Lexical Summary qetoreth: Incense, smoke, fragrance Original Word: קְטֹרֶת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sweet incense, perfume From qatar; a fumigation -- (sweet) incense, perfume. see HEBREW qatar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as qitor Definition smoke, odor of (burning) sacrifice, incense NASB Translation incense (58), perfume (1), smoke (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs קְטֹ֫רֶת60 noun feminine smoke, odour of (burning) sacrifice, incense; — ׳ק absolute Exodus 30:1 +; construct Exodus 25:6 +; suffix קְטָרְתִּי Ezekiel 16:18; Ezekiel 23:41; — 1 sweet smoke of sacrifice, "" מנחה Isaiah 1:13; Psalm 141:2, אֵילִים ׳קְ Psalm 66:15, ׳לְהַקְטִיר ק 1 Samuel 2:28 (?). 2 incense, (ה)סמים ׳ק Exodus 25:6; Exodus 30:7; Exodus 31:11; Exodus 40:27 9t.; תמיד ׳ק Exodus 30:8, רֹקַח ׳ק Exodus 30:35, ׳הק alone Exodus 30:37; Leviticus 16:13; Numbers 16:35; Numbers 17:12; so ׳ק Numbers 16:7,17,18; Numbers 17:5; Numbers 17:11; 2Chronicles 29:7, זָרָה ׳ק Exodus 30:9, ׳ענן הק Leviticus 16:13; Ezekiel 8:11, also of אשׁ זרה Leviticus 10:1 (illegal worship); in offering of the princes Numbers 7:14 + 11t. 7, compare Numbers 7:86. Altar of incense is ׳מזבח מקטר ק Exodus 30:1, זהב ׳הק ׳מ 1 Chronicles 28:18, ׳הזהב לק ׳מ Exodus 40:5, הסמים ׳ק ׳מ Leviticus 4:7, ׳הק ׳מ Exodus 30:27 6t. 3 perfume, "" שֶׁמֶן Ezekiel 16:18; Ezekiel 23:41; Proverbs 27:9. Topical Lexicon General Overview קְטֹרֶת designates the fragrant incense offered to the LORD and, by extension, the ascending column of smoke that symbolized accepted worship. Roughly sixty occurrences cluster around the priestly legislation of Exodus through Numbers, are echoed in the historical books and Psalms, and surface again in the Prophets as a gauge of Israel’s fidelity. Prescribed Incense of the Sanctuary • The first mention links קְטֹרֶת to the tabernacle provisions (Exodus 25:6). From that point onward, incense is inseparable from holy space. Daily Priesthood Service Morning and evening incense (Exodus 30:7–8; Numbers 28:3–8) framed Israel’s daily worship, synchronized with the perpetual burnt offering, and ensured that the Holy Place was never without the emblem of prayerful communion (compare Psalm 141:2). Incense also accompanied certain grain offerings (Leviticus 2:2, 16; 6:15). The Day of Atonement On the tenth day of the seventh month the high priest carried a censer of coals “with two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense” behind the veil, “so that the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat” (Leviticus 16:12–13). The obscuring cloud shielded the priest from judgment while he sprinkled blood, prefiguring the intercessory work of the true High Priest. Incense as Emergency Intercession When Korah’s rebellion unleashed divine wrath, Moses instructed Aaron: “Take your censer, put fire from the altar in it, place incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement” (Numbers 16:46). Standing “between the living and the dead” (verse 48), Aaron wielded קְטֹרֶת as a life-preserving mediator. Warnings against Illicit Incense • Nadab and Abihu’s unauthorized fire resulted in immediate death (Leviticus 10:1–2). These accounts underscore that access to God hinges on His appointed mediator and His appointed means. Historical Continuity and Reforms Incense remained central in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 9:25; 2 Chronicles 2:4), was reinstated under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:11), and accompanied Zerubbabel’s Second Temple worship (Ezra 6:10). Faithful kings guarded its holiness; apostate rulers filled high places with counterfeit offerings (2 Kings 23:8; 2 Chronicles 34:25). Wisdom and Psalmic Reflections Proverbs 27:9 celebrates incense’s gladdening power, while Psalm 141:2 spiritualizes the rite: “May my prayer be set before You like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.” The psalmist perceives קְטֹרֶת not merely as ritual fragrance but as a sensory parable of heartfelt supplication. Prophetic Assessments Isaiah decries worship devoid of obedience: “Incense is detestable to Me” (Isaiah 1:13). Jeremiah records Judah’s stubborn incense to the “queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 44:17–23). Yet Malachi foretells a time when “in every place incense and pure offerings will be presented” to the LORD (Malachi 1:11), hinting at globalized worship fulfilled in the gospel age. Typological and New Testament Resonance Revelation imports Old Testament imagery: “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God” (Revelation 8:4). Jesus Christ, our eternal High Priest, enters the true sanctuary with His own merit, assuring that the substance exceeds the shadow (Hebrews 8:1–5). The church therefore continues the incense motif as prayer offered “through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:15). Practical Ministry Implications 1. Worship must be regulated by divine revelation, not personal innovation. Summary קְטֹרֶת weaves through Scripture as fragrant testimony that God welcomes His people through ordained mediation. Its rising smoke points upward to a greater fragrance—the intercession of Christ and the prayers of the redeemed—assuring that genuine devotion will never fail to reach the throne of grace. Forms and Transliterations הַקְּטֹ֔רֶת הַקְּטֹ֖רֶת הַקְּטֹ֗רֶת הַקְּטֹ֙רֶת֙ הַקְּטֹ֛רֶת הַקְּטֹֽרֶת׃ הקטרת הקטרת׃ וְהַקְּטֹ֙רֶת֙ וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת וּ֭קְטֹרֶת וּקְטָרְתִּ֔י וּקְטָרְתִּ֥י וּקְטֹ֖רֶת וּקְטֹ֣רֶת וּקְטֹֽרֶת־ והקטרת ולקטרת וקטרת וקטרת־ וקטרתי לִקְטֹ֔רֶת לקטרת קְטֹ֑רֶת קְטֹ֔רֶת קְטֹ֖רֶת קְטֹ֛רֶת קְטֹ֜רֶת קְטֹ֣רֶת קְטֹ֤רֶת קְטֹ֥רֶת קְטֹ֧רֶת קְטֹֽרֶת קְטֹֽרֶת־ קְטֹֽרֶת׃ קטרת קטרת־ קטרת׃ hakkeToret haq·qə·ṭō·reṯ haqqəṭōreṯ keToret likToret liq·ṭō·reṯ liqṭōreṯ qə·ṭō·reṯ qə·ṭō·reṯ- qəṭōreṯ qəṭōreṯ- ū·qə·ṭā·rə·tî ū·qə·ṭō·reṯ ū·qə·ṭō·reṯ- uketareTi ukeToret ūqəṭārətî ūqəṭōreṯ ūqəṭōreṯ- vehakkeToret velikToret wə·haq·qə·ṭō·reṯ wə·liq·ṭō·reṯ wəhaqqəṭōreṯ wəliqṭōreṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 25:6 HEB: לְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃ NAS: oil and for the fragrant incense, KJV: oil, and for sweet incense, INT: oil the anointing incense the fragrant Exodus 30:1 Exodus 30:7 Exodus 30:8 Exodus 30:9 Exodus 30:27 Exodus 30:35 Exodus 30:37 Exodus 31:8 Exodus 31:11 Exodus 35:8 Exodus 35:15 Exodus 35:15 Exodus 35:28 Exodus 37:25 Exodus 37:29 Exodus 39:38 Exodus 40:5 Exodus 40:27 Leviticus 4:7 Leviticus 10:1 Leviticus 16:12 Leviticus 16:13 Leviticus 16:13 Numbers 4:16 60 Occurrences |
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