The Altar
A place of sacrifice, atonement, and worship before the LORD.
The altar is a structure built for offering sacrifices and worship to the LORD, first mentioned when Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings of clean beasts and fowl (Genesis 8:20). Abram later returned to an altar he had previously made and called on the name of the LORD (Genesis 13:4). Abraham built an altar at the place God told him, laid wood in order, and bound Isaac his son upon it (Genesis 22:9). In the tabernacle instructions, God commanded Moses to make an altar of shittim wood, foursquare, five cubits long and broad, and three cubits high, with brass overlays, rings, and staves for carrying (Exodus 27:1, 27:5-7).
- First builder
- Noah (Genesis 8:20)
- Material
- Shittim wood overlaid with brass (Exodus 27:1, 27:6)
- Dimensions
- Five cubits long, five cubits broad, three cubits high (Exodus 27:1)
- Shape
- Foursquare (Exodus 27:1)
- Location in tabernacle
- Between the tabernacle of the congregation and the laver (Exodus 30:18)
Lore & Background
The altar first appears in the patriarchal narratives as a simple construction for burnt offerings. Noah built an altar and offered clean animals after the flood (Genesis 8:20). Abram returned to an altar he had previously made at Bethel to call on the LORD (Genesis 13:4). Abraham built an altar at Moriah, where he laid wood and bound Isaac, preparing to offer him (Genesis 22:9). These altars were sites of personal devotion and covenant response.
In the Mosaic law, the altar becomes a central, prescribed object of the tabernacle. God gave detailed instructions for its construction: an altar of shittim wood, foursquare, with horns, rings, and staves for transport (Exodus 27:1-7). It was to be sanctified and made most holy through a seven-day atonement ritual (Exodus 29:36-37). The altar was used for burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings, with blood sprinkled on its sides and applied to its horns (Exodus 29:12, 29:16, 29:20).
Priests were required to wash at the laver before approaching the altar to minister, lest they die (Exodus 30:20). The altar was so holy that anything touching it became holy (Exodus 29:37). God promised to sanctify both the tabernacle and the altar, along with Aaron and his sons, for priestly service (Exodus 29:44).
Reader's Guide
The passages portray the altar as both a spontaneous place of worship and a meticulously prescribed object of divine service. In Genesis, altars are built by patriarchs at key moments: Noah after the flood, Abram upon returning to Canaan, and Abraham at the binding of Isaac. These altars are not described in detail but are sites of offering and calling on God's name, emphasizing personal response and covenant faithfulness.
In Exodus, the altar is given exact specifications: dimensions, materials (shittim wood and brass), and portable design with rings and staves (Exodus 27:1-7). Its use is ritualized: blood is applied to its horns and sprinkled around it (Exodus 29:12, 29:16, 29:20). The altar must be cleansed and anointed for seven days to become most holy (Exodus 29:36-37). Daily offerings of two lambs are commanded (Exodus 29:38). The altar is placed between the tabernacle and the laver, and priests must wash before ministering at it (Exodus 30:18-20). The altar of incense is distinguished from the altar of burnt offering (Exodus 30:27-28, 31:8). The altar is not merely a tool but a sanctified object that imparts holiness to whatever touches it (Exodus 29:37).
Did You Know?
- Noah built the first altar mentioned in scripture, offering clean beasts and fowl (Genesis 8:20).
- The altar of burnt offering was made of shittim wood overlaid with brass and had staves for carrying (Exodus 27:1, 27:6-7).
- Blood from sacrifices was applied to the horns of the altar and poured at its base (Exodus 29:12).
- Anything that touched the altar became holy (Exodus 29:37).