מִזְבֵּחַ401 H4196
Altar; a raised cultic installation for offering sacrifices, from the root zavach ('to slaughter')
Mizbeach designates the altar as the central liturgical fixture for Israelite worship, derived from zavach ('to slaughter, sacrifice'). With over 400 occurrences, it traces the entire arc of Israel's worship history: from Noah's post-flood altar (Gen 8:20) through the patriarchal pillars, to the elaborate bronze and gold altars of the Tabernacle and Temple, and finally to the polemical destruction of idolatrous altars under Josiah. The Arabic cognate madhbah ('place of slaughter') preserves the same etymological logic. Across translations, the word is rendered with near-perfect consistency: Spanish altar, French autel, German Altar.
Senses
1. altar (place of sacrifice) — A cultic installation constructed for the presentation of animal sacrifices, grain offerings, or incense to deity, derived from the root z-b-ch ('to slaughter'). Encompasses the patriarchal open-air altars (Gen 8:20; 12:7), the bronze altar of burnt offering and golden incense altar of the Tabernacle (Exod 27:1; 30:1), Solomon's Temple altar, and also illegitimate altars to foreign gods whose demolition the prophets demanded. The Arabic cognate madhbah confirms the 'place of slaughter' etymology across Semitic. 403×
AR["الـمَذبَحَ", "الـمَذبَحُ", "الـمَذبَحِ", "المَذبَحِ", "الْمَذْبَحَ", "الْمَذْبَحِ"]·ben["-বেদি", "বেদিতে", "বেদির", "সেই-বেদি", "সেই-বেদির"]·DE["den-Altar", "der-Altar"]·EN["the-altar"]·FR["l'autel", "le-autel"]·heb["ה-מזבח"]·HI["वेदी", "वेदी-के"]·ID["mezbah", "mezbah-itu"]·IT["l'-altare", "l'altare"]·jav["misbyah", "misbyah-punika", "misbyah-punika,", "misbyah-punika.", "misbèah"]·KO["그-제단", "그-제단을", "그-제단의", "그-제단이"]·PT["o-altar"]·RU["жертвенник", "жертвенника", "жертвеннике", "жертвенником", "жертвеннику"]·ES["el-altar"]·SW["madhabahu", "wa-madhabahu", "ya-madhabahu", "za-madhabahu"]·TR["-sunağı", "-sunağın", "sunagı", "sunagın", "sunak", "sunağa", "sunağı", "sunağın"]·urd["-قربان-گاہ", "-مذبح", "-مذبح-کی", "-مذبح-کے", "قربان-گاہ", "قربان-گاہ-کے"]
Gen 22:9, Gen 22:9, Exod 24:6, Exod 27:1, Exod 27:1, Exod 27:5, Exod 27:5, Exod 27:7, Exod 28:43, Exod 29:12, Exod 29:12, Exod 29:16 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H2719 1. sword, weapon of war (410×)H7393 1. chariot, chariotry (117×)H7198 1. bow (weapon) (72×)H7979 1. table (71×)H7782 1. ram's horn trumpet (69×)H4294 2. staff, rod, scepter (63×)H4043 1. shield, defensive weapon (60×)H0646 1. ephod (priestly garment) (49×)H8504 1. blue (violet-blue yarn/fabric) (49×)H2595 1. spear, lance (48×)H2671 1. arrow, projectile weapon (46×)H4818 1. chariot, war-chariot (44×)H3658 1. lyre, harp (stringed instrument) (42×)H1537 1. Gilgal (place name) (41×)H0713 1. purple (fabric/dye) (38×)H0905 3. poles, staves (37×)H7392 1. Qal participle: rider, charioteer (37×)H4501 1. cultic lampstand (menorah) (36×)H0212 1. wheel (35×)H7626 2. rod, staff, stick (33×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מִזְבֵּחַ401 מִזְבֵּחַ401 n.m. Jos 22:10 altar (Arabic مَذْبَحٌ, place of slaughter, trench made by torrent, Sab. מדֿבח DHMEpigr. Denkm. 24); מ׳ abs. 2 K 18:22 + 223 times, הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חָה Ex 29:13 + 31 times; cstr. מִזְבַּח Ex 20:24 + 76 times, sf. מִזְבְּחִי Ex 20:26 + 7 times, מִזְבַּחֲךָ 1 K 8:31 + 3 times, מִזְבְּחֶ֑ךָ Dt 33:10; מִזְבְּחוֹ Ju 6:31 + 2 times; pl. מִזְבְּחֹת Nu 23:1 + 5 times,…