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קִטֵּר

𐤒𐤈𐤓

qiṭṭêr

H7002 noun

SILEX Entry

Root קטר to make smoke, emit fragrance, burn incense

Definition

To burn incense; to offer incense (often as part of a ritual sacrifice or cultic rite). In a broader sense, the term can refer to burning aromatic substances (such as spices or incense) as part of sacrificial or devotional practices, including both legitimate ritual contexts in Israelite worship and illicit or foreign cultic practices.

Semantic Range

to burn incense, to offer aromatic smoke in ritual, to carry out a cultic act of perfuming; to make an offering by burning incense to a deity (Yahweh or others); to perform an idolatrous rite by burning incense; to fumigate or perfume as part of worship

Root / Etymology

From the root קטר, likely meaning 'to produce smoke' or 'to make rise as smoke.' The verb form קִטֵּר (qiṭṭêr) is the Piel stem (intensive/causative), denoting the act of purposefully burning or causing fragrant smoke to ascend, particularly as part of ritual activity. The noun forms include קְטֹרֶת (qeṭōret, 'incense').

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, קִטֵּר most often refers to the burning of incense as a cultic act—either at the altar in the sanctuary or at unauthorized places. The act of burning incense is repeatedly associated with priestly activity (especially in Leviticus and Numbers), but may also be performed illicitly by non-priests or in honor of other deities (cf. Kings, Jeremiah). The burning of incense signified the act of making a fragrant offering to a deity, sometimes as a plea or expression of devotion. In some contexts, the act is condemned as improper worship, especially outside the Jerusalem temple or to other gods. While later English translations often generalize the term as 'offer incense,' the underlying word is specifically focused on the act of producing fragrant smoke in a ritual context. Its use shifts little between monarchic, exilic, and post-exilic periods, but the polemical edge increases in prophetic and later texts, where it is often marked as idolatrous when directed away from Yahweh. Distinct from terms for 'burning' in general or for other types of offerings (such as עֹלָה, 'burnt offering'), קִטֵּר is reserved primarily for aromatic substances.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from קָטַר; perfume; incense.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

קטר (q-ṭ-r) — make smoke, emit fragrance, burn incense

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4729 מִקְטָר incense-hearth of
H4730 מִקְטֶרֶת his incense-burning vessel
H6988 קְטוֹרָה smoke-offering incense
H6989 קְטוּרָה Keturah
H6999 קָטַר the smoke-makers

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7002-01 הַ/קִּטֵּ֗ר haqiter HTd/Ncfsa incense incense-burning 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7002-01 Jeremiah 44:21 הַ/קִּטֵּ֗ר haqiter HTd/Ncfsa incense incense-burning
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