And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

NUMBERS 16:39KJV
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Numbers 16:39 (KJV)

What does Numbers 16:39 mean?

Numbers 16:39 describes how Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers that had been used by the men who were destroyed by fire, and these censers were then hammered out to make a covering for the altar. This act reused the censers, which had been part of an unauthorized offering, to serve a new, sacred purpose at the altar.

In this scene, Eleazar, who is Aaron’s son and a priest, is following God’s instructions after a dramatic event where certain men were punished for offering incense in a way that was not allowed. The censers, which are metal pans for burning incense, were made of bronze and belonged to those who had died. By turning these censers into a covering for the altar, the community was given a lasting reminder of what had happened and the seriousness of approaching God in the prescribed way.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 16:39

  • בְּמַחְתּוֹת (machtot, “censers”): This word refers to the pans used for burning incense. The fact that these specific censers are reused highlights their connection to the event and serves as a visible lesson for the people.
  • נְחֹשֶׁת (nechoshet, “brasen” or “bronze”): The use of bronze is significant because it is a durable, valuable metal, and its transformation from an object of judgment to a part of the altar underlines the seriousness of the incident.
  • רָקַע (raka, “made broad”): This verb means to hammer or spread out. The censers were not just placed on the altar but were physically reshaped, showing a deliberate act of repurposing what had been misused.
  • צִפּוּי (tzippuy, “covering”): This word means a covering or overlay. The censers became a permanent part of the altar’s appearance, making the lesson ongoing and visible to all.

Why Numbers 16:39 matters

  • Numbers 16:39 clarifies that even objects used wrongly can be set apart for a new, holy use when God commands it, showing both judgment and mercy.
  • This verse ties directly to the story of Korah’s rebellion, making the altar itself a memorial and warning to future generations about the consequences of unauthorized worship.
  • The detail about Eleazar, not Aaron, handling the censers emphasizes careful obedience to God’s instructions and the importance of following the proper priestly order.

Where else these words appear

“covering” Hebrew H6826 · used in 5 verses

  • Exodus 38:17 And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their chapiters of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver.
  • Exodus 38:19 And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.
  • Numbers 16:38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

“broad” Hebrew H7554 · used in 11 verses

  • Exodus 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
  • Psalms 136:6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
  • Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

“censers” Hebrew H4289 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 25:38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.
  • Numbers 4:9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it:
  • Numbers 16:38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

“Eleazar” Hebrew H499 · used in 70 verses

  • Exodus 6:23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
  • Numbers 27:19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.
  • Joshua 22:32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.