basis.
Moses was told that in all places where God recorded His name they should build an altar of wood or of stone and offer thereon sheep and oxen for burnt offerings and peace offerings; but such altars if made of stone were not to be made of hewn stone; for had they lifted up a tool upon it, it would have been defiled. Ex 20:25-26. There must be nothing of man's handiwork in approaching to God: a principle, alas, grossly violated in the professing church of God! It is added, "neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon." Man's contrivance is here forbidden, for in divine things anything of his only manifests the utter shamelessness of that which springs from fallen nature: cf. Col 2:20-23. When the tabernacle was made, minute instructions were given to Moses, and he was to make everything as had been shown him in the mount.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it. Neither shall you go up by steps unto my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.
Therefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; read more. Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in self-imposed worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any value to the indulgence of the flesh.
Smith
Altar.
The first altar of which we have any account is that built by Noah when he left the ark.
In the early times altars were usually built in certain spots hallowed by religious associations, e.g., where God appeared.
Ge 12:7; 18/type/kj2000'>13:18,18; 35:1
Though generally erected for the offering of sacrifice, in some instances they appear to have been only memorials.
Altars were most probably originally made of earth. The law of Moses allowed them to be made of either earth or unhewn stones.
I. The Altar of Burnt Offering. It differed in construction at different times. (1) In the tabernacle,
ff.; Exod 38:1 ff., it was comparatively small and portable. In shape it was square. It as five cubits in length, the same in breadth, and three cubits high. It was made of planks of shittim (or acacia) wood overlaid with brass. The interior was hollow.
At the four corners were four projections called horns made, like the altar itself, of shittim wood overlaid with brass,
and to them the victim was bound when about to be sacrificed.
Round the altar, midway between the top and bottom, ran a projecting ledge, on which perhaps the priest stood when officiating. To the outer edge of this, again, a grating or network of brass was affixed, and reached to the bottom of the altar. At the four corners of the network were four brazen rings, into which were inserted the staves by which the altar was carried. These staves were of the same material as the altar itself. As the priests were forbidden to ascend the altar by steps,
it has been conjectured that a slope of earth led gradually up to the ledge from which they officiated. The place of the altar was at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.)"
(2) In Solomon's temple the altar was considerably larger in its dimensions. It differed too in the material of which it was made, being entirely of brass.
It had no grating, and instead of a single gradual slope, the ascent to it was probably made by three successive platforms, to each of which it has been supposed that steps led. The altar erected by Herod in front of the temple was 15 cubits in height and 50 cubits in length and breadth. According to
a perpetual fire was to be kept burning on the altar. II. The Altar of Incense, called also the golden altar to distinguish it from the altar of burnt offering which was called the brazen altar.
(a) That in the tabernacle was made of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold. In shape it was square, being a cubit in length and breadth and two cubits in height. Like the altar of burnt offering it had horns at the four corners, which were of one piece with the rest of the altar. This altar stood in the holy place, "before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony."
(b) The altar of Solomon's temple was similar,
but was made of cedar overlaid with gold. III. Other Altars. In
reference is made to an alter to an unknown God. There were several altars in Athens with this inscription, erected during the time of a plague. Since they knew not what god was offended and required to be propitiated.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your descendants will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your descendants will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it, The LORD is my banner: For he said, Because the LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you. And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it. read more. Neither shall you go up by steps unto my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.
And you shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height of it shall be three cubits. And you shall make the horns of it upon its four corners: its horns shall be of one piece with it: and you shall overlay it with bronze.
Hollow with boards shall you make it: as it was shown you on the mount, so shall they make it.
And you shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
And with it he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and the bronze altar, and the bronze grate for it, and all the utensils of the altar,
And you shall set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, on which was the showbread,
The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brass altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
God is the LORD, who has showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Watsons
ALTAR. Sacrifices are nearly as ancient as worship, and altars are of almost equal antiquity. Scripture speaks of altars, erected by the patriarchs, without describing their form, or the materials of which they were composed. The altar which Jacob set up at Bethel, was the stone which had served him for a pillow; Gideon sacrificed on the rock before his house. The first altars which God commanded Moses to raise, were of earth or rough stones; and it was declared that if iron were used in constructing them they would become impure, Ex 20:24-25. The altar which Moses enjoined Joshua to build on Mount Ebal, was to be of unpolished stones, De 27:5; Jos 8:31; and it is very probable that such were those built by Samuel, Saul, and David. The altar which Solomon erected in the temple was of brass, but filled, it is believed, with rough stones, 2Ch 4:1-3. It was twenty cubits long, twenty wide, and ten high. That built at Jerusalem, by Zerubbabel, after the return from Babylon, was of rough stones; as was that of Maccabees. Josephus says that the altar which in his time was in the temple was of rough stones, fifteen cubits high, forty long, and forty wide.
Among the Romans altars were of two kinds, the higher and the lower; the higher were intended for the celestial gods, and were called altaria, from altus; the lower were for the terrestrial and infernal gods, and were called arae. Those dedicated to the heavenly gods were raised a great height above the surface of the earth; those of the terrestrial gods were almost even with the surface; and those for the infernal deities were only holes dug in the ground called scrobiculi.
Before temples were in use the altars were placed in the groves, highways, or on tops of mountains, inscribed with the names, ensigns, or characters of the respective gods to whom they belonged. The great temples at Rome generally contained three altars; the first in the sanctuary, at the foot of the statue, for incense and libations; the second before the gate of the temple, for the sacrifices of victims; and the third was a portable one for the offerings and sacred vestments or vessels to lie upon. The ancients used to swear upon the altars upon solemn occasions, such as confirming alliances, treaties of peace, &c. They were also places of refuge, and served as an asylum and sanctuary to all who fled to them, whatever their crimes were.
The principal altars among the Jews were those of incense, of burnt- offering, and the altar or table for the shew bread. The altar of incense was a small table of shittim wood covered with plates of gold. It was a cubit long, a cubit broad, and two cubits high. At the four corners were four horns. The priest, whose turn it was to officiate, burnt incense on this altar, at the time of the morning sacrifice between the sprinkling of the blood and the laying of the pieces of the victim on the altar of burnt-offering. He did the same also in the evening, between the laying of the pieces on the altar and the drink-offering. At the same time the people prayed in silence, and their prayers were offered up by the priests. The altar of burnt-offering was of shittim wood also, and carried upon the shoulders of the priests, by staves of the same wood overlaid with brass. In Moses's days it was five cubits square, and three high: but it was greatly enlarged in the days of Solomon, being twenty cubits square, and ten in height. It was covered with brass, and had a horn at each corner to which the sacrifice was tied. This altar was placed in the open air, that the smoke might not sully the inside of the tabernacle or temple. On this altar the holy fire was renewed from time to time, and kept constantly burning. Hereon, likewise, the sacrifices of lambs and bullocks were burnt, especially a lamb every morning at the third hour, or nine of the clock, and a lamb every afternoon at three, 4/type/kj2000'>Ex 20:24-25; 27:1-2,4; 38:1. The altar of burnt-offering had the privilege of being a sanctuary or place of refuge. The wilful murderer, indeed, sought protection there in vain; for by the express command of God he might be dragged to justice, even from the altar. The altar or table of shew bread was of shittim wood also, covered with plates of gold, and had a border round it adorned with sculpture. It was two cubits long, one wide, and one and a half in height. This table stood in the sanctum sanctorum, [holy of holies,] and upon it were placed the loaves of shew bread. After the return of the Jews from their captivity, and the building of the second temple, the form and size of the altars were somewhat changed.
Sacrifices according to the laws of Moses, could not be offered except by the priests; and at any other place than on the altar of the tabernacle or the temple. Furthermore, they were not to be offered to idols, nor with any superstitious rites. See Le 17:1-7; De 12:15-16. Without these precautionary measures, the true religion would hardly have been secure. If a different arrangement had been adopted, if the priests had been scattered about to various altars, without being subjected to the salutary restraint which would result from a mutual observation of each other, they would no doubt some of them have willingly consented to the worship of idols; and others, in their separate situation, would not have been in a condition to resist the wishes of the multitude, had those wishes been wrong. The necessity of sacrificing at one altar, (that of the tabernacle or temple,) is frequently and emphatically insisted on, De 12:13-14; and all other altars are disapproved, Le 26:30, compare Jos 22:9-34. Notwithstanding this, it appears that, subsequently to the time of Moses, especially in the days of the kings, altars were multiplied; but they fell under suspicions, although some of them were perhaps sacred to the worship of the true God. It is, nevertheless, true, that prophets, whose characters were above all suspicion, sacrificed, in some instances, in other places than the one designated by the laws, 1Sa 13:3-14; 16:1-5; 1Ki 18:21-40.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you.
An altar of earth you shall make for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you. And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it.
And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it.
And you shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height of it shall be three cubits. And you shall make the horns of it upon its four corners: its horns shall be of one piece with it: and you shall overlay it with bronze.
And you shall make for it a grate of network of bronze; and upon the net shall you make four bronze rings in the four corners.
And he made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood: five cubits was the length of it, and five cubits the breadth of it; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height of it.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, read more. Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, that kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that kills it out of the camp, And brings it not unto the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of meeting, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma unto the LORD. And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations.
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offerings in every place that you see: But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. read more. Nevertheless you may kill and eat flesh in all your gates, whatsoever your soul desires, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart. Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it upon the earth as water.
And there shall you build an altar unto the LORD your God, an altar of stones: you shall not lift up any iron tool upon them.
As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man has lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses. And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, a great altar to see. read more. And the children of Israel were told, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar near the border of the land of Canaan, in the area of the Jordan, on the side of the children of Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them. And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, And with him ten leaders, of each chief house a leader throughout all the tribes of Israel; and every one was a head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel. And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built you an altar, that you might rebel this day against the LORD? Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, But that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then pass over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, in which the LORD'S tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God. Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity. Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knows, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require an account; And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have you to do with the LORD God of Israel? For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and children of Gad; you have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness between us and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, you have no part in the LORD. Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you. God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle. And when Phinehas the priest, and the leaders of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the leaders, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.
And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. And all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was held in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal. read more. And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring here a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you came not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I felt compelled therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly: you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you: for now would the LORD have established your kingdom upon Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue: the LORD has sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you.
And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill your horn with oil, and go, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with you, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. read more. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do: and you shall anoint unto me him whom I name unto you. And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Come you peaceably? And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
Moreover he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height. Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape, and five cubits its height; and a line of thirty cubits did measure its circumference. read more. And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did circle it round about: ten to a cubit, circling the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.