Leviticus 6:12
New International Version
The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it.

New Living Translation
Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it.

English Standard Version
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

Berean Standard Bible
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

King James Bible
And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

New King James Version
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

New American Standard Bible
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

NASB 1995
‘The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

NASB 1977
‘And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

Amplified Bible
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not [be allowed to] go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat portions of the peace offerings up in smoke on it.

Christian Standard Bible
The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat portions from the fellowship offerings on it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat portions from the fellowship offerings on it.

American Standard Version
And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereon, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.

Contemporary English Version
The fire must never go out, so put wood on it each morning. After this, you are to lay an animal on the altar next to the fat that you sacrifice to ask my blessing. Then send it all up in smoke to me.

English Revised Version
And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereon, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out. The priest will burn wood on it every morning. He will lay the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offering.

Good News Translation
The fire on the altar must be kept burning and never allowed to go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat of the fellowship offering.

International Standard Version
The fire on the altar is to be kept burning continuously without being extinguished. The priest is to burn wood on it every morning, arrange burnt offerings over it, and then burn the fat contained in the peace offerings over it.

Majority Standard Bible
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

NET Bible
but the fire which is on the altar must be kept burning on it. It must not be extinguished. So the priest must kindle wood on it morning by morning, and he must arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat of the peace offering up in smoke on it.

New Heart English Bible
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the fire upon the altar shall be burning on it; it shall not be extinguished: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt-offering in order upon it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace-offerings.

World English Bible
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning. He shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the fire on the altar is burning on it, it is not quenched, and the priest has burned wood on it morning by morning, and has arranged the burnt-offering on it, and has made incense on it [with] the fat of the peace-offerings;

Young's Literal Translation
And the fire on the altar is burning on it, it is not quenched, and the priest hath burned on it wood morning by morning, and hath arranged on it the burnt-offering, and hath made perfume on it with the fat of the peace-offerings;

Smith's Literal Translation
The original Julia E. Smith Bible records the following as a verse reference for Lev 6:5And the fire upon the altar shall burn in it; and it shall not go out: and the priest burnt wood upon it in the morning, in the morning, and he arranged upon it the burnt-offering; and burnt upon it the fat of the peace.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the fire on the altar shall always burn, and the priest shall feed it, putting wood on it every day in the morning, and laying on the holocaust, shall burn thereupon the fat of the peace offerings.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But the fire on the altar shall burn always, for the priest shall nourish it by placing wood under it each day in the morning. And, laying down the holocaust, he shall burn the fat of the peace offerings upon it.

New American Bible
The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it. On this he shall lay out the burnt offering and burn the fat of the communion offering.

New Revised Standard Version
The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out. Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the offerings of well-being.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out; and the priest shall pile up wood on it from morning to morning and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And fire will be burning on the altar and you shall not put it out, and the Priest shall pile wood upon it from morning to morning and he shall arrange the burnt offering upon it and shall offer up the fat of peace upon it.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereby, it shall not go out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning; and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall make smoke thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, and shall not be extinguished; and the priest shall burn on it wood every morning, and shall heap on it the whole-burnt-offering, and shall lay on it the fat of the peace-offering.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Burnt Offering
11Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place. 12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.…

Cross References
Exodus 29:38-42
This is what you are to offer regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old. / Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight. / With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. ...

Numbers 28:3-8
And tell them that this is the food offering you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. / Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, / along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. ...

Hebrews 10:11-14
Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. / But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. / Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet, ...

Exodus 27:20-21
And you are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. / In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations to come.

1 Kings 18:30-39
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. / And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.” / And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. ...

Malachi 1:10-11
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. / For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.

Hebrews 7:27
Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.

1 Samuel 3:3
Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.

2 Chronicles 13:11
Every morning and every evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have forsaken Him.

Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Revelation 8:3-4
Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. / And the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

Isaiah 56:7
I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

Psalm 141:2
May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.


Treasury of Scripture

And the fire on the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

the fire

Leviticus 9:24
And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

Numbers 4:13,14
And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: …

Mark 9:48,49
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched…

burn wood

Leviticus 1:7-9
And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: …

Leviticus 3:3-5,9-11,14-16
And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards, …

Exodus 29:38-42
Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually…

Jump to Previous
Add Altar Arrange Burn Burning Burnt Extinguished Fat Fire Firewood Kept Kindle Lay Morning Offer Offering Offerings Order Peace Peace-Offerings Portions Priest Smoke Thereby Thereon Wood
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Add Altar Arrange Burn Burning Burnt Extinguished Fat Fire Firewood Kept Kindle Lay Morning Offer Offering Offerings Order Peace Peace-Offerings Portions Priest Smoke Thereby Thereon Wood
Leviticus 6
1. The trespass offering for sins done wittingly
8. The law of the burnt offering
14. and of the meat offering
19. The offering at the consecration of a priest
24. The law of the sin offering














The fire on the altar
The phrase "The fire on the altar" refers to the perpetual flame that was to be maintained on the altar of burnt offerings. In Hebrew, the word for "fire" is "אֵשׁ" (esh), symbolizing God's presence and divine acceptance of the offerings. The altar, "מִזְבֵּחַ" (mizbeach), was central to Israelite worship, representing a place of sacrifice and atonement. Historically, the altar was a constant reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His people, emphasizing the need for continual worship and dedication.

shall be kept burning
The command "shall be kept burning" underscores the perpetual nature of the fire. The Hebrew verb "תָּמִיד" (tamid) implies continuity and constancy. This ongoing flame symbolizes the eternal nature of God's covenant and His unending presence among His people. It serves as a reminder of the need for continual devotion and vigilance in spiritual life, reflecting the believer's call to maintain a constant relationship with God.

it must not be extinguished
The phrase "it must not be extinguished" is a direct command emphasizing the importance of the fire's continuity. The Hebrew root "כָּבָה" (kabah) means to quench or put out. This instruction highlights the seriousness of maintaining spiritual fervor and the dangers of spiritual neglect. In a broader scriptural context, it serves as a metaphor for the believer's responsibility to keep their faith alive and active, resisting complacency.

Every morning
"Every morning" indicates the regularity and discipline required in maintaining the altar fire. The Hebrew "בַּבֹּקֶר" (baboker) signifies the start of a new day, symbolizing renewal and fresh commitment. This daily ritual reflects the importance of beginning each day with dedication to God, setting a pattern for spiritual discipline and renewal in the believer's life.

the priest is to add wood to the fire
The instruction "the priest is to add wood to the fire" highlights the role of the priesthood in sustaining the sacrificial system. The Hebrew "כֹּהֵן" (kohen) refers to the priest, who acts as a mediator between God and the people. Adding wood, "עֵצִים" (etzim), signifies the active participation required to maintain spiritual vitality. This act symbolizes the believer's responsibility to nurture their faith through prayer, study, and service.

arrange the burnt offering on it
The phrase "arrange the burnt offering on it" refers to the orderly placement of sacrifices. The Hebrew "עֹלָה" (olah) means "that which goes up," indicating a complete offering to God. This act of arranging signifies intentionality and reverence in worship. It serves as a reminder of the need for order and purpose in spiritual practices, ensuring that offerings to God are made with a sincere heart.

and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it
Finally, "and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it" refers to the specific parts of the sacrifice that were to be offered. The Hebrew "שְׁלָמִים" (shelamim) denotes peace or fellowship offerings, symbolizing reconciliation and communion with God. Burning the fat, "חֵלֶב" (chelev), represents giving the best to God. This act underscores the importance of offering the finest aspects of our lives to God, fostering a deep and abiding relationship with Him.

(12) And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it.--Better, and the fire upon the altar shall burn by it. This is almost a literal repetition of the last clause in Leviticus 6:9, and is here introduced to caution the priest whose function it is to remove the ashes. When engaged in this act, he is to take great care that in taking off the ashes from the altar, he does not knock away the fat pieces of the burnt offering, which constitute the fuel, from the fire, and thus cause it to go out, but let it burn by the fat all night.

And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning.--In the morning, however, the priest is to replenish the burning fuel on the altar with the wood provided at the expense of the congregation, and a store of which was kept in the precincts of the sanctuary. (See Leviticus 1:7.)



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The fire
וְהָאֵ֨שׁ (wə·hā·’êš)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

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

shall be kept burning;
תּֽוּקַד־ (tū·qaḏ-)
Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3344: To be kindled, to burn

it must not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

go out.
תִכְבֶּ֔ה (ṯiḵ·beh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3518: To be quenched or extinguished, to go out

Every morning
בַּבֹּ֣קֶר (bab·bō·qer)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1242: Dawn, morning

the priest
הַכֹּהֵ֛ן (hak·kō·hên)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3548: Priest

is to add
וּבִעֵ֨ר (ū·ḇi·‘êr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1197: To kindle, consume, to be, brutish

wood
עֵצִ֖ים (‘ê·ṣîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

to the fire,
עָלֶ֧יהָ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

arrange
וְעָרַ֤ךְ (wə·‘ā·raḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6186: To set in a, row, arrange, put in order

the burnt offering
הָֽעֹלָ֔ה (hā·‘ō·lāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5930: Whole burnt offering

on it,
עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

and burn
וְהִקְטִ֥יר (wə·hiq·ṭîr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6999: To smoke, turn into fragrance by fire

the fat portions
חֶלְבֵ֥י (ḥel·ḇê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2459: Fat, richest, choice part

of the peace offerings
הַשְּׁלָמִֽים׃ (haš·šə·lā·mîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8002: A sacrifice for alliance or friendship, peace offering

on it.
עָלֶ֖יהָ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Law: Leviticus 6:12 The fire on the altar shall be (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 6:11
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