Censers are liturgical vessels used in biblical times for burning incense, a practice deeply rooted in the worship and rituals of ancient Israel. The use of censers is mentioned in various passages throughout the Bible, highlighting their significance in both the tabernacle and the temple worship.

Old Testament Usage

In the Old Testament, censers were primarily used by priests during sacrificial ceremonies. The Book of Exodus provides detailed instructions regarding the construction and use of censers. In Exodus 30:1-10, God commands Moses to make an altar for burning incense, and while the specific mention of censers is not in this passage, their use is implied as part of the incense ritual. The censers were typically made of bronze or gold, as indicated in Numbers 16:39, where the censers of Korah's followers, who rebelled against Moses, were hammered into a covering for the altar.

The most notable incident involving censers is found in Numbers 16, during the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. In this account, the rebels challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron, claiming that the entire congregation was holy. Moses instructed each of the 250 rebellious leaders to take their censers, put fire and incense in them, and present them before the LORD. The LORD's judgment was swift, as fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering incense (Numbers 16:35).

Censers also played a role in the Day of Atonement rituals. Leviticus 16:12-13 describes how the high priest was to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, bringing them inside the veil. The smoke from the incense would cover the mercy seat, preventing the high priest from seeing the presence of God and thus protecting him from death.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, the use of censers is less prominent but still symbolically significant. The Book of Revelation provides a vivid depiction of heavenly worship involving censers. Revelation 8:3-5 describes an angel with a golden censer standing at the altar. The angel is given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, ascends before God. The angel then takes the censer, fills it with fire from the altar, and hurls it to the earth, resulting in thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Symbolism and Significance

Censers symbolize the prayers of the faithful ascending to God, as seen in the imagery of Revelation. The fragrant smoke represents the pleasing aroma of worship and intercession. In the Old Testament, the use of censers was a sacred duty, reserved for the priesthood, emphasizing the holiness required to approach God. The tragic outcome of unauthorized use, as in the case of Korah's rebellion, underscores the seriousness of approaching God with reverence and obedience.

Throughout biblical history, censers have served as a tangible reminder of the spiritual act of worship and the importance of purity and devotion in the presence of the Almighty.4289. machtah -- a fireholder, censer, snuff dish
... Word Origin from chathah Definition a fireholder, censer, snuff dish NASB Word Usage
censer (3), censers (4), firepan (3), firepans (9), trays (3). ...
/hebrew/4289.htm - 6k

Strange Fire
... Alas! our censers are often flaming with 'strange fire.' How much so-called
Christian worship glows with self-will or with partisan zeal! ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/strange fire.htm

The Incense of Prayer
... and see how much it tells us of what we, as the priests of the most High God"which
we are, if we are Christian people at all"ought to have in our censers. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/the incense of prayer.htm

How those that Stirred up this Sedition were Destroyed, According ...
... but also on account of their own, in which they excelled the others: Aaron also
and Corah came forth, and they all offered incense, in those censers of theirs ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how those that.htm

Of the Building of this Temple
... The golden censers, in which they carried the incense to the altar, were twenty
thousand; the other censers, in which they carried fire from the great altar to ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 of the building.htm

Revelation of Moses.
... And I saw golden censers, and three vials; and, behold, all the angels with incense,
and the censers, and the vials, came to the altar, and blew them up, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/revelation of moses/revelation of moses.htm

My Creed Leads Me to Think that Prayer is Efficacious...
... Woe to the generation of sons who find their censers empty of the rich incense of
prayer; whose fathers have been too busy or too unbelieving to pray, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter i my creed leads.htm

The Lame Man Cured by Peter and John.
... sacrifices, when those pious Israelites, who resided in Jerusalem, resorted to the
temple, that while the smoke ascended from the altar and the censers of the ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture iv the lame man.htm

Acts V
... As when Nadab and Abihu fell dead at the door of the tabernacle with strange
fire in their censers, [129] there was no weeping nor delay. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts v.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem
... warning. There priests had waved their censers, and the cloud of incense,
with the prayers of the worshipers, had ascended before God. ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 1 the destruction of.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem.
... warning. There, priests had waved their censers, and the cloud of incense,
with the prayers of the worshipers, had ascended before God. ...
/.../1 the destruction of jerusalem.htm

Censers (11 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Censers (11 Occurrences). ... Numbers 16:6 Do this: take censers,
Korah, and all his company; (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/c/censers.htm - 10k

Fire-pans (11 Occurrences)
... 16:17 and take ye every man his censer, and put incense upon them, and bring ye
before Jehovah every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also ...
/f/fire-pans.htm - 9k

Censer (10 Occurrences)
... The censers in daily use were of brass (Numbers 16:39), and were designated by
a different Hebrew name, miktereth (2 Chronicles 26:19; Ezek. ...
/c/censer.htm - 14k

Eleazar (74 Occurrences)
... To Eleazar fell the duty of beating out for an altar covering the censers of Korah
and his fellow-conspirators who had attempted to seize the priesthood ...
/e/eleazar.htm - 39k

Knives (12 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:50 and the basons, and the knives, and the bowls, and the cups, and the
censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, for the folding-doors of the ...
/k/knives.htm - 10k

Folding-doors (3 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:50 and the basons, and the knives, and the bowls, and the cups, and the
censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, for the folding-doors of the ...
/f/folding-doors.htm - 7k

Firepan (2 Occurrences)
... furnishings of the altar of burnt offerings (Exodus 27:3; Exodus 38:3, and in Numbers
4:14, where the King James Version wrongly reads "censers," the context ...
/f/firepan.htm - 9k

Refined (26 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:50 and the basins, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and
the censers, of refined gold, and the hinges for the doors of the inner-house ...
/r/refined.htm - 14k

Plates (19 Occurrences)
... Numbers 16:38 even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let
them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them ...
/p/plates.htm - 12k

Censors (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Censors (1 Occurrence). Numbers 16:6 This do:
take you censers, Korah, and all his company; (See JPS). ...
/c/censors.htm - 6k

Who was Dathan in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Eleazar in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who were Nadab and Abihu? | GotQuestions.org

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