4289. machtah
Lexical Summary
machtah: Firepan, censer

Original Word: מַחְתָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: machtah
Pronunciation: makh-taw'
Phonetic Spelling: (makh-taw')
KJV: censer, firepan, snuffdish
NASB: firepans, censers, censer, firepan, trays
Word Origin: [the same as H4288 (מְחִתּתָּה - ruin) in the sense of removal]

1. a pan for live coals

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
censer, firepan, snuffdish

The same as mchittah in the sense of removal; a pan for live coals -- censer, firepan, snuffdish.

see HEBREW mchittah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from chathah
Definition
a fireholder, censer, snuff dish
NASB Translation
censer (3), censers (4), firepan (3), firepans (9), trays (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַחְתָּה noun feminine fire-holder, censer, snuffdish; — absolute ׳מ Leviticus 16:12; Numbers 17:11; suffix מַחְתָּתוֺ Leviticus 10:1+ 4 t.; plural absolute מַחְתּוֺת Numbers 16:6 4t.; מַחְתֹּת Numbers 16:17 3t.; construct מַחְתּוֺת Numbers 17:3; Numbers 17:4; suffix מַחְתֹּתָיו Exodus 27:3; מַחְתֹּתֶיהָ Exodus 25:38 2t; —

1 snuff-holder, snuff-dish (NowArchäol. ii, 63. 65) of gold Exodus 25:38; Exodus 37:23; Numbers 4:9 (all P).

2 bronze utensils, fire-pans, belonging to altar of burnt-offerings Exodus 27:3; Exodus 38:3, compare Numbers 4:14 (all P); fire-pans of gold 1 Kings 7:50 2Chronicles 4:22; 2 Kings 25:15 = Jeremiah 52:19.

3 censer, Leviticus 10:1; Leviticus 16:12; Numbers 16:6,17 (4 t. in verse); Numbers 16:18; Numbers 17:2; Numbers 17:3; Numbers 17:4 (of bronze), Numbers 16:11 (all P).

חִתָּה, חַתְחַת see below חתת.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

מַחְתָּה (machtah) designates the portable firepan or censer used for handling burning coals and incense in Israel’s worship. Crafted of gold or bronze according to its particular ritual context, the utensil appears twenty-two times across Torah, Kings, Chronicles, and Jeremiah, spanning tabernacle inception to temple destruction. Each reference underscores the holiness of God, the necessity of atonement, and the danger of approaching Him apart from His ordained means.

Tabernacle Furnishings

Exodus 25:38; 37:23 – Gold firepans accompanied the golden lampstand, receiving hot coals or trimmed wicks so that the seven lamps might burn continually before the LORD.
Exodus 27:3; 38:3 – Bronze firepans formed part of the altar-utensil set in the courtyard, enabling removal of ashes and transport of live coals. Their bronze composition matched the altar’s material, testifying to unified design in divine service.

Priestly Ministry and Holy Fire

Leviticus 10:1 confronts careless worship: “Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their own censers, put fire in them, and placed incense on them; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD”. Immediate judgment revealed that neither lineage nor zeal substitutes for obedience. Conversely, on the Day of Atonement the same utensil became an instrument of mercy: “He must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them behind the veil” (Leviticus 16:12). The priest approached the mercy seat enveloped in the incense cloud, prefiguring the perfect mediation of Christ.

Transportation by the Kohathites

Numbers 4:9, 14 notes the covering and carriage of the machta during Israel’s journeys. Even in transit, sacred implements required prescribed handling, emphasizing that worship is not confined to location but to divine order.

Rebellion and Remembrance: Korah’s Censers

In Numbers 16 the machta becomes a symbol of usurped priesthood. Moses instructed the 250 rebels, “Take censers for yourselves… and present them before the LORD” (Numbers 16:6-7). After fire consumed them, the censers were hammered into bronze plating for the altar: “for the censers are holy” (Numbers 16:37-39). The very objects of presumption became a lasting memorial, warning Israel that approach to God demands consecration through His chosen mediator. Aaron’s rapid intercession with his censer halted the plague (Numbers 16:46), illustrating the power of ordained priestly ministry to stand “between the living and the dead.”

Temple Worship under Solomon and Successive Monarchs

1 Kings 7:50 and 2 Chronicles 4:22 list golden firepans among Solomon’s temple treasures, paralleling the earlier golden censers of the tabernacle. Their inclusion shows continuity between wilderness worship and the permanent sanctuary. The Babylonians later confiscated these vessels (2 Kings 25:15; Jeremiah 52:19), signalling judgment upon covenant unfaithfulness and the temporary cessation of temple rites.

Theological Significance

1. Holiness of God: The machta’s association with holy fire depicts God as a consuming fire whose presence sanctifies or judges.
2. Mediation and Atonement: Whether on the Day of Atonement or during Aaron’s plague-stopping intercession, the censer conveys that atonement is effected through blood-mediated incense rising before God—a shadow fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest (Hebrews 7–9).
3. Memorial of Judgment: Korah’s bronze plating attached to the altar reminded every worshiper that unauthorized access brings death, while the altar itself provides the divinely sanctioned means of reconciliation.
4. Continuity of Worship: From tabernacle to temple to exile, the machta traces God’s unchanging requirements amid changing circumstances, assuring believers of His covenant faithfulness.

Typological Insights

• Incense ascending from the censer typifies the intercessory prayers of Christ and His people (Revelation 8:3-4).
• The single censer on the Day of Atonement foreshadows the singular sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice, contrasting with the multiplied censers of Korah that ended in judgment.
• The bronze plating speaks of judgment satisfied; Christ’s cross likewise stands as perpetual testimony that sin’s penalty has been borne.

Practical Applications for Ministry

• Worship must be regulated by Scripture, not personal innovation.
• Intercessory prayer, grounded in the atoning work of Christ, remains the church’s vital ministry “between the living and the dead.”
• Visible reminders (communion table, baptismal waters) serve the same pedagogical function today as the bronze plating on the altar—calling God’s people to reverent obedience.

Forms and Transliterations
הַ֠מַּחְתָּה הַמַּחְתֹּ֑ת הַמַּחְתֹּ֤ת הַמַּחְתֹּת֙ הַמַּחְתּ֨וֹת הַמַּחְתּוֹת֙ המחתה המחתות המחתת וְהַמַּחְתּ֖וֹת וּמַחְתֹּתֶ֖יהָ וּמַחְתֹּתָ֑יו והמחתות ומחתתיה ומחתתיו מַחְתָּת֔וֹ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ מַחְתָּתֽוֹ׃ מַחְתֹּ֑ת מַחְתֹּתֶ֑יהָ מַחְתּ֔וֹת מַחְתּ֣וֹת מַחְתּוֹת֩ מחתות מחתת מחתתו מחתתו׃ מחתתיה ham·maḥ·tāh ham·maḥ·tō·wṯ ham·maḥ·tōṯ Hammachtah hammachTot hammaḥtāh hammaḥtōṯ hammaḥtōwṯ machtaTo machTot machtoTeiha maḥ·tā·ṯōw maḥ·tō·ṯe·hā maḥ·tō·wṯ maḥ·tōṯ maḥtāṯōw maḥtōṯ maḥtōṯehā maḥtōwṯ ū·maḥ·tō·ṯāw ū·maḥ·tō·ṯe·hā umachtoTav umachtoTeiha ūmaḥtōṯāw ūmaḥtōṯehā vehammachTot wə·ham·maḥ·tō·wṯ wəhammaḥtōwṯ
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Englishman's Concordance
Exodus 25:38
HEB: וּמַלְקָחֶ֥יהָ וּמַחְתֹּתֶ֖יהָ זָהָ֥ב טָהֽוֹר׃
NAS: Its snuffers and their trays [shall be] of pure
KJV: And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, [shall be of] pure
INT: snuffers and their trays gold pure

Exodus 27:3
HEB: וּמִזְרְקֹתָ֔יו וּמִזְלְגֹתָ֖יו וּמַחְתֹּתָ֑יו לְכָל־ כֵּלָ֖יו
NAS: and its forks and its firepans; you shall make
KJV: and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels
INT: basins forks firepans all utensils

Exodus 37:23
HEB: שִׁבְעָ֑ה וּמַלְקָחֶ֥יהָ וּמַחְתֹּתֶ֖יהָ זָהָ֥ב טָהֽוֹר׃
NAS: with its snuffers and its trays of pure
KJV: and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, [of] pure
INT: seven snuffers trays gold of pure

Exodus 38:3
HEB: הַמִּזְלָגֹ֖ת וְאֶת־ הַמַּחְתֹּ֑ת כָּל־ כֵּלָ֖יו
NAS: the flesh hooks and the firepans; he made
KJV: [and] the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels
INT: and the basins the flesh and the firepans all utensils

Leviticus 10:1
HEB: וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙
NAS: their respective firepans, and after putting
KJV: either of them his censer, and put
INT: and Abihu their respective firepans putting therein

Leviticus 16:12
HEB: וְלָקַ֣ח מְלֹֽא־ הַ֠מַּחְתָּה גַּֽחֲלֵי־ אֵ֞שׁ
NAS: He shall take a firepan full of coals
KJV: And he shall take a censer full
INT: shall take full A firepan of coals of fire

Numbers 4:9
HEB: מַלְקָחֶ֖יהָ וְאֶת־ מַחְתֹּתֶ֑יהָ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־
NAS: and its snuffers, and its trays and all
KJV: and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil
INT: lamps snuffers trays and all vessels

Numbers 4:14
HEB: בָּהֶ֗ם אֶת־ הַמַּחְתֹּ֤ת אֶת־ הַמִּזְלָגֹת֙
NAS: in connection with it: the firepans, the forks
KJV: thereof, wherewith they minister about it, [even] the censers, the fleshhooks,
INT: serve over the firepans the forks and shovels

Numbers 16:6
HEB: קְחוּ־ לָכֶ֣ם מַחְתּ֔וֹת קֹ֖רַח וְכָל־
NAS: take censers for yourselves, Korah
KJV: Take you censers, Korah,
INT: Do take censers Korah and all

Numbers 16:17
HEB: וּקְח֣וּ ׀ אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וּנְתַתֶּ֤ם עֲלֵיהֶם֙
NAS: of you take his firepan and put
KJV: every man his censer, and put
INT: take Each his firepan and put and

Numbers 16:17
HEB: יְהוָה֙ אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֔וֹ חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמָאתַ֖יִם
NAS: of you bring his censer before
KJV: every man his censer, two hundred
INT: the LORD and each his censer and fifty hundred

Numbers 16:17
HEB: חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמָאתַ֖יִם מַחְתֹּ֑ת וְאַתָּ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן
NAS: and fifty firepans; also you and Aaron
KJV: and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron,
INT: and fifty hundred firepans you and Aaron

Numbers 16:17
HEB: וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן אִ֥ישׁ מַחְתָּתֽוֹ׃
NAS: [shall] each [bring] his firepan.
KJV: each [of you] his censer.
INT: and Aaron each his firepan

Numbers 16:18
HEB: וַיִּקְח֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ עֲלֵיהֶם֙
NAS: took his [own] censer and put
KJV: every man his censer, and put
INT: took each his censer and put and

Numbers 16:37
HEB: וְיָרֵ֤ם אֶת־ הַמַּחְתֹּת֙ מִבֵּ֣ין הַשְּׂרֵפָ֔ה
NAS: that he shall take up the censers out of the midst
KJV: that he take up the censers out
INT: the priest shall take the censers of the midst of the blaze

Numbers 16:38
HEB: אֵ֡ת מַחְתּוֹת֩ הַֽחַטָּאִ֨ים הָאֵ֜לֶּה
NAS: As for the censers of these men
KJV: The censers of these sinners
INT: the censers who of these

Numbers 16:39
HEB: הַכֹּהֵ֗ן אֵ֚ת מַחְתּ֣וֹת הַנְּחֹ֔שֶׁת אֲשֶׁ֥ר
NAS: the bronze censers which
KJV: the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt
INT: Eleazar the priest censers the bronze which

Numbers 16:46
HEB: קַ֣ח אֶת־ הַ֠מַּחְתָּה וְתֶן־ עָלֶ֨יהָ
NAS: Take your censer and put
KJV: Take a censer, and put
INT: Aaron Take your censer and put and

1 Kings 7:50
HEB: וְהַמִּזְרָק֛וֹת וְהַכַּפּ֥וֹת וְהַמַּחְתּ֖וֹת זָהָ֣ב סָג֑וּר
NAS: and the spoons and the firepans, of pure
KJV: and the spoons, and the censers [of] pure
INT: and the bowls and the spoons and the firepans gold of pure

2 Kings 25:15
HEB: וְאֶת־ הַמַּחְתּוֹת֙ וְאֶת־ הַמִּזְרָק֗וֹת
NAS: also took away the firepans and the basins,
KJV: And the firepans, and the bowls,
INT: the firepans and the basins what

2 Chronicles 4:22
HEB: וְהַמִּזְרָק֛וֹת וְהַכַּפּ֥וֹת וְהַמַּחְתּ֖וֹת זָהָ֣ב סָג֑וּר
NAS: the spoons and the firepans of pure
KJV: and the spoons, and the censers, [of] pure
INT: the bowls the spoons and the firepans gold of pure

Jeremiah 52:19
HEB: הַ֠סִּפִּים וְאֶת־ הַמַּחְתּ֨וֹת וְאֶת־ הַמִּזְרָק֜וֹת
NAS: away the bowls, the firepans, the basins,
KJV: And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls,
INT: the bowls the firepans the basins the pots

22 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4289
22 Occurrences


ham·maḥ·tāh — 2 Occ.
ham·maḥ·tōṯ — 5 Occ.
maḥ·tā·ṯōw — 5 Occ.
maḥ·tō·wṯ — 4 Occ.
maḥ·tō·ṯe·hā — 1 Occ.
ū·maḥ·tō·ṯāw — 1 Occ.
ū·maḥ·tō·ṯe·hā — 2 Occ.
wə·ham·maḥ·tō·wṯ — 2 Occ.

4288
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