Altar (Bible)

Then he would change his clothing and remove the ashes to a clean place outside the camp (Leviticus 6:10–11, Cf, 1:16).

According to the Bible, the fire on the altar was lit directly by the hand of God and was not permitted to go out (Leviticus 6:12–13).

The altar was hollow, except for a mesh grate which was placed inside halfway down, on which the wood sat for the burning of the sacrifices.

When Moses consecrated the Tabernacle in the wilderness, he sprinkled the Altar of Burnt Offering with the anointing oil seven times (Leviticus 8:10–11), and purified it by anointing its four horns with the blood of a bullock offered as a sin-offering, "and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it" (8:14–15).

When it was time for the Israelites to move, they removed the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it, placed all of the instruments and vessels used in the sacrifices on it, covered it with a blanket of badger skin, and put the carrying poles in place (Numbers 4:13–14).

After the rebellion of Korah, the bronze censers that were used by the rebels were converted by Eleazar into broad plates used to cover the altar, as a warning that only priests of the seed of Aaron may offer incense before the Lord (Numbers 16:36–40).

1 Kings 8:22, 8:64; 9:25), and was made wholly of brass, covering a structure of stone or earth.

This altar was said to be renewed by Asa (2 Chronicles 15:8) and removed by Ahaz (2 Kings 16:14), and "cleansed" by Hezekiah, in the latter part of whose reign it was rebuilt.

The First Book of Maccabees recounts how Judas Maccabeus renewed the altar when he re-took Jerusalem.

However, since the old stones had been previously sanctified by the Jewish sacrifices they could not be moved to an unclean place; so they remained on the Temple Mount, "until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them."

The altar was built as a perfect square and was quite large: it reached a height of 10 cubits (app.

On top of the altar at its four corners, there were hollow boxes which made small protrusions or "horns."

"[4] The altar was constructed of shittim wood (Vachellia and Faidherbia species) and covered in pure gold.

According to Jewish tradition, the incense was made by the Avtinas family, who closely guarded its secret.

The burning of the incense was symbolic of the prayer of the people rising up to God (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3–4).

In Solomon's temple the altar was similar in size, but was made of cedar-wood (1 Kings 6:20; 7:48) overlaid with gold.

Among the trophies carried away by Titus after the destruction of Jerusalem, and depicted on the Arch of Titus in Rome, the Altar of Incense is not depicted, though the menorah, silver trumpets (the hasoserah mentioned in Numbers 10:2–10), the mortar and pestle used for preparing the incense, and possibly the Table of Showbread are.

The remains of three rock-hewn altars were discovered in the Land of Israel: one below Tel Zorah, another at the foot of Sebastia (ancient Samaria), and a third one near Shiloh.