ketoret · incense

What it means

ketoret (קְטֹרֶת) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “incense”.

A mixture of spices burned to give sweet-smelling smoke; also the smoke of a burned sacrifice.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Spices burned for a sweet smell.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Incense: the mixture of fragrant spices that was burned so that smoke with a pleasant smell would rise; also the very smoke of a sacrifice. It comes from קָטַר (‘burn, offer up in smoke’, H6999).

• The altar of incense and its holy formula Exodus 30:1Exodus 30:7Exodus 30:37
• The incense of the day of expiation Leviticus 16:13
• Incense offered without YHWH’s command Leviticus 10:12 Chronicles 26:16
• Incense to make expiation for the people Numbers 16:46Numbers 16:47
• “Let my prayer be established {as} incense” Psalms 141:2Proverbs 27:9

Historical and cultural background

Aaron was to offer fragrant incense on the altar every morning and every evening (Exodus 30:7-8), and no one could make incense for himself with the same formula (Exodus 30:37). Nadab and Abihu presented “strange fire that he had not commanded them” (Leviticus 10:1), and King Uzziah was struck with leprosy for trying to burn incense in the temple (2 Chronicles 26:16-19).

How we translate it

“Incense” 59 times. In Psalm 66:15, where it is the smoke of the sacrificed rams, “smoke”: “with the smoke of rams”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• incense ×59
• smoke ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Exodus×19
• Leviticus×5
• Numbers×21
• 1 Samuel×1
• 1 Chronicles×2
• 2 Chronicles×5
• Psalms×2
• Proverbs×1
• Isaiah×1
• Ezekiel×3

• Exodus 25:6

  oil for the light, spices for the oil of anointing and for the fragrant incense;

• Exodus 30:1

  You shall make an altar for burning incense; of acacia wood you shall make it.

• Exodus 30:7

  Aaron shall offer up in smoke on it fragrant incense; every morning, when he tends the lamps, he shall offer it up in smoke,

• Exodus 30:8

  and when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall offer it up in smoke, a continual incense before YHWH throughout your generations.

• Exodus 30:9

  You shall not offer on it strange incense, or burnt offering or grain offering, and a libation you shall not pour on it.

• Exodus 30:27

  the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,

• Exodus 30:35

  You shall make of it incense, a blend, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, holy.

• Exodus 30:37

  And the incense that you shall make, with its formula you shall not make any for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for YHWH.

• Exodus 31:8

  and the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand and all its utensils, and the altar of incense,

• Exodus 31:11

  and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”

• Exodus 35:8

  and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense;

• Exodus 35:15

  and the altar of incense and its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen of the entrance for the entrance of the dwelling;

• Exodus 35:28

  and the spice and the oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

• Exodus 37:25

  And he made the altar of incense of acacia wood; a cubit was its length, and a cubit its width, square, and two cubits its height; of one piece with it were its horns.

• Exodus 37:29

  And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

• Exodus 39:38

  and the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense, and the screen of the entrance of the tent;

• Exodus 40:5

  And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and you shall put the screen of the entrance for the dwelling.

• Exodus 40:27

  and he offered up in smoke on it fragrant incense, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Leviticus 4:7

  The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before YHWH that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

• Leviticus 10:1

  The sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in them, laid incense on it, and presented before YHWH strange fire that he had not commanded them.

• Leviticus 16:12

  And he shall take a full censer of coals of fire from the altar before YHWH, and two handfuls of fine fragrant incense, and bring it inside the veil.

• Leviticus 16:13

  And he shall put the incense on the fire before YHWH, and the cloud of the incense shall cover the cover of expiation that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

• Numbers 4:16

  And the oversight of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light, and the fragrant incense, and the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil, the oversight of the whole dwelling and of all that is in it, in the Holy Place and in its utensils.”

• Numbers 7:14

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:20

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:26

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:32

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:38

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:44

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:50

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:56

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:62

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:68

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:74

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:80

  one gold spoon of ten shekels, full of incense;

• Numbers 7:86

  twelve gold spoons full of incense, ten shekels apiece per spoon, by the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the spoons was one hundred twenty shekels;

• Numbers 16:7

  and put fire in them and lay incense on them before YHWH tomorrow, and the man whom YHWH chooses, he shall be the holy one. Enough of you, sons of Levi!”

• Numbers 16:17

  And take, each man, his censer and put incense on them, and present before YHWH, each man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; and you and Aaron, each his censer.”

• Numbers 16:18

  So they took, each man, his censer and put fire on them and laid incense on them, and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

• Numbers 16:35

  And fire came out from YHWH and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

And 20 more times.