And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
Parallel translations
- WEB “You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
- BSB “You are also to make an altar of acacia wood for the burning of incense.
- NKJV “You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.
- NASB “Now you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.
- NLT “Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God commands an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. Worship included the regular offering of fragrant incense before God.
Overview
The incense altar stood in the Holy Place, distinct from the bronze altar of sacrifice outside. Its incense represented worship and prayer ascending to God. Scripture later interprets such incense as a picture of the prayers of God's people (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8), all of which are made acceptable through Christ our mediator.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Rev 8:3And 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.
- Exod 37:25–28And he made the incense altar of shittim 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 thereof were of the same.
- Lev 4:7And 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 the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
- Exod 40:5And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.
- Lev 4:18And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
- 1 Kgs 6:20And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
- 2 Chr 26:16But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
- Exod 30:10And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it 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.
- Exod 30:7–8And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 30:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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