Altars hold significant importance throughout the biblical narrative, serving as sacred structures where individuals and communities engage in worship, sacrifice, and covenantal ceremonies. The concept of the altar is deeply rooted in the relationship between God and His people, symbolizing divine presence, atonement, and consecration.

Old Testament Altars

In the Old Testament, altars are frequently mentioned as places where sacrifices and offerings are made to God. The first altar recorded in Scripture is built by Noah after the flood. Genesis 8:20 states, "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar." This act of worship and thanksgiving marks a new beginning for humanity.

The patriarchs, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, also constructed altars as expressions of their faith and obedience. Abraham built several altars, such as the one at Shechem (Genesis 12:7) and another on Mount Moriah, where he was tested with the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:9). These altars were not only places of sacrifice but also memorials of divine encounters and promises.

The Mosaic Law formalized the use of altars in Israelite worship. The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, featured two primary altars: the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Altar of Incense. The Altar of Burnt Offering, located in the Tabernacle courtyard, was used for animal sacrifices, symbolizing atonement and reconciliation with God (Exodus 27:1-8). The Altar of Incense, situated inside the Holy Place, was used for burning incense, representing the prayers of the people ascending to God (Exodus 30:1-10).

New Testament Altars

In the New Testament, the concept of the altar evolves with the advent of Jesus Christ, who fulfills the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant. Hebrews 13:10 states, "We have an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat." This passage highlights the spiritual nature of the Christian altar, centered on the sacrifice of Christ, who is both the High Priest and the offering.

While physical altars are not emphasized in the New Testament church, the spiritual significance remains. Believers are called to present themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). The altar thus becomes a metaphor for the believer's life of worship and dedication to God.

Symbolism and Significance

Altars in the Bible symbolize various aspects of the divine-human relationship. They are places of worship, where individuals acknowledge God's sovereignty and express gratitude. They are sites of sacrifice, where atonement for sin is made, pointing ultimately to the sacrifice of Christ. Altars also serve as memorials, marking significant encounters with God and His covenantal promises.

Throughout Scripture, altars remind believers of the need for holiness, obedience, and a heart devoted to God. They underscore the importance of worship and the centrality of sacrifice in the life of faith, culminating in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who reconciles humanity to God.

O virgin-Youth that Art Become Bridegroom, Move to a Little ...
... 6. The stamp on living creatures, O my brethren, no man destroys openly; and a name
that is signed to a letter, no man adds to or alters: whoso effaces the ...
/.../hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn xx o virgin-youth that.htm

Introduction
... Unto them who of old regarded the great things of God's Law as a strange thing,
God declared, "Because Ephraim hath made many alters to sin, alters shall be ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the law and the saint/introduction.htm

How, I Ask, Can You, Seeing that Your Commentaries Contain Such ...
... We shall find that as he alters the faith about the resurrection of the flesh
in other points, so he does in reference to God's judgment. ...
/.../24 how i ask can.htm

Of Eternal and Temporal Nature.
... world? For every piece of coal set on fire, adds so much heat to outward
nature, and so far alters and changes the state of it. ...
/.../law/an appeal to all that doubt/of eternal and temporal nature.htm

Let us Now Consider the Category of Relation, to which all the ...
... It cannot therefore be affirmed that a category of relation increases, decreases,
or alters in any way the substance of the thing to which it is applied. ...
/.../boethius/the trinity is one god not three gods/v let us now consider.htm

Brooks -- the Pride of Life
... Some subtle difference in the mixture of the constituents or in the condition of
the atmosphere or in the heat of the furnace alters the whole result. ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/brooks the pride of.htm

Deuteronomy
... since? Every one who thinks, writes, or speaks in public, knows how his style
alters, as fresh knowledge and experience come to him. ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xv deuteronomy.htm

Author's Preface
... has necessitated. * * * *. The Chinese themselves say: "One mile alters
the speech, and ten miles change the customs.". In view ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/authors preface.htm

Prayer after Communion.
... [2465] This is peculiar; but comp. 1 1 Corinthians 7:31 for the last clause.
[2466] The Codex reads to ueo, which Bryennios alters to to uio. ...
/.../various/the teaching of the twelve apostles/chapter x name after communion.htm

Meetings for Prayer.
... of God. When we speak of moving God, as I have said in a former lecture,
we do not mean that it alters the will of God. But when ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture viii meetings for prayer.htm

Alters (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Alters (1 Occurrence). Ezra 6:11 Also I have
made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let a ...
/a/alters.htm - 6k

Spice (25 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Figuratively, that which enriches or alters the quality of a thing in a
small degree, as spice alters the taste of food; that which gives zest or ...
/s/spice.htm - 18k

Jehoahaz (22 Occurrences)
... Josephus alters the figure of 13:1 to 21; and, to meet the same difficulty,
the Septuagint (Aldine edition) changes 37 to 39 in 13:10. ...
/j/jehoahaz.htm - 23k

Fitly (4 Occurrences)
... the Revised Version (British and American) frequently alters, as in Leviticus
16:21 (`itti, "timely," "opportune," "ready"), where for "fit" it reads "in ...
/f/fitly.htm - 9k

Fit (47 Occurrences)
... the Revised Version (British and American) frequently alters, as in Leviticus
16:21 (`itti, "timely," "opportune," "ready"), where for "fit" it reads "in ...
/f/fit.htm - 23k

Changer
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) One who changes or alters the form of
anything. 2. (n.) One who deals in or changes money. 3. (n ...
/c/changer.htm - 7k

Alternating (1 Occurrence)

/a/alternating.htm - 6k

Alter (8 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To geld. 4. (vi) To become, in some respects, different; to vary; to change;
as, the weather alters almost daily; rocks or minerals alter by exposure. ...
/a/alter.htm - 9k

Sluice
... 19:10, the King James Version reads, "all that make sluices and ponds for fish."
the Revised Version (British and American) entirely alters the translation of ...
/s/sluice.htm - 7k

Although (167 Occurrences)

/a/although.htm - 35k

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