מִזְבֵּחַ
altar
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
67 verses where H4196 appears in the Absolute state in the Book of Leviticus. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Leviticus
- Leviticus 1:5 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall kill the bull before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, shall present the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
- Leviticus 1:7 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay wood in order on the fire;
- Leviticus 1:8 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar;
- Leviticus 1:9 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem but its innards and its legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall burn the whole on the altar, for a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 1:11 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֛חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before Yahweh. Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.
- Leviticus 1:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat. The priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is on the altar,
- Leviticus 1:13 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem but the innards and the legs he shall wash with water. The priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 1:15 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem ptcl def.art + n c ms The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar;
- Leviticus 1:16 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms and he shall take away its crop with its filth, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the ashes.
- Leviticus 1:17 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem He shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it apart. The priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 2:2 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem He shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests; and he shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 2:8 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms You shall bring the meal offering that is made of these things to Yahweh: and it shall be presented to the priest, and he shall bring it to the altar.
- Leviticus 2:9 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem The priest shall take from the meal offering its memorial, and shall burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 2:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֥חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms As an offering of firstfruits you shall offer them to Yahweh: but they shall not come up for a sweet savor on the altar.
- Leviticus 3:2 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting: and Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 3:5 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 3:8 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the tent of meeting: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 3:11 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 3:13 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms and he shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 3:16 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savor; all the fat is Yahweh's.
- Leviticus 4:18 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֗חַ מִזְבַּ֣ח ptcl def.art + n c ms n c ms cs He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
- Leviticus 4:19 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem All its fat he shall take from it, and burn it on the altar.
- Leviticus 4:26 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven.
- Leviticus 4:30 מִזְבַּ֣ח הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ n c ms cs ptcl def.art + n c ms The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
- Leviticus 4:31 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from off of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet savor to Yahweh; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
- Leviticus 4:34 מִזְבַּ֣ח הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ n c ms cs ptcl def.art + n c ms The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.
- Leviticus 4:35 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem All its fat he shall take away, like the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of Yahweh made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.
- Leviticus 5:9 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar; and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.
- Leviticus 5:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it as the memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, on the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. It is a sin offering.
- Leviticus 6:9 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֤חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms "Command Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the burnt offering: the burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning; and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
- Leviticus 6:10 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms The priest shall put on his linen garment, and he shall put on his linen breeches upon his body; and he shall remove the ashes from where the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
- Leviticus 6:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֤חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning: and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
- Leviticus 6:13 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
- Leviticus 6:14 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms "'This is the law of the meal offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before Yahweh, before the altar.
- Leviticus 6:15 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֗חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall take from there his handful of the fine flour of the meal offering, and of its oil, and all the frankincense which is on the meal offering, and shall burn it on the altar for a sweet savor, as its memorial, to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 7:2 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms In the place where they kill the burnt offering, he shall kill the trespass offering; and its blood he shall sprinkle on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 7:5 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem and the priest shall burn them on the altar for an offering made by fire to Yahweh: it is a trespass offering.
- Leviticus 7:31 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.
- Leviticus 8:11 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֜חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms He sprinkled it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its vessels, and the basin and its base, to sanctify them.
- Leviticus 8:15 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֤חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms He killed it; and Moses took the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and sanctified it, to make atonement for it.
- Leviticus 8:16 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem He took all the fat that was on the innards, and the cover of the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat; and Moses burned it on the altar.
- Leviticus 8:19 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 8:21 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֗חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem He washed the innards and the legs with water; and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a sweet savor. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Leviticus 8:24 הַֽ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He brought Aaron's sons; and Moses put some of the blood on the tip of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the great toe of their right foot; and Moses sprinkled the blood on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 8:28 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar on the burnt offering. They were a consecration for a sweet savor. It was an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
- Leviticus 8:30 הַ/מִּזְבֵּחַ֒ ptcl def.art + n c ms Moses took some of the anointing oil, and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, and on his sons, and on his sons' garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
- Leviticus 9:7 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms Moses said to Aaron, "Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin offering, and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself, and for the people; and offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them; as Yahweh commanded."
- Leviticus 9:8 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms So Aaron drew near to the altar, and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
- Leviticus 9:9 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms The sons of Aaron presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar:
- Leviticus 9:10 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem but the fat, and the kidneys, and the cover from the liver of the sin offering, he burned upon the altar; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Leviticus 9:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He killed the burnt offering; and Aaron's sons delivered the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on the altar round about.
- Leviticus 9:13 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחַ ptcl def.art + n c ms They delivered the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head: and he burned them upon the altar.
- Leviticus 9:14 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem He washed the innards and the legs, and burned them on the burnt offering on the altar.
- Leviticus 9:17 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He presented the meal offering, and filled his hand from there, and burned it upon the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.
- Leviticus 9:18 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He also killed the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron's sons delivered to him the blood, which he sprinkled on the altar round about,
- Leviticus 9:20 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burned the fat on the altar:
- Leviticus 9:24 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms There came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar: and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
- Leviticus 10:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, "Take the meal offering that remains of the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy;
- Leviticus 14:20 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meal offering on the altar. The priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
- Leviticus 16:12 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ ptcl def.art + n c ms 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:
- Leviticus 16:18 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֛חַ הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms "He shall go out to the altar that is before Yahweh and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the bull's blood, and some of the goat's blood, and put it on the horns of the altar round about.
- Leviticus 16:20 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֑חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms "When he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
- Leviticus 16:25 הַ/מִּזְבֵּֽחָ/ה ptcl def.art + n c ms + sfx dem The fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar.
- Leviticus 16:33 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms Then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the Tent of Meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
- Leviticus 17:11 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֔חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.
- Leviticus 21:23 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֛חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a blemish; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.'"
- Leviticus 22:22 הַ/מִּזְבֵּ֖חַ ptcl def.art + n c ms Blind, injured, maimed, having a wart, festering, or having a running sore, you shall not offer these to Yahweh, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to Yahweh.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
מזבח — transliterated mizbêach — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “altar.” Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 8:20. Spanning 338 verses in 25 books, it ranks among the common words of the Hebrew Bible. Sharing its root, it stands alongside זבח, דבח and זבח. See the sense tree, 338-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H4196 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 338
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 338 distinct verses.
- 25 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 25 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #123
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 123 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 338 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Leviticus 71 verses 21%
- Exodus 51 verses 15%
- 2 Chronicles 35 verses 10%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 338 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 167 verses · 49%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 119 verses · 35%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 52 verses · 15%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Altar 311×, Altars 49×, Every altar 5×
- American Standard Version: Altar 277×, Altars 43×, Every altar 5×
- Berean Standard Bible: Altar 330×, Altars 49×, Each altar 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Altar 278×, Altar of 70×, Altars 48×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H4196 across 402 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 17 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H4196 across 401 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 44 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H4196 across 393 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 8 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H4196 across 411 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
20 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 20 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. JE narrate that altars were built by Noah after leaving the ark Gn 8:20; by Abraham at Shechem 12:7, Bethel 12:8, Hebron 13:18, mt. in land Moriah 22:9; by Isaac at Beersheba 26:25; by Jacob at Shechem 33:20 (yet this perhaps mistake for מַצֵּבָה, being obj. of וַיַּצֶּב־שָׁם, not elsewhere with מזבח, cf. also Di), at Bethel 35:7, by Moses at Rephidim Ex 17:15, Horeb 24:4, by Balak at Bamoth Baal, Pisgah, $ Peor Nu 23:1, 14, 29; by Joshua on Mt. Ebal Jos 8:30: the prophetic histories narrate that altars were built by Gideon at Ophra Ju 6:24; by a man of God at Bethel Ju 21:4; by Samuel at Ramah 1 S 7:17; by Saul after Michmash 1 S 14:35; by David on the threshing floor of Ornan 2 S 24:25 = 1 Ch 21:18, 1 Ch 22:1; that Solomon sacrificed on the altar at Gibeon 1 K 3:4 and built altars in the temple at Jerusalem 1 K 6:20; 8:64; that Jeroboam built an altar at Bethel 1 K 12:32 (which was destroyed by Josiah 2 K 23:15); and that Elijah repaired an ancient altar on Carmel 1 K 18:30. An altar in Egypt is predicted Is 19:19. All this accords with the law of the Covenant code Ex 20:24–26 which recognises a plurality of altars and prescribes that they shall be built of אֲדָמָה, or of unhewn stones, and without steps. So אֲבָנִים Dt 27:5 (JE), אֲבָנִים שְׁלֵמוֹת Dt 25:6 Jos 8:31, and twelve stones 1 K 18:31; cf. Is 27:9. The altar was also a place of refuge Ex 21:14 (JE) 1 K 1:50, 51; 2:28. e.g. Genesis 8:20
- 2. D prescribes one central altar Dt 12:5 f., 27; but no attempt to enforce this principle appears before Hezekiah (2 K 18:4, 22), and Josiah, whose reform is more effectual, 2 K 23:8–20. e.g. Deuteronomy 12:5
- 3. P limits sacrifices to the altars of the tabernacle. A great altar was built E. of the Jordan, but it was according to P only as an עֵד after the pattern of the altar before the Tabernacle Jos 22:10–34. P describes two altars: e.g. Joshua 22:10
- a. the מִזְבַּח הָעֹלָה Ex 30:28; 31:9; 35:16; 38:1; 40:6, 10, 29 Lv 4:7, 10, 25(×2), 30, 34 = מ׳ הַנְּחשֶׁת Ex 38:30; 39:39, made of acacia wood plated with brass, 5 × 5 × 3 cubits in size, with four horns and a network of brass, on which all sacrifices by fire were made Ex 27:1–8; 38:1–7; e.g. Exodus 30:28
- b. מ׳ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת made of acacia wood plated with gold, 1 × 1 × 2 cubits in size, with four horns and a crown of gold Ex 30:1–6 = מ׳ הקטרת Ex 30:27; 31:8; 35:15; 37:25 = מ׳ הזהב Ex 39:38; 40:5, 26 Nu 4:11 = מ׳ קטרת הַסַּמִּים Lv 4:7; these altars are named elsewhere only in Chr. 1 Ch 6:34; 16:40; 21:29; 2 Ch 1:5, 6. e.g. Exodus 30:1
- 4. Solomon made two altars for the temple at Jerusalem:
- a. מ׳ הַנְּחשֶׁת for the court 1 K 8:64 (which was laid aside by Ahaz 2 K 16:14, 15, who made an altar after the model of one he saw in Damascus 2 K 16:11); in v 14 הַמִּזְבַּח הַנּ׳ (cstr. form c. art.) is erron., read prob. מִזְבַּח cf. Ges§ 127. 4 a ad fin.; this altar, according to Chr, measured 20 × 20 × 10 cubits 2 Ch 4:1; this מזבח (ה)נחשׁת also 7:7 $ Ez 9:2; = מ׳ העולה 2 Ch 29:18, repaired by Asa 2 Ch 15:8; e.g. 1 Kings 8:64
- b. an altar of cedar, plated with gold, in the temple before the דְּבִיר 1 K 6:20, 22; 7:48; = מ׳ הזהב 2 Ch 4:19; = מ׳ הַקְּטֹרֶת 1 Ch 28:18; 2 Ch 26:16. e.g. 1 Kings 6:20
- 5. Ezekiel plans two altars for the new temple:
- a. a table of wood 3 × 2 cubits Ez 41:22; e.g. Ezekiel 41:22
- b. an altar for the court, prob. same dimensions as 4 a, with stairs Ez 43:13–17. e.g. Ezekiel 43:13
- 6. after the return Jeshua built an altar on the ancient site in the court of the temple Ezr 3:2. e.g. Ezra 3:2
- 7. besides these altars used in the worship of Yahweh, Ahab built an altar to Baal in Samaria 1 K 16:32; Ahaz made an altar on the roof of the upper chamber, and other kings of Judah made altars in the two courts, all of which were destroyed by Josiah 2 K 23:12. e.g. 1 Kings 16:32
- 8. the ancient and most common term for making altars was בָּנָה Gn 35:7 (E) 8:20 (J) Dt 27:5, 6 Ex 32:5 (JE) +, implying building material; other vbs. are הֵקִים 2 S 24:18 1 K 16:32 2 K 21:3 1 Ch 21:18 2 Ch 33:3; הֵכִין Ezr 3:3 (sq. עַל־מְכוֹנֹתָו֯); שִׂים Je 11:13; וַיַּצֶּב־ Gn 33:20 (but cf. 1); Nu 23:4 (E) has עָרַךְ arrange, prepare; עָשָׂה Gn 35:1, 3 Ex 20:24 (E) Gn 13:4 (J) Jos 22:28 1 K 12:33; 18:26; this becomes usual in P, Ex 27:1; 30:1; 37:25; 38:1, 30, so 2 Ch 4:1, 19; 7:7; 28:24. e.g. Genesis 35:7
- 9. the dedication of the altar was חֲנֻכַּת המזבח Nu 7:10, 11, 84, 88 2 Ch 7:9; it was anointed with oil מָשַׁח Ex 40:10 Lv 8:11 Nu 7:10 (all P). e.g. Numbers 7:10
- 10. removal of unlawful altars is expr. by נָתַץ Ex 34:13 (JE) Dt 7:5 Ju 2:2; 6:30, 31, 32 2 K 11:18; 23:12, 15; נִתַּץ (Pi) Dt 12:3 2 Ch 31:1; 34:4, 7; נֻתַּץ Ju 6:28; הָרַס Ju 6:25 1 K 19:10, 14; שִׁבַּר 2 Ch 23:17; הֵסִיר 2 K 18:22 = Is 36:7, 2 Ch 14:2; 30:14; 32:12; 33:15. e.g. Exodus 34:13
- 11. ministry at the altar was מִשְׁמֶרֶת הַמּ׳ Nu 18:5 Ez 40:46, cf. Nu 3:31 (P), מְשָֽׁרְתֵי מ׳ Jo 1:13; עָמַד עַל is said of officiating priest 1 K 13:1, עָלָה עַל Ex 20:26 1 S 2:28 1 K 12:33 + (cf. יָרַד Lv 9:22); sacrifices were usually offered עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ Gn 22:9 Dt 12:27 +; v. especially the phrases with זָרַק Ex 29:16, 20 + (v. זרק); הִקְטִיר Lv 4:10 (v. קטר Hiph.); הֶעֱלָה Lv 6:3 + (v. עלה Hiph.) לְבַעֵר Ne 10:35; but בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ Gn 8:20 (J) Nu 23:2, 4, 14, 30 (E); one touching the altar is הַנֹּגֵעַ בַּמּ׳ Ex 29:37 (P); לפני המ׳ of placing, or standing before altar Dt 26:4 1 K 8:22; as acc.loc. הַמִּזְבֵּ֫חָה in phrases especially c. הִקְטִיר Ex 29:13 +, and הֶעֱלָה Lv 14:20. e.g. Numbers 18:5
- 12. the horns of the altar were especially for the application of the blood of the sin-offering in the ritual; sin is represented as graven לְקַרְנוֹת מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיכֶם Je 17:1; therefore of blood for cleansing it was said †נָתַן על קרנות המ׳ Ex 29:12 Lv 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34; 8:15; 9:9; 16:18 (all P). An ancient custom is referred to, ψ 118:27 אִסְרוּ־חַג בַּעֲבֹתִ֑ים עַד־קרנות המזבח bind the festal victim with cords, unto the horns of the altar: Ainsworth paraphrases: ‘that is, all the court over, untill you come even to the hornes of the altar, intending hereby many sacrifices,’ so De; but Che ‘bind the procession with branches, (step on) to the altar-horns,’ that is in sacred procession round the altar. e.g. Jeremiah 17:1
- 13. the יְסוֹד (q.v.) is also referred to in the ritual of the sin-offerings in the phrases יָצַק אל יסוד Lv 8:15; 9:9 $ שָׂפַךְ אל יסוד Ex 29:12 Lv 4:7, 18, 25, 30, 34 (all P) יִמָּצֵה אל יסוד Lv 5:9. e.g. Leviticus 8:15
- 14. the altar was קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים Ex 29:37; 40:10 (P); but repeated sin-offerings were necessary to keep it pure and cleanse it from the pollution of the people in whose midst it was situated. This is expressed by חִטֵּא Lv 8:15 (P) Ez 43:22; כִּפֶּר Lv 16:20, 33 (P) Ez 43:26; קִדַּשׂ Ex 29:44; 40:10 Lv 8:15 Nu 7:1 (P); טִהַר 2 Ch 29:18. e.g. Exodus 29:37
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
מִזְבֵּחַ401 n.m. Jos 22:10 altar (Arabic مَذْبَحٌ, place of slaughter, trench made by torrent, Sab. מדֿבח DHMEpigr. Denkm. 24); מ׳ abs. 2 K 18:22 + 223 times, הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חָה Ex 29:13 + 31 times; cstr. מִזְבַּח Ex 20:24 + 76 times, sf. מִזְבְּחִי Ex 20:26 + 7 times, מִזְבַּחֲךָ 1 K 8:31 + 3 times, מִזְבְּחֶ֑ךָ Dt 33:10; מִזְבְּחוֹ Ju 6:31 + 2 times; pl. מִזְבְּחֹת Nu 23:1 + 5 times, מִזְבְּחוֹת 2 K 21:3 + 23 times, sf. מִזְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ ψ 84:4, other sfs. 21 times;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from זבח (zâbach) (H2076) — to sacrifice.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
מִזְבֵּחַ
- altar. Zeb. V, 1, a. fr. מ׳ החיצון, v. חִיצוֹן Tam. III, 1, a. fr. מ׳ הפנימי the inner altar (in the interior of the Temple).—Gitt. V, 5 מפני תקון המ׳ in order to prevent neglect of the altar. Ib. 55ᵇ שלא יאמרו מ׳ אוכל וכ׳ lest people say, the altar receives stolen goods. Ber. 55ᵃ, v. כָּפַר. Gen. R. s. 80 כמ׳ כן כהניו as the altar, so are its priests; Y. Snh. II, end, 20ᵈ; a. v. fr.—Ab. Zar. 53ᵇ; Tosef. ib. V (VI), 8, a. e. (of an idolatrous altar), v. בִּימוּס.—Pl. מִזְבְּחוֹת. Lam. R. to I, 16 הרי אמנו בנתה שבעה מ׳ וכ׳ behold, our mother built seven altars and offered seven children on one day (as martyrs of their faith). Num. R. s. 20; a. e.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 110 distinct written forms H4196 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 50 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H4196, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 322 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 338 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 8:20
- Exodus 17:15
- Leviticus 1:5
- Numbers 3:26
- Deuteronomy 7:5
- Joshua 9:27
- Judges 2:2
- 1 Samuel 2:28
- 2 Samuel 24:18
- 1 Kings 1:50
- 2 Kings 11:11
- 1 Chronicles 6:49
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
