Altar (Bible)
This article uses secondary sources that critically analyze them.(May 2016) ) |
Altars (Hebrew: מִזְבֵּחַ, mīzbēaḥ, "a place of slaughter or sacrifice")[1] in the Hebrew Bible were typically made of earth (Exodus 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25). Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places (Genesis 22:9; Ezekiel 6:3; 2 Kings 23:12; 16:4; 23:8). The first time the word altar is mentioned and recorded in the Hebrew Bible is that it was erected by Noah, although it does not specify that there was an altar in (Genesis 4:3–4). Other altars were erected by Abraham (Genesis 12:7; 13:4; 13:18;22:9), by Isaac (Genesis 26:25), by Jacob (33:20; 35:1–3), by Moses (Exodus 17:15), and by Saul (1 Samuel 14:35).
After the
Altar of burnt offering
The first altar was the Altar of Burnt Offering (mizbeach ha'olah;
A priest officiating at a burnt offering would vest in his priestly vestments before approaching the altar. He would remove the ashes and place them beside the altar. Then he would change his clothing and remove the ashes to a clean place outside the camp (Leviticus 6:10–11, Cf, 1:16).
In Exodus 27:3 the various utensils used with the altar are enumerated. They were made of brass. (Comp. 1 Samuel 2:13–14; Leviticus 16:12; Numbers 16:6–7). The altar could not be carved using utensils made of iron or of bronze (Exodus 20:25), nor were any allowed on or near it, because iron and bronze were used for implements of war. The Altar and its utensils were considered to be sacred, and the priests had to vest and wash their hands before touching them—even so much as removing the ashes from the altar.
According to the Bible, the fire on the altar was lit directly by the hand of God and was not permitted to go out (Leviticus 6:12–13). No strange fire could be placed upon the altar. The burnt offerings would remain on the altar throughout the night before they could be removed (Leviticus 6:9).
In the tabernacle
The first altar of this type was made to be moved with the Children of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness. Its construction is described in
When Moses consecrated the Tabernacle in the wilderness, he sprinkled the Altar of Burnt Offering with the
The
In the Temple
The description of the altar in
This altar was said to be renewed by Asa (2 Chronicles 15:8) and removed by Ahaz (2 Kings 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 in 586 BCE (Jeremiah 52:17).
After their return from the
During
In Jewish tradition, the upper part of the altar was made with a standard cubit of 6 handbreadths (טפחים), while the lower base of the altar, or tier, was made with a standard cubit of 5 handbreadths.[3]
Altar of incense
The second altar was the Altar of Incense (מִקְטַ֣ר miqṭar) (Exodus 30:1–10), also called the Golden Altar (מִזְבַּ֣ח הַזָּהָ֔ב mizbaḥ hazzāhāv) (39:38; Numbers 4:11) and the Inner Altar (מִזְבַּ֣ח פְּנִימִי mizbaḥ pnimi). This was the indoor altar and stood in front of the Holy of Holies. "Place it in front of the curtain that is over the Ark of the Pact—in front of the cover that is over the Pact—where I will meet with you."[4]
The altar was constructed of shittim wood (Vachellia and Faidherbia species) and covered in pure gold. It was an upright rectangular stand, measuring one cubit wide, one cubit deep, and two cubits high, with a "horn" on each corner, a border of gold around the top, and rings on opposite sides through which poles could be passed to carry it (Exodus 37:25–26). The poles were made of shittim wood covered with gold. Moses consecrated the altar with the anointing oil when the Tabernacle was dedicated (Exodus 40:9).
Incense was burned daily on this altar at the time of the morning and the evening sacrifices. The coals used on this altar had to be taken from the Altar of Burnt Offerings. The incense used had to be made according to a specific formula (Exodus 30:34–35), and no other incense was permitted (Exodus 30:9). According to Jewish tradition, the incense was made by the Avtinas family, who closely guarded its secret. The offering of incense also had to be seasoned with salt.
The offering of incense was the apex of the daily morning and the evening services. According to the Rabbis, this was the part of the temple service that was most beloved by God (Zohar I 130:A). The burning of the incense was symbolic of the prayer of the people rising up to God (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3–4). The offering of incense had to take place after the sacrifice, because only after the atonement could communion with God take place. After the offering of incense, the Kohenim (priests) pronounced the Priestly Blessing upon the people.
Whenever certain sin-offerings were brought, the coals from the incense that was lit that morning were pushed aside and the blood of the "inner sin-offering" was sprinkled seven times on the top of the Golden Altar (Leviticus 4:5–7).
Once a year, on
In Solomon's temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood (1 Kings 6:20; 7:48) overlaid with gold. In Ezekiel 41:22 it is called "the altar of wood." (Comp. Exodus 30:1–6)
In the temple rebuilt after the
It should be mentioned that there are other offerings involving incense, such as the meat offerings, but these were consumed on the Altar of Burnt Offering, not on the Altar of Incense. On the day of Yom Kippur only, the High Priest would offer incense in the Holy of Holies.
In archeology
The remains of three rock-hewn altars were discovered in the Land of Israel: one below Tel Zorah, the other one at the foot of Sebastia (ancient Samaria), and a third one near Shiloh.[5]
References
- Encyclopedia Biblica
- ^ "About the Altar: The Horns and the Ramp". A Day in the Holy Temple. The Temple Institute. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- Menahot97a–b) as the basis for this teaching.
- ^ "Exodus 30:6". www.sefaria.org.
- ISSN 0031-0328.
External links
- Detailed reconstruction of the Altar of Burnt Offering