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מִקְטֶרֶת

𐤌𐤒𐤈𐤓𐤕

miqṭereth

H4730 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קטר to make sacrifices rise in smoke, to burn incense, to produce fragrant smoke

Definition

A vessel or pan used for burning incense, especially as part of sacrificial or ritual practices; by extension, any implement designed for producing smoke from incense offerings. In different contexts, specifically denotes the object containing live coals upon which incense is placed in cultic settings. The word does not refer to incense itself but to the container or utensil used for its offering.

Semantic Range

censer, incense pan, vessel for offering incense, implement for burning incense in ritual or cultic contexts

Root / Etymology

From the root קטר ('qṭr'), meaning 'to make sacrifices rise in smoke, to burn incense.' מִקְטֶרֶת (miqṭereth) is a feminine noun formation, indicating a tool or vessel related to this action. The word is derived by adding the nominal feminine ending '-et' to the root in a m-prefix form, designating an instrument or container of the action.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מִקְטֶרֶת primarily appears in priestly and ritual contexts, such as in Leviticus and Numbers, where it refers to the censer or pan used by priests or leaders to burn incense as part of sacrificial rites. The censer was central in the performance of incense offerings, which were distinct from animal sacrifices. Differences in form and use exist between מִקְטֶרֶת and related objects like מַחְתָּה (maḥtah, 'firepan'), which could serve for transferring live coals. While English translations frequently use 'censer,' this term may not distinguish between מִקְטֶרֶת and other vessels. Mִקְטֶרֶת does not denote incense itself but solely the vessel for its offering, a distinction that can be blurred in some later Jewish and English usage. In the post-exilic period and later Greco-Roman contexts, similar implements continued in temple and synagogue worship, but the biblical term is specific to the First Temple and wilderness periods. Later terminology such as 'incense burner' or 'censer' in English Bibles reflects the influence of ritual developments after the biblical period. The significance of מִקְטֶרֶת is primarily hieratic and cultic, not domestic.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of מִקְטָר; something to fume (incense) in, i.e. a coal-pan; censer.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קטר (q-ṭ-r) — to make rise in smoke, to burn incense, to produce fragrant smoke

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4729 מִקְטָר incense-hearth of
H6988 קְטוֹרָה smoke-offering incense
H6989 קְטוּרָה Keturah
H6999 קָטַר the smoke-makers
H7000 קָטַר incense-burnings

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4730-01 מִקְטַרְתּ֖/וֹ miqetareto HNcfsc/Sp3ms his censer his incense-burning vessel 1
H4730-02 מִקְטֶ֖רֶת miqeteret HNcfsa a censer incense-burning vessel 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4730-01 Ezekiel 8:11 מִקְטַרְתּ֖/וֹ miqetareto HNcfsc/Sp3ms his censer his incense-burning vessel
H4730-02 2 Chronicles 26:19 מִקְטֶ֖רֶת miqeteret HNcfsa a censer incense-burning vessel
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