Numbers 16:18
New International Version
So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

New Living Translation
So each of these men prepared an incense burner, lit the fire, and placed incense on it. Then they all stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.

English Standard Version
So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

New American Standard Bible
So they took, each one his own censer, and put fire on it, and placed incense on it; and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

NASB 1995
So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

NASB 1977
So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

Legacy Standard Bible
So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

Amplified Bible
So they each took his own censer and put fire on it and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), with Moses and Aaron.

Christian Standard Bible
Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron.

American Standard Version
And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Contemporary English Version
The next day the men placed incense and coals in their fire pans and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the sacred tent.

English Revised Version
And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So each man took his incense burner, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Good News Translation
So they each took their fire pans, put live coals and incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the Tent with Moses and Aaron.

International Standard Version
So each man took his censer, put fire coals inside of it, placed incense in it, and then stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, accompanied by Moses and Aaron.

Majority Standard Bible
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.

NET Bible
So everyone took his censer, put fire in it, and set incense on it, and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

New Heart English Bible
They each took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense on them, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

World English Bible
They each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they each take his censer, and put fire on them, and lay incense on them, and they stand at the opening of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Young's Literal Translation
And they take each his censer, and put on them fire, and lay on them perfume, and they stand at the opening of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will take each his censer and will give upon them fire, and will put incense upon them, and they will stand at the door of the tent of appointment, and Moses and Aaron.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
When they had done this, Moses and Aaron standing,

Catholic Public Domain Version
When they had done this, Moses and Aaron stood up,

New American Bible
So each of them took their censers, and laying incense on the fire they had put in them, they took their stand by the entrance of the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron.

New Revised Standard Version
So each man took his censer, and they put fire in the censers and laid incense on them, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So they took every man his censer, and put fire into it, and laid incense upon it, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And each man took his censer and they placed fire in them and they placed incense in them, and Moshe and Ahron stood before the Time Tabernacle.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they took every man his fire-pan, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And each man took his censer, and they put on them fire, and laid incense on them; and Moses and Aaron stood by the doors of the tabernacle of witness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Korah's Rebellion
17Each man is to take his censer, place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.” 18So 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. 19When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.…

Cross References
Leviticus 10:1-2
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. / So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.

Revelation 8:3-5
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. / 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, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Exodus 30:7-9
And Aaron is to burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps. / When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come. / On this altar you must not offer unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor are you to pour a drink offering on it.

1 Kings 18:36-38
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. / Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.” / Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.

Hebrews 9:4
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

2 Chronicles 26:16-21
But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. / Then Azariah the priest, along with eighty brave priests of the LORD, went in after him. / They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.” ...

Exodus 40:27
and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded him.

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

Luke 1:9-11
he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. / And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside. / Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

Malachi 1:11
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.

1 Samuel 2:28
And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites.

Isaiah 6:6-7
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. / And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.”

Acts 10:4
Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

Exodus 37:29
He also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

Revelation 5:8
When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

Jump to Previous
Aaron Censer Congregation Door Doorway Entrance Incense Laid Meeting Moses Opening Perfume Spices Stand Stood Tabernacle Tent Thereon Vessel
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Aaron Censer Congregation Door Doorway Entrance Incense Laid Meeting Moses Opening Perfume Spices Stand Stood Tabernacle Tent Thereon Vessel
Numbers 16
1. The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
23. Moses separates the people from the rebels' tents
31. The earth swallows up Korah, and a fire consumes others
36. The censers are reserved to holy use
41. 14,700 are slain by a plague, for murmuring against Moses and Aaron
46. Aaron by incense stays the plague














So each man took his censer
In this passage, the word "censer" refers to a small portable vessel used for burning incense. The Hebrew word for censer is "מַחְתָּה" (machtah), which is often associated with priestly duties and the sacred rituals of the tabernacle. Historically, censers were used in the worship practices of ancient Israel, symbolizing the prayers of the people ascending to God. The act of each man taking his censer signifies a personal engagement in a religious act, highlighting the gravity of the situation and the direct challenge to the established priestly order.

put fire in them
The phrase "put fire in them" indicates the preparation of the censers for the burning of incense. Fire, in biblical terms, often symbolizes the presence of God, purification, and judgment. The Hebrew word for fire is "אֵשׁ" (esh), which is a recurring element in theophanies and divine encounters. This act of placing fire in the censers is a critical step in the ritual, signifying readiness to present oneself before God, but also foreshadowing the potential for divine judgment due to the rebellious context of the narrative.

and placed incense on them
Incense, in the Hebrew "קְטֹרֶת" (qetoreth), is a fragrant offering that represents the prayers and worship of the people. In the tabernacle and later the temple, incense was a key component of the daily offerings, symbolizing a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The act of placing incense on the fire in the censers is an attempt to replicate the sacred duties of the priesthood, underscoring the audacity of the rebellion against God's appointed leaders. It serves as a reminder of the importance of approaching God with reverence and obedience.

And they stood with Moses and Aaron
The phrase "stood with Moses and Aaron" indicates a physical and symbolic positioning. To stand with someone in biblical terms often implies support or alignment with their cause. However, in this context, it is a confrontation, as the rebels are challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron. Historically, Moses and Aaron were chosen by God to lead the Israelites, and their leadership was divinely sanctioned. This act of standing with them is not one of solidarity but of defiance, setting the stage for a divine response to the challenge.

at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
The "Tent of Meeting," or "אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד" (Ohel Moed) in Hebrew, was the sacred space where God met with Moses and the Israelites. It was the center of worship and divine communication during the wilderness journey. The entrance to the Tent of Meeting is a place of significant spiritual activity, representing access to God's presence. By gathering at this location, the rebels are not only challenging human authority but are also encroaching upon the sacred space reserved for God's appointed servants. This highlights the seriousness of their rebellion and the impending divine judgment.

Verse 18. - Stood in the door of the tabernacle, i.e., at the door of the court, so that they were visible from the space outside.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So each man
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

took
וַיִּקְח֞וּ (way·yiq·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

his censer,
מַחְתָּת֗וֹ (maḥ·tā·ṯōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4289: A fireholder, censer, snuff dish

put
וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ (way·yit·tə·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

fire
אֵ֔שׁ (’êš)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

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

in it,
עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם (‘ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

and stood
וַֽיַּעַמְד֗וּ (way·ya·‘am·ḏū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

with Moses
וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה (ū·mō·šeh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

and Aaron
וְאַהֲרֹֽן׃ (wə·’a·hă·rōn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 175: Aaron -- an elder brother of Moses

at the entrance
פֶּ֛תַח (pe·ṯaḥ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6607: An opening, door, entrance way

to the Tent
אֹ֥הֶל (’ō·hel)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 168: A tent

of Meeting.
מוֹעֵ֖ד (mō·w·‘êḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4150: Appointed time, place, or meeting


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OT Law: Numbers 16:18 They took every man his censer (Nu Num.)
Numbers 16:17
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