Frankincense

Occurrences in Scripture

Old Testament

• The holy incense: In Exodus 30:34-38, God commands that incense be made for burning in the tabernacle. Its ingredients are stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, and making or using this incense for private purposes is forbidden.
• The grain offering (meat offering): According to Leviticus 2:1-2, oil is poured on fine flour and frankincense is placed on it before it is offered. The priest burns on the altar a handful designated as the "memorial," together with all the frankincense. However, no frankincense is placed on the fine flour offered by the poor as a sin offering (Leviticus 5:11) or on the offering of jealousy (Numbers 5:15).
• The shewbread: Leviticus 24:7 directs that pure frankincense be placed on the shewbread as a memorial.
• Other passages: Nehemiah 13 describes frankincense being stored in the chambers of the temple. In the Song of Solomon 3:6 and 4:6, 14, frankincense serves as an image of fragrance. Isaiah 60:6 prophesies that those from Sheba "shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD." By contrast, Jeremiah 6:20 declares that God takes no pleasure in sacrifices offered without obedience, even when they include incense from Sheba.

New Testament

• In Matthew 2:11, the wise men present the infant Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• In Revelation 18:13, frankincense appears in the list of merchandise of fallen Babylon.

Background

Frankincense is the hardened resin collected by cutting the bark of trees of the genus Boswellia. When burned, it produces fragrant smoke. Its main sources are understood to be the southern Arabian Peninsula and northeastern Africa, and in antiquity it was a costly commodity carried by camel caravan as far as the Mediterranean world. The Bible's association of frankincense with Sheba reflects this trade.

The Hebrew word lebonah is understood to be related to a word meaning "to be white." The Sino-Korean term yuhyang (乳香, literally "milk incense") is likewise said to derive from the milky color of the resin.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Old Testament, frankincense was added to the holy incense and to offerings presented to God, signifying that they were offered up before Him. In the New Testament, the frankincense once used in Old Testament sacrifices appears as a gift offered to Christ. Some biblical passages connect incense with prayer (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8), but the word for "incense" in these passages does not refer exclusively to frankincense.

Interpretations and Debates

• Symbolism of the three gifts: Since the early church, an interpretation has been handed down that gold points to Christ as King, frankincense to Christ as God, and myrrh to Christ who would die. This is a widely used traditional reading, but the text of Matthew does not state it directly.
• Later additions to the story: Because there were three gifts, the idea arose that there were also three wise men. The camels, gold, and frankincense of Isaiah 60:6 also gave rise to a tradition portraying the wise men as kings. The text, however, says nothing about their number or status.
• Incense in worship: Incense is burned in the worship of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, as well as in some services of the Anglican Church of Korea. These traditions appeal to the Old Testament burning of incense and to the heavenly worship depicted in Revelation. Most Protestant churches do not use incense in worship, holding that the Old Testament rituals were fulfilled in Christ's once-for-all sacrifice.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, frankincense is introduced mainly in Christmas sermons and Christmas pageants as one of the wise men's gifts, often accompanied by the traditional symbolic interpretation of the three gifts. The actual burning of incense during worship is rare in Protestant churches.