Hebrews 9:4
Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.) Hebrews 9:4 appears in the Greek New Testament. The text above is from the Tischendorf 8th edition. Each word links to its Strong’s number and a concise gloss. Click any word for its full Thayer’s Greek Lexicon entry.having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
- 2 hapax legomena — only here in the Greek New Testament
- 2 first appearances in the Greek New Testament
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Compare translations 3
The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.
Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.
Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.
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World English Bible Public Domain
having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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King James Version Public Domain
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
having a golden incense altar and the ark of the covenant, having been covered completely all around with gold, in which a golden jar holding the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant,
unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).
Show all 19 translations
Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.
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World English Bible Public Domain
having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
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Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.
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King James Version Public Domain
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein `was' a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
Which had the golden censer, and the Arke of the Testament ouerlayde rounde about with golde, wherein the golden pot, which had Manna, was, and Aarons rod that had budded, and the tables of the Testament.
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Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
Having a golden censer, and the ark of the testament covered about on every part with gold, in which was a golden pot that had manna, and the rod of Aaron, that had blossomed, and the tables of the testament.
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Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid all round about with gold, in which `is' the golden pot having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tables of the covenant,
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Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
having a golden censer, and the Ark of the Covenant overlaid all over with gold, in which [is] the golden pot having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant,
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Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
It had a golden altar for incense. It also had the ark of the covenant, which was completely overlaid with gold. Inside it was a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
having a golden incense altar and the ark of the covenant, having been covered completely all around with gold, in which a golden jar holding the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tablets of the covenant,
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Darby Bible Public Domain
having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, covered round in every part with gold, in which [were] the golden pot that had the manna, and the rod of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tables of the covenant;
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World Messianic Bible Public Domain
having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
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Webster's Bible Public Domain
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid around with gold, in which was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
This contained the golden altar of incense, the gold-covered “agreement chest.” Inside this were the golden pot containing manna, Aaron's rod that had produced buds, and the stone inscriptions of the agreement.
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Bible in Basic English Public Domain
Having a vessel of gold in it for burning perfumes, and the ark of the agreement, which was covered with gold and which had in it a pot made of gold for the manna, and Aaron's rod which put out buds, and the stones with the writing of the agreement;
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Text-Critical English NT CC BY 4.0
It had a golden censer and the ark of the covenant, which was overlaid on all sides with gold. In the ark were the golden jar containing the manna, the rod of Aaron that had budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
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Tyndale New Testament (1534) Public Domain
which had the golden senser and the arcke of the testament overlayde round about with golde wherin was the golden pot with manna and Aarons rodde that spronge and the tables of the testament.
Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).
Word by word
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- Appears 1× in the Greek New Testament
- First appears here
- Part of Speech
- Noun
- Case
- Accusative
- Number
- Singular
- Gender
- Neuter
Full Thayer's Definition
- χρυσοῦν chrýseos G5552 “golden” Adjective, Accusative, Singular, Neuter
- ἔχουσα échō G2192 “to have” Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- θυμιατήριον thymiastḗrion G2369 “incense altar” Noun, Accusative, Singular, Neuter
- καὶ kaí G2532 “and” Conjunction
- τὴν ho G3588 “the” Article, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- κιβωτὸν kibōtós G2787 “ark” Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- τῆς ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- διαθήκης diathḗkē G1242 “covenant” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- περικεκαλυμμένην perikalýptō G4028 “to cover up” Verb, Perfect, Passive, Participle, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- πάντοθεν pántothen G3840 “from every quarter” Adverb
- χρυσίῳ chrysíon G5553 “gold” Noun, Dative, Singular, Neuter
- ἐν en G1722 “in” Preposition
- ᾗ hós G3739 “who” Relative pronoun, Dative, Singular, Feminine
- στάμνος stámnos G4713 “jar” Noun, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- χρυσῆ chrýseos G5552 “golden” Adjective, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- ἔχουσα échō G2192 “to have” Verb, Present, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- τὸ ho G3588 “the” Article, Accusative, Singular, Neuter
- μάννα mánna G3131 “manna” Hebrew transliteration
- καὶ kaí G2532 “and” Conjunction
- ἡ ho G3588 “the” Article, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- ῥάβδος rhábdos G4464 “rod” Noun, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- Ἀαρὼν Aarṓn G2 “Aaron” Noun, Proper, indeclinable
- ἡ ho G3588 “the” Article, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- βλαστήσασα blastánō G985 “to sprout” Verb, Aorist, Active, Participle, Nominative, Singular, Feminine
- καὶ kaí G2532 “and” Conjunction
- αἱ ho G3588 “the” Article, Nominative, Plural, Feminine
- πλάκες pláx G4109 “flat surface” Noun, Nominative, Plural, Feminine
- τῆς ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- διαθήκης diathḗkē G1242 “covenant” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
About this verse
These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →
- 29
- words
- 18
- distinct lemmas
- General Epistles
- section
Notable vocabulary
2 hapax legomena — words that appear only here in the entire Greek New Testament:
First appearance in Scripture
These words make their first canonical appearance in the Greek New Testament here:
Shared distinctive vocabulary
περικεκαλυμμένην to cover up G4028 occurs in 3 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:
Cross-references
20Topical passages linked to Hebrews 9:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.
- Numbers 17:10 Yahweh said to Moses, Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die.
- Exodus 26:33 You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil: and the veil shall separate the holy place from the most holy for you.
- Exodus 40:3 You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.
- Leviticus 16:12 He shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Yahweh, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
- 2 Chronicles 5:10 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put [there] at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
- Exodus 16:32–34 Moses said, "This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded, 'Let an omer-full of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt."
- Exodus 34:29 It happened, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mountain, that Moses didn't know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.
- Exodus 40:20–21 He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark.
- Numbers 17:5 It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.
- Numbers 17:8 It happened on the next day, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.
- Deuteronomy 10:2–5 I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.
- 1 Kings 7:50 and the cups, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the fire pans, of pure gold; and the hinges, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, [to wit], of the temple, of gold.
- 1 Kings 8:9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Yahweh made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
- 1 Kings 8:21 There have I set a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of Yahweh, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.
- Revelation 8:3 Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.
- Exodus 25:10–22 "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its breadth a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
- Exodus 30:1–5 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood.
- Exodus 37:1–5 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its breadth a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
- Exodus 39:35 the ark of the testimony with its poles, the mercy seat,
- Psalms 110:2–3 Yahweh will send forth the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies.
Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).
Lesson kit
Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.
Hebrews, in the General Epistles, opens this verse with 29 words (18 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is thymiastḗrion (“incense altar”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.
Discussion questions
- What does “incense altar” (thymiastḗrion) contribute to the verse as a whole?
- 2 words here appear nowhere else in the Greek New Testament. Why might the author reach for such rare wording?
- 2 words make their first appearance in Scripture here. What does this debut establish?
- How does Mark 14:65, which shares the word «to cover up», read alongside this verse?
- What does the repetition of “golden” (2× in this one verse) do in this verse?
- These translations render this verse differently; the difference is in the English rendering, not the original. What questions does that raise?
- Compare how Joseph Benson's Commentary and Whedon's Commentary on the Bible read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?
Things to notice
- 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in the Greek New Testament.
- 2 words make their first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
- These translations choose different wording for 22 words in this verse.
- “golden” occurs 2× in this single verse.
- 18 distinct Greek lemmas span 29 words in this verse.
Commentary
Notes on Hebrews 9:4 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.
Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →
Joseph Benson's Commentary
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
Daniel D. Whedon
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale Open Resources
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Bengel's Gnomon
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Meyer's Critical & Exegetical Commentary
Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer
Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Expositor's Greek Testament
ed. W. Robertson Nicoll
The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill's Exposition
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Trapp's Complete Commentary
John Trapp
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Matthew Poole's English Annotations
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
The People's New Testament
B. W. Johnson
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alford’s Greek Testament
Henry Alford
Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament
Marvin R. Vincent
Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Westcott on Hebrews & the Epistles of John
Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott (1825–1901), The Epistle to the Hebrews (1889) and The Epistles of St John (1883) — public domain (pre-1929). Text recovered from Internet Archive / Google Books OCR scans. Westcott’s Gospel of John commentary is not included (its OCR lost the chapter running-heads required for reliable verse-keying). Some Greek quoted in the Hebrews volume is imperfectly rendered by the OCR.