Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.
Parallel translations
- WEB Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it.
- KJV And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
- BSB And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
- NKJV “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
- NLT “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar.
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
Aaron was to burn fragrant incense every morning as he tended the lamps. Daily worship and intercession were to rise before God without fail.
Overview
The morning incense paired with the care of the lampstand, weaving worship into the priest's daily routine. This continual offering pictured the unceasing prayers of God's people before Him. As the great High Priest, Christ ever lives to intercede, so that the worship of His people continually ascends to the Father (Hebrews 7:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Sam 2:28Didn’t I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? Didn’t I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
- Exod 27:20–21“You shall command the children of Israel, that they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
- Luke 1:9according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
- 1 Chr 23:13The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before Yahweh, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, forever.
- Exod 30:34Yahweh said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: there shall be an equal weight of each;
- 1 Sam 3:3and God’s lamp hadn’t yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in Yahweh’s temple, where God’s ark was;
- Acts 6:4But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 30:7 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.