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Stone altar
Religious Objects
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Dictionaries
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Altar
ALTAR [Heb mizbēaḥ (מִזְבֵּחַ); Gk thysiastērion (θυσιαστηριον), bōmos (βωμος)]. Altars occur in a wide range of religions, both geographically and chronologically, often related to the concept of tables, hearths, thrones, or burial mounds. In the ancient world, any surface on which offerings were
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
Altar
Altar. The platform upon which offerings are made to the deity. This may include a ritual sacrifice of animals or a burning of incense before God (Ex 30:1–10). The Hebrew word for altar and the verb “to slaughter” both derive from the root zbḩ (Aramaic cognate dbḩ), terms used in connection with the
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Altar
Altar [Heb. mizbē (a)ḥ—‘place of slaughter or sacrifice,’ from zbḥ—‘slaughter,’ ‘sacrifice’; Gk. bōmós, from a root meaning ‘to approach’; thysiaté̄rion, from thýō—‘to sacrifice’]. I. Classification of Hebrew AltarsA. Forms1. Earth, Stone, and Rock Altars2. Bronze and Gilded AltarsB. Functions
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Altar
ALTAR The platform upon which offerings are made to the deity. This may include a ritual sacrifice of animals or a burning of incense before God (Ex 30:1–10). The Hebrew word for altar and the verb “to slaughter” both derive from the same root word; they are terms used in connection with the ritual of
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Altar
altar, any surface upon which any kind of offering to a deity is placed. The actual term for “altar” (Heb. mizbeakh) is formed from a verbal root that means “to slaughter” or, more specifically, “to slaughter and cut up for the purpose of sacrifice.” Thus, the word must have originally been connected
The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia
Altar
ALTARIn the Heb. OT, the usual word for altar is mizbēaḥ, “place of sacrifice,” which is derived from the verb zābaḥ, “to slaughter,” “to sacrifice.” In Ezr 7:17 there occurs the Aramaic madbaḥ, formed from the same word. Such Aramaic words may be expected after the return from the Captivity. Two
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Altar
Altar (Heb. mizbēaḥ; Gk. thysiastḗrion; thymiatḗrion; bōmós). †
Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible
Altar
ALTAR מזבחI. The word ‘altar’ (mizbēaḥ) occurs more than 400 times in the text of the Old Testament. It derives from the root zbḥ ‘to slaughter’: the most important offering consisted of sacrificial animals. Although offerings could be made on natural elevations, constructed altars seem to be have
Catholic Bible Dictionary
Altar
ALTAR (Hebrew mizbēaḥ; Greek thysiastērion) A cultic platform used for sacrifice. In the Old Testament the term used is invariably mizbēaḥ (some four hundred times), derived from the root “to slaughter.” Before the Law of Moses and the establishment of a national priesthood, erecting altars and
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
altar
altar (Gk. θυσιαστήριον Lat. altare, ara). The word was used of the Eucharistic table (if not already in Heb. 13:10) in *Ignatius, *Tertullian, and *Cyprian, and this usage has been general in Catholic Christianity ever since. At the *Reformation, however, it gave rise to much controversy owing to