You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it.
- KJV Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
- BSB On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.
- NASB You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering, or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.
- NLT Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.
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
No unauthorized incense or other offerings were permitted on this altar. God alone defines how He is to be approached and worshiped.
Overview
The prohibition guarded the incense altar from any worship not commanded by God. It underscored that worship is to be offered God's way, not according to human preference. The deadly seriousness of 'strange fire' is later seen in Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10), and it magnifies the grace of Christ, the only acceptable way to the Father (John 14:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Lev 10:1Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he had not commanded them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 30:9 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.