Leviticus 16:12

12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.

Leviticus 16:12 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
English Standard Version (ESV)
12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
New Living Translation (NLT)
12 he will fill an incense burner with burning coals from the altar that stands before the LORD . Then he will take two handfuls of fragrant powdered incense and will carry the burner and the incense behind the inner curtain.
The Message Bible (MSG)
12 He will take a censer full of burning coals from the Altar before God and two handfuls of finely ground aromatic incense and bring them inside the curtain and
American Standard Version (ASV)
12 and he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
12 He will take an incense burner full of burning coals from the altar, which is in the LORD's presence, and two handfuls of finely ground, sweet-smelling incense. He will bring them up to the canopy.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
12 Then he must take a firepan full of fiery coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring [them] inside the veil.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
12 "He must take a shallow cup full of burning coals from the altar in my sight. He must get two handfuls of incense that is completely ground up. The incense must smell sweet. He must take the cup and the incense behind the curtain.

Leviticus 16:12 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 16:12

And he shall take a censer
A fire pan, a sort of chafing dish or perfuming pot; this was a golden one, as appears from ( Hebrews 9:4 ) ; hence Christ, the Angel of God's presence, our interceding High Priest, is said to have such an one, ( Revelation 8:3 ) ; and so Josephus says F7, it was a golden one the high priest used on the day of atonement; with which agree the Misnic doctors F8, who say, on other days he took off the coals with a silver one, and poured them into a golden one, but on this day he took them off with a golden one: full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord;
these were bright lively coals, not smoking and half extinct; and they were taken from off the altar of burnt offering, from the western side of it, as Jarchi says, which was towards the holy of holies, where the Lord had his dwelling: these burning coals denoted the sufferings of Christ, which were properly punishments for the sins he bore, flowed from the wrath of God comparable to fire, were the curses of a fiery law, and equal to the sufferings of the wicked, often expressed by fire; they were many, and very painful and excruciating, though no ways inconsistent with the love of God to him as his Son, for they were endured by him as the surety of his people, and by which he expressed his flaming love and affection for them: he himself is altar, sacrifice, and priest, the altar which sanctifies the gift; and the coals as on the altar, denote the sufferings of Christ as upon him, which he was able to bear; and the taking off the coals signifies the cessation of his sufferings; and the altar, coals, and taking of them off, being before the Lord and in his sight, show that Christ, as a divine Person, is, and always was before him; that his sufferings were ever in view, being appointed and foretold by him, and when endured were grateful to him, a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour; and that the cessation of them was in his presence, and according to his will; and Christ now is the Lamb in the midst of the throne, as though he had been slain, where, as such, he is always beheld with pleasure and acceptance by the Lord: and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small;
both his hands, as Aben Ezra, two handfuls of this he took and put into a cup: of this sweet incense and its composition, see ( Exodus 30:34-37 ) ; this was small itself, but on the evening of the day of atonement it was put into the mortar again, as Jarchi says, and beaten very small, and so was, as expressed in the Misnah F9, "small of small": this may represent the intercession of Christ our high priest for his people; for as the prayers of the saints are set before the Lord as incense, ( Psalms 141:2 ) ; so the intercession and mediation of Christ in favour of the acceptance of their prayers is signified by "much incense", ( Revelation 8:3 ) ; and which is always acceptable to God, and may well be expressed by sweet incense: handfuls of it may denote the largeness of his intercession, being for all the elect of God, and for all things for them they stand in need of; and the infinite perfection and virtue of his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, to make his intercession effectual: and being "beaten small" may signify his intercession made for particular persons, and those the meanest, and for particular things of every sort they want; as well as it may point at the fragrance and acceptance of Christ's mediation on such accounts, the incense being more fragrant the smaller it is beaten: and bring [it] within the vail:
not the incense only, but the burning coals of fire also, the one in one hand, and the other in the other hand; so the Misnah F11; they brought out to him (the high priest) the cup and the censer; he took his handful and put it into the cup, a large one according to its largeness, and a small one according to its smallness, and so was its measure; he took the censer in his right hand, and the cup in his left, and went into the sanctuary, until he came between the two rails which divide between the holy and holy of holies: this was typical of Christ our high priest, who is entered within the vail into the holiest of all, with his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, where he ever lives to make intercession for us; not that Christ is considered in heaven as in a suffering state, for he is in a most exalted one; but the virtue and efficacy of his sufferings and death always continue, and which he ever improves on the behalf of his people, by interceding for them; and their faith and hope enter within the vail, and deal with him as having suffered for them.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Antiqu. l. 3. c. 8. sect. 3.
F8 Misn. Yoma, c. 4. sect. 4.
F9 Misn. Yoma, c. 4. sect. 4.
F11 lb. c. 5. sect. 1.

Leviticus 16:12 In-Context

10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.
11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.
13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.
14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Leviticus 10:1; Revelation 8:5
  • 2. S Exodus 25:6; Exodus 30:34-38
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