Bible Strands
Numbers 16:37
“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are holy.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD commands Moses to instruct Eleazar, Aaron’s son and the priest, to handle the used censers immediately after the judgment on the rebels. This directive occurs at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting following the divine consumption of the offenders.
The words — The Hebrew אֱמֹר ('e.Mor) issues a direct command to "speak" or "tell," while וְ/יָרֵם (ve./ya.Rem) orders Eleazar to "take up" the censers from the fire. These lexical choices mark a formal transfer of ritual duty from the prophetic leader to the established priesthood.
The thread — The principle that objects presented before the LORD retain a permanent sacred status appears in Leviticus 27:28 regarding devoted property and is established in Numbers 16:7 and 16:18 during the initial censer preparation. This same sanctity drives the command in Numbers 16:38 to hammer the vessels into altar overlay.
Why it lands — The text states that judged worship objects remain holy and require specific, regulated disposal rather than casual abandonment. It requires the reader to treat ritual materials as enduringly sacred rather than as expendable instruments.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 27:28 Nothing that a man sets apart to the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.
- Numbers 16:7 and tomorrow you are to place fire and incense in them in the presence of the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. It is you sons of Levi who have taken too much upon yourselves!”
- Numbers 16:18 So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.