Incense Offering

Biblical Text and Content

The basic regulations for the incense offering appear in Exodus 30. God commanded that an altar of incense, made of acacia (shittim) wood and overlaid with gold, be placed in the tabernacle before the veil (Exodus 30:1-6). Aaron burned incense on it in the morning when he dressed the lamps and in the evening when he lit them (Exodus 30:7-8). The incense was made of stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense blended in equal amounts and seasoned with salt. Making this incense for personal use was forbidden (Exodus 30:34-38).

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest took fire in a censer and entered the Most Holy Place. The law specified that the cloud of incense must cover the mercy seat so that he would not die (Leviticus 16:12-13).

Several accounts describe judgment upon incense offerings that violated these regulations.

• Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, offered incense with "strange fire" that the Lord had not commanded, and they died by fire that went out from the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2).
• The 250 men of Korah's company, demanding the priesthood, took censers and offered incense, and they were consumed by fire (Numbers 16:35). Dathan and Abiram, who joined the same rebellion, were swallowed up when the earth split open. Afterward the censers were hammered into plates to cover the altar as a sign that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron should come near to offer incense (Numbers 16:38-40). When a plague then spread, Aaron took a censer, ran into the midst of the congregation, and made atonement (Numbers 16:46-48).
• King Uzziah was struck with leprosy when he attempted to burn incense in the temple himself (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).

Background

The Hebrew word qetoret is related to a verb meaning "to make smoke rise" and refers to incense or the burning of incense. Burning incense was common in many religions of the ancient Near East. The Old Testament repeatedly condemns as idolatry Israel's burning of incense at the high places and to foreign gods (for example, Jeremiah 44). In Scripture, the incense offering was permitted only at the appointed place, with the prescribed incense, and by the designated persons.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

Psalm 141:2 compares the incense offering to prayer: "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense." In the New Testament, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple. While he was offering incense, the people were praying outside, and an angel appeared on the right side of the altar of incense (Luke 1:8-11; see Zacharias and Elisabeth). The book of Revelation calls the golden vials full of odours "the prayers of saints" (Revelation 5:8) and depicts an angel offering incense together with the prayers of the saints before God (Revelation 8:3-4). Malachi 1:11 looks forward to a day when incense will be offered to God's name even among the Gentiles.

Interpretation and Issues

• Many Protestant interpreters read the incense offering as a shadow of prayer. Some also see in the altar of incense a picture of Christ's intercession, though interpreters differ on the scope and manner of this connection.
• Hebrews 9:4 lists "the golden censer" together with the furnishings associated with the Most Holy Place. Various explanations have been offered as to whether this refers to the altar of incense or to a censer, and how it can be harmonized with the placement of the altar of incense before the veil.
• Some interpreters connect the sin of Nadab and Abihu with drunkenness. This is an inference drawn from the prohibition of wine and strong drink that immediately follows (Leviticus 10:9); the text itself does not say so directly.
• A commonly repeated story holds that the high priest had a rope tied around his waist when he entered the Most Holy Place. However, this is understood to be a later tradition not found in the biblical text.
• The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church use incense in worship, and some services of the Anglican Church of Korea also use incense. By contrast, most Korean Protestant denominations do not use incense in worship, holding that the Old Testament rites have been fulfilled in Christ.

In the Korean Church

Preachers frequently use the metaphor "prayer is incense rising to God," drawing on passages from the Psalms and Revelation. At funeral halls in Korean society, meanwhile, it is customary to burn incense when paying condolences. Many Protestants instead pay their respects by offering flowers and observing a moment of silence. Some regard burning incense as merely a matter of condolence etiquette, while others hold that it should be avoided; this discussion is covered in the article Ancestral Rites and Memorial Services.