Hebrew word · H6988

קְטוֹרָה

ketorah

incense

This form appears only here. The common word qĕṭōret means incense, and sometimes the smoke of burnt fat (1 Sam 2:16 uses the verb for burning fat). The root qṭr means 'to turn into smoke' on the altar.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

smoke of sacrifice, incense

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Deuteronomy 33:10

Range of meaning

This form appears only here. The common word qĕṭōret means incense, and sometimes the smoke of burnt fat (1 Sam 2:16 uses the verb for burning fat). The root qṭr means 'to turn into smoke' on the altar.

Against the English

'Incense' calls up perfumed sticks or the swinging censer of later church worship. Here it may mean fragrant spices specifically, as in the tabernacle incense of Exod 30, or more broadly the fragrant smoke that rose from offerings.

Used elsewhere in the period

Burning incense was a priestly privilege: Num 16 (Korah) and 2 Chr 26:16–20 (Uzziah struck with skin disease for burning incense). Small limestone incense altars have been dug up at Israelite sites such as Arad and Megiddo.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 33:10 קְטוֹרָה֙ incense

    He will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.

    Here: This form of the word occurs only here. The usual word is qĕṭōret. It comes from a root meaning 'to send up in smoke', so the word may cover fragrant incense and perhaps the rising smoke of offerings in general.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.