Censer

sen´sẽr : In the King James Version censer is used as a translation of two Hebrew words, namely, מחתּה , maḥtāh , and מקטרת , miḳṭereth ̌ . The former word is generally rendered "censer," sometimes "firepan," and in three cases ( Exodus 25:38; Exodus 37:23; Numbers 4:9 ) "snuffdish" It denoted a bowl-shaped vessel used for different purposes, namely, (1) a censer, in which incense was burnt ( Leviticus 10:1 ); (2) a firepan, made of bronze, used in connection with the altar of burnt offering ( Exodus 27:3 ); (3) a snuffdish, i.e. a receptacle to hold pieces of burnt lamp-wick removed by the tongs or snuffers ( Exodus 25:38 ). Probably in all these cases the same kind of vessel was meant, namely, a bowl-shaped utensil with a handle, not unlike a saucepan. The other Hebrew word (derived from the same root as the word for "incense") denoted a vessel for conveying incense ( Ezekiel 8:11; 2 Chronicles 26:19 ). The Greek word θυμιατήριον , thumiatḗrion , by which the Septuagint rendered miḳṭereth , is used also in Hebrews 9:4 , where the King James Version gives "censer," but the American Standard Revised Version is probably more correct, namely, "altar of incense" (see Commentaries under the word). Compare also Revelation 8:3 , Revelation 8:1 , where λιβανωτός , libanōtós , properly the adjective of "frankincense," is translated "censer."