Definitions
Incense — the smoke of burning frankincense (resin), or the fragrant compound that is burned.
Frankincense (in Russian livan or ladan, from Arabic lādan — “fragrant resin”) — the fragrant resin of certain trees; the Russian word livan is connected with Lebanon. Burning frankincense gives off a pleasant fragrance. It is used during sacred rites and in preparing fragrant sacred compounds (Ex. 30:34-36).
Burning incense — the process of burning frankincense, the rising of incense smoke from it.
Censer — a device (bowl) for burning fragrant compounds (with frankincense).
Bible Quotes
The Fragrant Compound (with Frankincense) Is Most Holy
“And the LORD said to Moses: ‘Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the LORD. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people’” (Ex. 30:34-38)
Frankincense Is Added to the Grain Offering Together with Oil, and Then the Priest Burns the Offering
“When anyone offers a grain offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. And he shall pour oil on it, and put frankincense on it. He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. And the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD” (Lev. 2:1-2)
There Is Also an Offering Without Frankincense
“then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance” (Num. 5:15)
An Altar Only for Incense
Separately the making of an altar for burning incense is established, on which nothing else is to be burned. Incense is burned on it independently of the sacrifices, on its own. This is done every morning and every evening while the lamps are tended:
“You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. <…> And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it” (Ex. 30:1,6-9)
Incense Symbolizes Prayers
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Ps. 141:2)
“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Rev. 5:8)
Incense Is a Separate Offering to God
Incense is mentioned on its own, listed on a par with the other sacred rites (not as an addition to something, not as something that comes only together with something else):
“Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me?” (1 Sam. 2:28)
“And there is not at this time prince, or prophet, or leader, or burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense, or place to make an offering before you and to find mercy” (Dan. 3:38, LXX; the Prayer of Azariah; translated from the Greek: οὐδὲ θυμίαμα)
“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts” (Mal. 1:11)
“They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple” (1 Macc. 4:49-50)
“The name of Josiah is like blended incense prepared by the skill of the perfumer; his memory is as sweet as honey to every mouth, and like music at a banquet of wine” (Sir. 49:1)
“How glorious he was [the high priest Simon], surrounded by the people, as he came out of the house of the curtain! <…> like fire and incense in the censer” (Sir. 50:5,9)
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Ps. 141:2)
“for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense” (2 Chr. 26:16)
“Who is this coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the merchant’s fragrant powders?” (Song. 3:6)
“You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, nor wearied you with incense” (Is. 43:23)
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne” (Rev. 8:3)
“And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand” (Rev. 8:4)
God Is Offended When Incense Is Offered to False Gods
“I will utter My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, because they have forsaken Me, burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands” (Jer. 1:16)
“A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick” (Is. 65:3)
“Your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,” says the LORD, “who have burned incense on the mountains” (Is. 65:7)
The death penalty for using the sacred incense for one’s own purposes:
“But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the LORD. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people” (Ex. 30:37-38)