INCENSE, rriCp, once nnzcp, LXX. Butdaya, .
avvOecrts ; Vulg. thymiama, i; to. be distinguished from M.3, lebonah, or frankincense, with which, however, it is confounded by Calmet, as it some times also is in the A. V.; the former being a con fection of several sweet spices ; tbe latter, a distinct precious gum, forming one of the ingredients of the incense. The components of incense, as given in Exod. xxx., are Stacte, Onycha, Galbanum, and pure Frankincense,* tempered together, or rather, salted, ;inn. Salt, the symbol of incorruptness, was added to all sacrifices and offerings, except the wine of the drink offerings, the blood, and the wood (Lev. ii. 13, where see Bp. Patrick). These four ingredients were mingled together in qua) proportions,' 1:313, according to the A. V., LXX., Vulg., Targ. et Arabs uterque,' although Ebenesra et Abarbanel : singula aromata seorsitn, atque ita bac formula utuntur in Talm. Sebach 2 (Ges. Thes. 178). What weight of each ingredient was compounded at a time is unknown ; for, says Bp. Patrick, I see no authority for what the Hebrew doctors say, that there were 70 pounds of each of the four spices ; and they add (which makes all they say of this matter questionable), that there were also several pounds of Cinnamon, and Cassia, and Crocus, in short, of 13 several spices, which Josephus Yud. v. 5). affirmg were in this composition—of which Moses, they say, made in the whole 36S lbs.; that is, one pound for every day in the year, and three for the day of Expiation. And accordingly .h'. Levi Barzelonita saith, the priests made every year as much as would suffice for every day of it ; and that the ordinary priests might make it as well as the high-priest, Praecept. ci.' (Com. on Exod. xxx. 34).
Incense compounded in any other way than that prescribed by Moses was called `strave incense,' and was forbidden to be offered (Exod. xxx. 9); this law, as well as the requisition in ver. 36, that it should be 'pare ' excludes all those additional ingredients mentioned by Josephus and the Rabbins ; aad if they were introduced in later times, as seems to have been the case, it was done in direct violation of the law.
This incense is called most holy,' MN t.'111, (ver. 36), because it was to be used in the service of Jehovah only, and was pre-eminently sacred to him. The preparation of a similar kind by any one for private use was forbidden under a severe penalty— the penalty of excision from among his people (Exod. xxx. 38) ; but that this includes the excision not only of the transgressor himself but of his whole race ' is far from probable,' as Bp. Patrick says.
Aaron at first performed the duty of burning incense, but it does not appear to have been made an exclusive part of the functions of the high priest ; for afterwards the sons of Aaron in their courses performed this service, as appears from Luke i. 8, 9, when Zacharias, who was not an high-priest, offered incense when it fell to his lot. The offering of incense was con.sidered the most honourable part of the priest's duty ; a peculiar blessing was supposed to attach to it ; but surely Alford is wrong when he says that, the same person could not serve in it more than once ' (N. T. on L. i. 9), since the parts of the priest;s duty were distributed by tot (Maxe Lightfoot, terium Templi, ix. 1, Hor. Heb. Tal. on L. i. 9) ; but that all might share the honour, those of the family who ministered on any particular day, who had not hitherto obtained the incense, cast lots for it among themselves (Lightfoot, Minist. 7'emp. ix. 5). Uzziah, attempting to invade this sacred func tion of the priesthood, was smitten with leprosy' which clave to him till the day of his death ' (2 ChrOn. XXVI. I 6-2 I ). [OFFERING. ] The times for offering incense are distinctly specified. First, it was to be burned every morning and every evening in the holy place, on the altar of incense provided for the purpose. This altar was made of Shittim,' or acacia wood, a cubit in length and breadth, covered with gold, encircled with a golden crown or wreath, having horns at the corners, and rings beneath the crown, through which the acacia gold-covered staves passed for carrying it. It stood before the vail which sepa
rated the holy from the most holy place. On this altar, then, the priests burned incense every even ing when they lighted, and every morning when they trimmed, the lamps in the sanctuary. 'Mane, inter sanguinenz et membra sufficbat, vesperi, inter membra et libanzina (Talm. in Lightfoot M. T. ix. 5). When the priest entered to burn incense, the people, at the sound of a bell,* were removed from the temple and stood without, and the priests and Levites hastened to take thcir stations. The most profound silence prevailed (Rev. viii. 5) while prayer ascended to God from the assembled wor shippers. At a signal from the Prafeetzis the priest cast incense upon the fire on the altar and then departed. When the incense and the prayers were finished the parts of the victim were laid on the altar, and then the Levites applied themselves to psalmody, and the priests to the blowing of trumpets ' (Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. Tal. on L. i. 9, to ; M. T. cix. 5). [ALTAR.] On the great day of Atonement it is enjoined the high-priest that he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and Ms hand full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail, and he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not ' (Lev. xvi. 12, 13). I3efore he entered with the incense, the Jewish doctors tell us, that the elders of the San hedrim brought him into the house of Ablines, where the incense was kept, that he might learn how it was to be handled. Then they adjured him thus : Lord high-priest, we, the delegates of the Sanhedrim, . . . . adjure thee by Him who has caused His name to dwell in this temple, that thou make no change in these things we have said unto you. Then they parted in tears.' The reason of this solemn adjuration was, that the Sadducees taught that he might kindle the incense without the vail, and then carry it smoking into the most holy place, contrary to the express command of the Lord. The high-priest then took a censer full of live coals from the altar and placed it on a bench in the temple, and from a vase brought to him he took a handful of incense and threw it upon a plate. He took the censer of coals in his right hand, and the plate with the incense in his left. Thus he entered the most holy place and approached the Ark, on which place he deposited his coals, and poured incense into his hands, and placed it on the coals, and waited until the whole apartment was filled with smoke, then he retired backward from the Adytum with his face turned towards the Ark. Having come forth, he offered this short prayer : 0 Lord God, may it please thee that this year may have timely rains ; nor suffer thy sceptre to depart from Judah ; nor thy people Israel to want food ; nor the prayers of transgressors to come before thee ' (Lightfoot, M. T. c. xv.) Pre sently he went forth out of the sanctuary and showed himself to the people, that they might not suspect he had done amiss and miscarried in his office '—(Patrick). [ATONEMENT, DAY oF.] Incense was also offered on extraordinary occa sions, as in the case of the plague which broke out among the murmuring people after the destruction of Korai], and his company, when Aaron, by com mand of Moses, took a censer and put fire therein, and incense upon the fire, and ran into the midst of the congregation and stood between the living and the dead,' and made atonement for thc people, so that the plague was stayed ' (Num. xvi. 46-5o). Thus atonement, usually made by blood, was made by incense, Currens ira sacerdolii voce pohibebatur' ( Jerome)—a notable type of the power with God of our great High-priest and Intercessor, the Lord Jesus—(Patrick). [TABERNACLE, iii. 926.] The offering of incense formed a part of the worship of almost all nations. How ancient the practice is we have no means of knowing. By the Egyptians incense was presented to all the gods, and introduced on every grand occasion when a romfiete oblation was made (Wilkinson's Pop. Act. of the Anct. Auplians, i. 265).