Leviticus 16:12
New International Version
He is to 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 curtain.

New Living Translation
he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the LORD. Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain.

English Standard Version
And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil

Berean Standard Bible
Then 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 inside the veil.

King James Bible
And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

New King James Version
Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.

New American Standard Bible
He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil.

NASB 1995
“He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil.

NASB 1977
“And he shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before Yahweh and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring it inside the veil.

Amplified Bible
He shall take a censer full of burning coals from the [bronze] altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil [into the Most Holy Place],

Christian Standard Bible
Then he is to take a firepan full of blazing coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the curtain.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then he must take a firepan full of fiery coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the veil.

American Standard Version
And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar that is before LORD JEHOVAH and his handfuls of incense of sweet precious spice and he shall enter within the face of the door:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he shall take his censer full of coals of fire off the altar, which is before the Lord; and he shall fill his hands with fine compound incense, and shall bring it within the veil.

Contemporary English Version
Then you will take a fire pan of live coals from the bronze altar, together with two handfuls of finely ground incense, into the most holy place.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And taking the censer, which he hath filled with the burning coals of the altar, and taking up with his hand the compounded perfume for incense, he shall go in within the veil into the holy place:

English Revised Version
and he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He will take an incense burner full of burning coals from the altar, which is in the LORD's presence, and two handfuls of finely ground, sweet-smelling incense. He will bring them up to the canopy.

Good News Translation
he shall take a fire pan full of burning coals from the altar and two handfuls of fine incense and bring them into the Most Holy Place.

International Standard Version
Then he is to take a censer and fill it with coals from the fire on the altar in the LORD's presence. With his hands full of spiced and refined incense, he is to bring it beyond the curtain.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil.

Literal Standard Version
and has taken the fullness of the censer of burning coals of fire from off the altar, from before YHWH, and the fullness of his hands of thin spice-incense, and has brought [it] within the veil;

Majority Standard Bible
Then 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 inside the veil.

New American Bible
he shall take a censer full of glowing embers from the altar before the LORD, as well as a double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bringing them inside the veil,

NET Bible
and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the veil-canopy.

New Revised Standard Version
He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of crushed sweet incense, and he shall bring it inside the curtain

New Heart English Bible
He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

Webster's Bible Translation
And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:

World English Bible
He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil.

Young's Literal Translation
and hath taken the fulness of the censer of burning coals of fire from off the altar, from before Jehovah, and the fulness of his hands of thin spice-perfume, and hath brought it within the vail;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Sin Offering for the Priest
11When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12Then 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 inside the veil. 13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.…

Cross References
Hebrews 9:7
But only the high priest entered the second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

Revelation 8:5
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Exodus 30:34
The LORD also said to Moses, "Take fragrant spices--gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense--in equal measures,

Leviticus 10:1
Now Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.

Numbers 16:18
So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Deuteronomy 33:10
He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.


Treasury of Scripture

And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:

from off

Leviticus 10:1
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

Numbers 16:18,46
And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron…

Isaiah 6:6,7
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: …

sweet incense

Exodus 30:24-38
And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: …

Exodus 31:11
And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

Exodus 37:29
And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the apothecary.

Jump to Previous
Altar Beaten Burning Censer Coals Curtain Finely Fire Fragrant Full Fulness Ground Hand Handfuls Hands Incense Perfume Small Sweet Vail Veil Vessel Within
Jump to Next
Altar Beaten Burning Censer Coals Curtain Finely Fire Fragrant Full Fulness Ground Hand Handfuls Hands Incense Perfume Small Sweet Vail Veil Vessel Within
Leviticus 16
1. how the high priest must enter into the holy place
11. The sin offering for himself
15. The sin offering for the people
20. The scapegoat
29. The yearly feast of the expiations














(12) A censer full of burning coals.--After the bullock was slain, and before its blood was sprinkled, the high priest took the censer, which on this occasion was a golden one, and filled it with brightly glowing coals. These he took off from that part of the ever-burning fire on the altar of burnt offering or brazen altar which was next to the west, towards the Holy of Holies, where the Lord had His dwelling. This is the sense which the canonical law attached to the phrase here "before the Lord."

And his hands full of sweet incense.--Having provided himself with two handfuls of the finest incense, and holding the censer with the fire in his right hand, and the cup with the incense in his left, he now entered for the first time through the second vail into the Holy of Holies, advanced to the ark of the covenant, and deposited the censer between its two staves. During the second Temple he stepped forward to the stone which was the substitute of the Ark, and placed the censer upon it.

Verses 12, 13. - This is the first entry of the high priest into the holy of holies. He takes with him a censer - literally, the censer, that is, the censer that he was to use on the occasion - full of burning coals of fire from off the altar; and his hands are full of sweet incense beaten small; his object being to fill the holy of holies with the smoke of the incense which may serve as at least a thin vail between himself and the Presence of the Lord, that he die not (cf. Exodus 33:20, "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live;" cf. also Genesis 32:30; Deuteronomy 5:24; Judges 6:22; Judges 13:22). Here we see taught the lesson of the vision of God, as he is, being impossible to the human faculties. He must be vailed in one way or another. After passing through the outer chamber of the tabernacle, the high priest found himself in the smaller chamber where stood the ark. Immediately he threw the incense on the coals of the censer, until the holy of holies was filled with the smoke, after which, according to later practice, he offered a prayer outside the vail. The following form of prayer, breathing, however, the spirit of ages long subsequent to the tabernacle, or even the first temple, is found in the Talmud: - "May it please thee, O Lord our God, the God of our fathers, that neither this day nor this year any captivity come upon us. Yet if captivity befall us this day or this year, let it be to a place where the Law is cultivated. May it please thee, O Lord our God, the God of our fathers, that want come not upon us this day or this year. But if want visit us this day or this year, let it be due to the liberality of our charitable deeds. May it please thee, O Lord, the God of our fathers, that this year may be a year of cheapness, of fullness, of intercourse and trade; a year with abundance of rain, of sunshine, and of dew; one in which thy people Israel shall not require assistance one from another. And listen not to the prayers of those who are about to set out on a journey (against rain). And as to thy people Israel, may no enemy exalt himself against them. May it please thee, O Lord our God, the God of our fathers, that the houses of the men of Saron (exposed to floods) may not become their graves" (Edersheim, 'Temple Service').

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then he must take
וְלָקַ֣ח (wə·lā·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

a censer
הַ֠מַּחְתָּה (ham·maḥ·tāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4289: A fireholder, censer, snuff dish

full
מְלֹֽא־ (mə·lō-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4393: Fullness, that which fills

of burning
אֵ֞שׁ (’êš)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

coals
גַּֽחֲלֵי־ (ga·ḥă·lê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1513: An ember

from
מֵעַ֤ל (mê·‘al)
Preposition-m
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the altar
הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

before
מִלִּפְנֵ֣י (mil·lip̄·nê)
Preposition-m, Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the LORD,
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and two handfuls
וּמְלֹ֣א (ū·mə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4393: Fullness, that which fills

of finely ground
דַּקָּ֑ה (daq·qāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 1851: Crushed, small, thin

fragrant
סַמִּ֖ים (sam·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5561: Spice (used in incense)

incense,
קְטֹ֥רֶת (qə·ṭō·reṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7004: Smoke, odor of (burning) sacrifice, incense

and take them
וְהֵבִ֖יא (wə·hê·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

inside
מִבֵּ֥ית (mib·bêṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

the veil.
לַפָּרֹֽכֶת׃ (lap·pā·rō·ḵeṯ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6532: A separatrix, screen


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OT Law: Leviticus 16:12 He shall take a censer full (Le Lv Lev.)
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