"And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;Which had the golden censer..." (Heb 9:3-4a, KJV)
"Yet behind the second veil was the enclosure which was called the Holy of Holies. In the midst of it was the gold tray/censer (machtat zahab)... " (Hebrew Hebews 9:3-4a)

The word "machtah" is translated a number of different ways. The KJV translates it as "snuffdish" (Ex 25:38, 37:23, Num 4:9) , "firepans" (Exod 27:3, 38:3) and "censer" (Lev 10:1, Num 16:17, 17:2). Meridian's Dictionary translates it as "shovel".

This does NOT contradict with Exodus/Shemot 40 as some claim. First off, Exodus/Shemot 25:38 records a gold tray/censer (machtat zahab) in the Holy Place for the menorah. There were several bronze ones for the altar of incense. On most days, incense was burned on the altar of incense. But on the Day of Atonement, things were done a little different. It was put on a golden censer and taken directly into the Holy of Holies. This is recorded in Lev 16:12, where it says...

"And he shall take a censer (machtah) 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: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: " (Lev 16:12-13, KJV)

Tradition tells us that the gold censer (machtah) used on the Day of Atonement was NOT the same as the golden censer near the menorah nor was it the same as the various bronze censers used with the altar of incense. A bigger and heavier one was used that was only used on this special day. What the writer of Hebrews is describing for us in Heb 9:3-4 is the temple on the Day of Atonement. The altar of incense is not mentioned in Heb 9, but it was not used on the Day of Atonement. The golden censer that was carried into the Holy of Holies was used in its place.

The fact that the writer of Hebrews was painting for us a picture of the Day of Atonement is seen just a few verses later where he says...

"And when this was ready, the kohenim (priests) went in the exterior every season in the tent of the meeting for all services of Elohim. Yet in the tent of the meeting, the High Kohen (Priest) entered the interior only one time during the year ....
(Hebrew Heb 9:6-7)

So immediately after the description of the temple, the writer of Hebrews draws a contrast with how the temple was on normal days and how it was on the Day of Atonement. Now why did the writer of Hebrews focus so much on the Day of Atonement in Heb 9:3-4? the answer to that can be found in the next passage that follows...

"And in this it appears through the hand of the Ruach HaQodesh (Holy Spirit) that the matter had not been revealed of the way of the holy things the whole time that first tabernacle was standing. which was a likeness of the present period that the kohen (priest) brought near sacrifices and burnt-offerings which where not by their hand at that time to bring a passing of service of Elohim. " (Heb 9:8-9)

The bringing of the incense into the Holiest Place speaks to us of how the typical daily temple service was only a foreshadow of the reality and the heavenly service. We know from Revelation 5:8 that this incense represents the prayers of the believers, and the writer of Hebrews wanted to remind the reader that we have a direct line of prayer to the Almighty through the Atoning work of Yeshua - something an High Priest who rejects Yeshua would not have. He was trying to bring to mind to the reader that this was as good as it got for the earthly priesthood - to have that once-a-year when it is brought into the Holy of Holies. But our prayers, which is what the incense represents, goes daily to the throne of the Almighty.

The earthly rehearsal was done this way to remind us that in order for our prayers to pierce the heavenly veil, we need the sacrifice of the Messiah. We need what the Day of Atonement symbolizes.

So the gold censer being refered to in Hebrews 9 was not the gold censer refered to that was next to the menorah nor was it one of the bronze censers normally kept with the altar of incense. It was a special censer used only for the Day of Atonement (much like we have special dishware / silverware only for Passover).

Shalom,

Yoseph
www.messiahalive.net