Ancient Altars
Ancient Manners and Customs, Daily Life,
Cultures, Bible Lands
Altar of Hewn Stone Discovered Near
the Capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
In the earliest times of the Bible altars were made of earth or stones found in a field, and no tool could be used. They could not have steps lest the nakedness of man be exposed without a covering. They served as a table to place the sacrifice upon, and also to catch the blood of the sacrificial victim. In ancient Israel there were altars made of stone, and later a bronze altar was placed in the tabernacle of Moses. When Solomon became king he built a temple to the Lord in Jerusalem, and he created elaborate altars of bronze and gold. The animals were placed on the bronze altar, as a whole or in parts, bread was also place there, and meal, incense, and even wine was also offered. The Bible describes the most sacred part of the altar, these were the four horns on the corners which symbolized God's power and might which pointed to the four corners of the earth (Exodus 27:2). God was clear that his salvation is for everyone, providing that they approach His way. When Cain brought the best of his good works on an altar he was rejected, while his sinful brother only brought a blood sacrifice, God accepted Abel's sacrifice.
The Blood Sacrifice
God said that without the
shedding of blood there would be no remission of sins. The blood
sacrifice was the life of the innocent victim receiving death so
that the one offering could go free. The sacrificial offering was a substitutionary atonement, the innocent
victim would receive the full weight of God's judgment, while the
guilty person making the sacrifice would receive forgiveness and
justification and atonement from God. The sacrifice literally became
sin, and therefore was called a sin offering. The altar was the
center of Israelite worship, and the unity of the altar was regarded
as an ideal (II Chronicles 32:12). When Christ rose again his
sacrifice was once and for all, and the altar and the ceremonial law
was done away with, because Christ had "been offered once" (Hebrews
9:28). The Bible also says in Hebrews 13:10 that "Christ is our
altar". For the church the center of worship now becomes the gathering
of the saints, or believers, who have access to the Lord and can
approach him at any time, because of the shed blood of Christ.
The Altar was a Place of Approach to
Remember God's Covenant
Altar in Smith's Bible Dictionary
The first altar of which we have any account is that built by Noah
when he left the ark. Ge 8:20 In the early times altars were usually
built in certain spots hallowed by religious associations, e.g.,
where God appeared. Ge 12:7; 13:18, 26:25; 35:1 Though generally
erected for the offering of sacrifice, in some instances they appear
to have been only memorials. Ge 12:7; Ex 17:15,16 Altars were most
probably originally made of earth. The law of Moses allowed them to
be made of either earth or unhewn stones. Ex 20:24,25 I. The Altar
of Burnt Offering. It differed in construction at different times.
(1) In the tabernacle, Ex 27:1 ff.; Exod 38:1 ff., it was
comparatively small and portable. In shape it was square. It as five
cubits in length, the same in breadth, and three cubits high. It was
made of planks of shittim (or acacia) wood overlaid with brass. The
interior was hollow. Ex 27:8 At the four corners were four
projections called horns made, like the altar itself, of shittim
wood overlaid with brass, Ex 27:2 and to them the victim was bound
when about to be sacrificed. Ps 118:27 Round the altar, midway
between the top and bottom, ran a projecting ledge, on which perhaps
the priest stood when officiating.
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Altar in the ISBE Bible
Encyclopedia
Before considering the Biblical texts attention must be drawn to the
fact that these texts know of at least two kinds of altars which
were so different in appearance that no contemporary could possibly
confuse them. The first was an altar consisting of earth or unhewn
stones. It had no fixed shape, but varied with the materials. It
might consist of a rock (Jdg 13:19) or a single large stone (1 Sam
14:33-35) or again a number of stones (1 Ki 18:31 f). It could have
no horns, nor it would be impossible to give the stone horns without
hewing it, nor would a heap of earth lend itself to the formation of
horns. It could have no regular pattern for the same reason. On the
other hand we meet with a group of passages that refer to altars of
quite a different type. We read of horns, of fixed measurements, of
a particular pattern, of bronze as the material. To bring home the
difference more rapidly illustrations of the two types are given
side by side. The first figure represents a cairn altar such as was
in use in some other ancient religions. The second is a conjectural
restoration of Hebrew altars of burnt offering and incense of the
second kind.
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Illustration of the Bronze Altar
Solomon created elaborate
altars of bronze and gold.
Altar in Easton's Bible
Dictionary
(Heb. mizbe'ah, from a word meaning "to slay"), any structure of
earth (Ex. 20:24) or unwrought stone (20:25) on which sacrifices
were offered. Altars were generally erected in conspicuous places
(Gen. 22:9; Ezek. 6:3; 2 Kings 23:12; 16:4; 23:8; Acts 14:13). The
word is used in Heb. 13:10 for the sacrifice offered upon it--the
sacrifice Christ offered. Paul found among the many altars erected
in Athens one bearing the inscription, "To the unknown God" (Acts
17:23), or rather "to an [i.e., some] unknown God." The reason for
this inscription cannot now be accurately determined. It afforded
the apostle the occasion of proclaiming the gospel to the "men of
Athens." The first altar we read of is that erected by Noah (Gen.
8:20). Altars were erected by Abraham (Gen. 12:7; 13:4; 22:9), by
Isaac (Gen. 26:25), by Jacob (33:20; 35:1, 3), and by Moses (Ex.
17:15, "Jehovah-nissi"). In the tabernacle, and afterwards in the
temple, two altars were erected.
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Altar in Fausset's Bible
Dictionary
The first of which we have mention was built by Noah after leaving
the ark (Genesis 8:20). The English (from the Latin) means an
elevation or high place: not the site, but the erections on them
which could be built or removed (1 Kings 12:7; 2 Kings 23:15). So
the Greek bomos, and Hebrew bamath. But the proper Hebrew name
mizbeach is "the sacrificing place;" Septuagint thusiasterion. Spots
hallowed by divine revelations or appearances were originally the
sites of altars (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:18; Genesis 26:25; Genesis
35:1). Mostly for sacrificing; sometimes only as a memorial, as that
named by Moses Jehovah Nissi, the pledge that Jehovah would war
against Amalek to all generations (Exodus 17:15-16), and that built
by Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh, "not for burnt offering, nor
sacrifice, but as a witness" (Joshua 22:26-27). Altars were to be
made only of earth or else unhewn stone, on which no iron tool was
used, and without steps up to them (Exodus 20:24-26). Steps toward
the E. on the contrary are introduced in the temple yet future
(Ezekiel 43:17), marking its distinctness from any past temple. No
pomp or ornament was allowed; all was to be plain and simple; for it
was the meeting place between God and the sinner, and therefore a
place of shedding of blood without which there is no remission
(Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22), a place of fellowship with God for
us only through death. The mother dust of earth, or its stones in
their native state as from the hand of God, were the suitable
material. The art of sinful beings would mar, rather than aid, the
consecration of the common meeting ground.
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Heart Message
The Altar As a place of sacrifice or memorial, the altar represents the sacred encounter with the living God. When we're in a difficult situation as Jacob was when fleeing from his brother Esau in Genesis 28, he encountered God and received a promise of deliverance. He poured oil on a stone and prayed for protection devoting himself to God. In Genesis 35, upon the fulfillment of God's promise, God called Jacob to return to Bethel, this time now with flocks and herds and his wives and children and all that God had given him. Jacob was called back to that very place to remember and ponder the deliverance of God. Jacob received another encounter where God gave him a new name and a new set of promises to walk in. The altar as a memorial - When God split the Jordan river and Israel miraculously crossed into the promised land to fight for their inheritance, the Lord had them bring twelve stones from the middle of the river and pile them up on the other side. This was a memorial to future generations as the Lord said,
We too can build memorials to God. In a tough time you can dedicate a place to seek God and build an altar to mark that time that you rededicated yourself, asked for mercy, sought out deliverance from an impossible situation. Or it might simply be an entry in your journal where desperate cries were lifted to God. In the years to come you can return to that place and thank God for what He has done and be refreshed with new faith to move into the next season of challenges with a new name and new promises. The altar as a place of sacrifice -
As born again believers we now have two natures, our reborn spirit and our old sinful nature. Paul tells us that these two are at war within us.
Now that Christ has sacrificed Himself on the altar of the cross, he calls us to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily to follow Him. (Luke 9:23) The problem of legalism arises when we are taught that a complete transformation has taken place on the day we are born again. As that sinful nature manifests we are tempted to hide it and join the costume party at church where we all pretend, rather than all confess. Scripture tells us that sanctification is a process. We are being transformed into His image from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18) In other words from season to season, faith to faith and one grace after the other, we are being changed as the flesh dies on the altar and we rise into newness of life. The altar for us then, though an instrument of sacrifice, is actually an instrument of freedom. It is where we offer the portion of our old nature that God is calling to die, that we might be free to live in the new nature. Perhaps it's an old offense that we place on the altar, where we ask for God's grace and spirit to forgive. Perhaps it's a desire for a person we are determined to marry or control, whom God has told us to let go. Perhaps it could even be a covetous desire for grandiose ministry that people might look upon us with awe for all we have accomplished! As we become a living sacrifice on the altar of God in that area, we become free and are able to serve with a childlike spirit, enjoying our daily life with Him, rather than striving to satisfy an insatiable remnant of the fallen nature, that will never say, "I'm satisfied, it is enough." The altar allows us to go free from our sin and fallen desires to mark a place of intimacy with God where he delivered us from the old to the next season of life. As those memorials begin to pile up in various places of your history, you'll look back at what seemed like a horrible sacrifice, realizing it was God willing and working for His good pleasure.
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The Spartan General Pausanias
Sacrificing to his gods before battle - 5th Cent BC.
Altar in Naves Topical Bible
-Built by Noah
Ge 8:2
-Built by Abraham
Ge 12:7,8; 13:18; 22:9
-Built by Isaac
Ge 26:25
-Built by Jacob
Ge 33:20; 35:1-7
-Built by Moses
Ex 17:15; 24:4
-Built by Balaam
Nu 23:1,14,29
-Built by Joshua
De 27:4-7; Jos 8:30-32
-Built by the Reubenites and Gadites
Jos 22:10,34
-Built by Gideon
Jud 6:26,27
-Built by Samuel
1Sa 7:17
-Built by Saul
1Sa 14:35
-Built by David
2Sa 24:18,19
-Built by Elijah
1Ki 18:31,32
-Mosaic commandments prescribing the construction of
Ex 20:24-26; De 27:5-7; Jos 8:30,31
-See
Eze 43:13
-Used in idolatrous worship
Jud 6:25; 1Ki 12:32; 16:32; 18:26; 2Ki 16:10; 23:12,15; Isa
27:9; 65:3; Ho 8:11; Ac 17:23
-OF BURNT OFFERINGS
Called BRAZEN ALTAR
Ex 39:39; 1Ki 8:64
Called ALTAR OF GOD
Ps 43:4
Called ALTAR OF THE LORD
Mal 2:13
Painting of a Group of Pagan Altars -
A. Babylonian, B. Egyptian, C. Persian, D. Grecian, E. Roman
Bible Study Topics Related to Altar
ALTARGOLDEN ALTAR
ISRAEL, PROPHECIES CONCERNING
Ahaz changes the nature of the altar in the temple
2Ki 16:10-18
JERUSALEM
-David purchases and erects an altar upon Araunah's threshing floor
2Sa 24:16-25
SYMBOLS AND SIMILITUDES
-The torn altar
1Ki 13:3,5
TABERNACLE
COURAGE
Gideon, in destroying the altar of Baal
Jud 6:25-31
PRIEST
DUTIES OF
Had charge of the sanctuary and altar
Nu 18:2,5,7
EZRA
Restored the altar, and offered sacrifices
Ezr 3:1-7
MONTH
-7. Ethanim (October)
1Ki 8:2
Feasts held in
Le 23:24,27; Ne 8:13-15
Jubilee proclaimed in
Le 25:9
Solomon's temple dedicated in
1Ki 8:2
Altar rebuilt and offerings renewed in
Ezr 3:1,6
GAD
-3. A prophet to David
2Sa 24:11
Bids David leave Adullam
1Sa 22:5
Bears the divine message to David, offering choice between three
evils, for his presumption in numbering Israel
2Sa 24:11-14; 1Ch 21:9-13
Bids David build an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan
2Sa 24:18,19; 1Ch 21:18,19
JACOB
-Journeys to Shalem, where he
purchase a parcel of ground from Hamor and erects an altar
Ge 33:18-20
-Returns to Bethel, where he builds
an altar, and erects and dedicates a pillar
Ge 35:1-7
TYPES
-OF THE SAVIOUR
The morning and evening sacrifice
Joh 1:29,36
The red heifer
Nu 19:2-6; with Heb 9:13,14
The Paschal lamb
1Co 5:7
The Bronze Altar
Ex 27:1,2; with Heb 13:10
The Bronze Laver
Ex 30:18-20; with Zec 13:1; Eph 5:26,27
The Mercy-Seat
Ex 25:17-22; with Heb 4:16
The Curtain
Ex 40:21; 2Ch 3:14; with Heb 10:20
TEMPLE
-SOLOMON'S
The Altar of
Incense, and its furniture
1Ki 6:20; 7:48,50; 1Ch 28:17,18; 2Ch 4:19,22
The Altar of Burnt Offering
2Ch 15:8
GILGAL
-1. Place of the first encampment of the Israelites west of the
Jordan River
Jos 4:19
JESHUA
GOLD
OFFERINGS
BRASS
GIDEON
TOKEN
SHITTIM
URIJAH
NOAH
TABLE
ZERUBBABEL
CARMEL
JOSIAH
ETHANIM
LAVER
EBAL
ARAUNAH
ED
The Bible Mentions the Altar
Often
2 Kings 16:11 - And
Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that
king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made [it]
against king Ahaz came from Damascus.
1 Kings
8:64 - The same day did the king hallow the middle of the
court that [was] before the house of the LORD: for there he offered
burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace
offerings: because the brasen altar that [was] before
the LORD [was] too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat
offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.
Leviticus
8:30 - And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood
which [was] upon the altar, and sprinkled [it] upon
Aaron, [and] upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his
sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, [and] his garments,
and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
Leviticus
9:7 - And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar,
and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an
atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of
the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.
Ezekiel
41:22 - The altar of wood [was] three cubits
high, and the length thereof two cubits; and the corners thereof,
and the length thereof, and the walls thereof, [were] of wood: and
he said unto me, This [is] the table that [is] before the LORD.
Leviticus 16:33 - And he shall make an atonement for the
holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of
the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make
an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the
congregation.
2
Chronicles 4:1 - Moreover he made an altar of
brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the
breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
1 Kings
6:22 - And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he
had finished all the house: also the whole altar that
[was] by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
Exodus
29:36 - And thou shalt offer every day a bullock [for] a sin
offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar,
when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it,
to sanctify it.
Exodus
29:21 - And thou shalt take of the blood that [is] upon the
altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle [it]
upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the
garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his
garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
Exodus
30:18 - Thou shalt also make a laver [of] brass, and his
foot [also of] brass, to wash [withal]: and thou shalt put it
between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar,
and thou shalt put water therein.
Joshua
22:23 - That we have built us an altar to turn
from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or
meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD
himself require [it];
Numbers
18:17 - But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a
sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they [are]
holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar,
and shalt burn their fat [for] an offering made by fire, for a sweet
savour unto the LORD.
2
Chronicles 7:7 - Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the
court that [was] before the house of the LORD: for there he offered
burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the
brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to
receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat.
Ezekiel
47:1 - Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the
house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of
the house eastward: for the forefront of the house [stood toward]
the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of
the house, at the south [side] of the altar.
1 Kings
12:32 - And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month,
on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that [is] in
Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in
Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed
in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
Exodus 30:1
- And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon:
[of] shittim wood shalt thou make it.
Isaiah 56:7
- Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful
in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
[shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house
shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Deuteronomy 16:21 - Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any
trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which
thou shalt make thee.
1 Kings
1:53 - So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from
the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king
Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.
Joshua 8:31
- As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel,
as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar
of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up [any] iron: and they
offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace
offerings.
Numbers 7:1
- And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the
tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the
instruments thereof, both the altar and all the
vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them;
Deuteronomy 27:6 - Thou shalt build the altar
of the LORD thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt
offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God:
Exodus 38:1
- And he made the altar of burnt offering [of] shittim
wood: five cubits [was] the length thereof, and five cubits the
breadth thereof; [it was] foursquare; and three cubits the height
thereof.
1 Kings
6:20 - And the oracle in the forepart [was] twenty cubits in
length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the
height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and [so] covered
the altar [which was of] cedar.
Exodus
20:24 - An altar of earth thou shalt make unto
me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace
offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record
my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
Genesis
12:8 - And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the
east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, [having] Bethel on the west,
and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar
unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
Exodus
20:25 - And if thou wilt make me an altar of
stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up
thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
Leviticus
8:21 - And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and
Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it [was] a
burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, [and] an offering made by fire
unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Joshua
22:11 - And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the
children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of
Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of
Israel.
More Ancient Altar Resources
Ancient Altars - Sketches
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Bible Study and Faith
"The Bible is the most priceless possession of the human race." - Henry H. Halley
"This handbook is dedicated to the proposition that every Christian should be a constant and devoted reader of the Bible, and that the primary business of the church and ministry is to lead, foster, and encourage their people in the habit."
"The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts."
"Great has been the blessing from consecutive, diligent, daily study. I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the word of God." - George Muller
"I prayed for faith, and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the 10th chapter of Romans, 'Now faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' I had closed my Bible, and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since." - D. L. Moody
-H. H. Halley "Halley's Bible
Handbook" (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1960) p. 4, 6
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Archaeological Study of the Bible
"A substantial proof for the accuracy of the Old Testament text has
come from archaeology. Numerous discoveries have confirmed the
historical accuracy of the biblical documents, even down to the
obsolete names of foreign kings... Rather than a manifestation of
complete ignorance of the facts of its day, the biblical record thus
reflects a great knowledge by the writer of his day, as well as
precision in textual transmission."
-Norman L. Geisler, William Nix "A General Introduction to the
Bible" 5th Edition (Chicago: Moody Press 1983) p. 253
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