קָטַר
qâṭar · H6999 · Hebrew · 114 occurrences
Thing
- Incense, frankincenseCenser161 verses
Meanings
-
To set alight or burn, an action by which humans make the fat parts of animals, grain, and other offerings, including incense, rise as smoke to a deity
ExamplesExodus 29:13 “And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.
Exodus 29:18 “And you shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.
Exodus 29:25 “Then you shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.
-
Perfumed smoke, an action by which humans give smoke a strong scent by burning spices, regarded as pleasing to God or the gods
ExamplesSong of Solomon 3:6 “What is this coming up from the wilderness Like columns of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all the scented powders of the merchant?
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
112 occurrences in 15 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 28
- Not stated (infinitive) 24
- Not stated: they 14
- כֹּהֵןpriest 12
- Not stated (participle) 9
- עַםpeople 6
- Other words · 6 groups that occur once or twice (9) 9
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
39 occurrences in 20 groups
- חֶלֶבfat 10
- קְטֹרֶתincense 7
- מִנְחָהgrain offering, gift, tribute 5
- עֹלָהburnt offering 5
- הֶםthem 4
- אַזְכָּרָהtoken portion 3
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
Second objectAs in “call him Lord”
10 occurrences in 4 groups
- אִשָּׁהoffering made by fire 6
- לֶחֶםbread, food 2
- עֹלָהburnt offering 1
- רֵיחַaroma, fragrance 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
77 occurrences in 37 groups
- לto/for+ יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 10
- לto/for+ אֱלֹהִיםGod, gods 10
- בin/on/with+ בָּמָהhigh place, heights 7
- עַלon, upon, over, against+ מִזְבֵּחַaltar 5
- לto/for+ פָּנִיםface, presence, before 5
- עַלon, upon, over, against+ עֹלָהburnt offering 4
- Other words · 26 groups that occur once or twice (29) 29
With adverbsAdverbs
9 occurrences in 3 groups
- עוֹדstill, again, yet 5
- לֹאnot 2
- שָׁםthere 2
Named alongside itApposition
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- כֹּהֵןpriest 1
- עַםpeople 1
What is done to itIt is the object
6 occurrences in 4 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 2
- שָׁבַתto cease, to rest, to put an end 2
- יָדַעto know 1
- אָמַרto say 1
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ךָּyou 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
13 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 13
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 1 word
- ἀναφέρω anaphérō · G399 · to bring up, to lead up, to carry up
- Greek ἀναφέρω ("take up") captures the upward-motion aspect of Hebrew קָטַר's smoke-rising action in burnt offerings, though ἀναφέρω has broader application beyond cultic contexts (can denote literal physical carrying upward) whereas קָטַר is specialized to sacrificial burning.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Spices001002005014
- The word describes burning fragrant incense, directly illustrated by Aaron burning fragrant incense on the altar every morning and at twilight (Exodus 30:7-8).
- Cult Objects001003001001006
- The same citations reference the incense altar itself as a cultic object where this burning takes place (Exodus 30:7-8).
- Sacrifice002003002021
- The word is the standard verb for offering up a sacrifice in smoke, directly illustrated by the fat and organs offered up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering (Exodus 29:13, 18, 25).
- Smell002004001007
- The same sacrificial offerings are repeatedly described as "a soothing aroma" to the LORD (Exodus 29:18, 25).
Word family 7 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6999. qatar [קָטַר]115 verb denominative Pi`el Hiph`il make sacrifices smoke, send them…
[קָטַר]115 verb denominative Pi`el Hiph`il make sacrifices smoke, send them up in smoke (properly produce קְטֹרֶת, see StaZAW vi (1886), 298 f.); —
Pi`el42 Perfect3masculine plural קִטְּרוּ Jer 19:13 +, קִטַּרְתֶּם Jer 44:21, Jer 44:23; Imperfect3masculine singular יְקַטֵּר Hab 1:16 +; 3 masculine plural יְקַטֵּר֑וּן Hos 11:2, etc.; Infinitive absolute קַטֵּר 1Sa 2:16 +; construct Jer 11:13 +, Participle plural מְקַטְּרִים Isa 65:3 +, etc.; — make sacrifices smoke, offer them by burning : to ׳י, 1Sa 2:16 (where probably read יְקַטְּרוּן [and so 1Sa 2:15] Stal.c. 299): elsewhere to other gods or in illegal worship, Jer 44:23; with accusative קִטֵּר (but see this, below) Jer 44:21 (here [and al. in some other passages] of incense), תּוֺדָה Amo 4:5; place is usually with ב, e.g. כַּבָּמוֺת 2Ki 17:11; 2Ki 23:5; בַּבָּמוֺת וּמְקַטְּרִים מְוַבְּחִים הָעָם עוֺד 1Ki 22:44; 2Ki 12:4; 2Ki 14:4; 2Ki 15:4, 2Ki 15:35 (R), compare 2Ki 16:4 2Ch 28:4 (compare RSSem.i. 471; 2nd ed. 490); שָׁמָּה קִטְּרוּ ׳הַבּ אֲשֶׁר 2Ki 23:8; with עַל e.g. הגבעות על Hos 4:13, גג(ו)ת על Jer 19:13; Jer 32:29, הלבנים על Isa 65:3, ההרים על Isa 65:7; with לְ of deity, Hos 11:2; Jer 1:16 Jer 1:14t. Jeremiah (+Jer 19:13; Jer 32:29 above), Hab 1:16; 2Ki 22:17; 2Ki 23:5; 2Ch 25:14; 2Ch 28:25; 2Ch 34:25 Qr (>Kt
Hiph`il), to the brazen serpent 2Ki 18:4.
Pu`al Participle וגו מֹר ׳מְקֻטֶּרֶת Son 3:6 fumigated with myrrh, etc. (Aq ᵑ9 Schlottm מִקְּטֹרֶת).
Hiph`iln Perfect3masculine singular הִקְטִיר Lev 9:10 +; 2 masculine singular הִקְטַרְתָּ Exo 29:13, Exo 29:18, Exo 29:25, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יַקְטִיר Lev 4:26; Lev 16:25; Exo 40:27 +, etc.: Imperative masculine singular הַקְטֵר 2Ki 16:15; Infinitive absolute הַקְטֵיר 1Ki 9:25; construct לְהַקְטִיר Exo 30:20 +; Participle מַקְטִיר Jer 33:18 +, etc.
1 make sacrifices smoke, usually
a. in worship of ׳י: absolute 1Ki 12:33; 1Ki 13:1; 2Ch 29:11; with accusative חלב Lev 17:6; Num 18:17; 1Sa 2:15-16, עלת 2Ki 16:13, 2Ki 16:15; 2Ch 13:11, אִשֶּׁה Exo 30:20; Lev 2:11; Num 18:17, מנחה Jer 33:18; ראֹשׁ, etc., Lev 8:20 אַזְכָּרָה Lev 2:16, השׁלמים חלבי Lev 6:5; קטרת 1Sa 2:28; on 1Ki 9:25 see Klo Benz; place is מזבח על Lev 4:10 Lev 4:5t., הַמִוְבֵּ֫חָה Exo 29:13, Exo 29:18, Exo 29:25 Exo 29:23t. Leviticus, Num 5:26 (all P); with הַמִּזְבֵּחַ (accusative) Lev 6:8; בַּבָּמוֺת 1Ki 3:3; הִנֹּם בן בגיא2Ch 28:3.
b. less often in worship of other gods, לאלהין (gods of Solomon's wives) 1Ki 11:8, לאלהיו (of Moab) Jer 48:35, להם (Baalim) Hos 2:15; — 2Ch 34:25 read Qr
Qal. 2. cause incense to smoke, offer incense absolute 2Ch 2:5; 2Ch 26:18 (twice in verse); 2Ch 26:19; with עַל of altar 2Ch 26:16; Exo 30:7; Exo 40:27; with accusative יַקְטִירֶנָּה Exo 30:7-8, סמים קטרת Exo 30:7; Exo 40:27; 2Ch 2:3, תמיד קטרת Exo 30:8, ׳הק קטרת Num 17:5; 2Ch 29:7.
3 make smoke upon (על) both altars (of burnt-offering and of incense) 1Ch 6:34, compare also 1Ch 23:13.
Hoph`al be made to smoke as a sacrifice: Imperfect3feminine singular תָּקְטָ֑ר Lev 6:15, Participle מֻקְטָר Mal 1:11 (Ew Ke and others [ Ges§ 121b]; We Now read ׳מ מִנְחָה לִשְׁמִי; but see מֻקְטָר).
מֻקְטָר noun masculine incense; — absolute ׳מ Mal 1:11 (Thes Hi MartiKau GASm Köiii, § 307).
[מְקַטֵּרָה] noun feminine incense-alter; — plural absolute מְקַטְּרוֺת2Ch 30:14.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 4 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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