What does עָתַר (ʿātar) mean in the Bible?
עָתַר (ʿātar): Incense-burning as symbolic mediation: intercession rises before God like fragrant smoke, effecting divine hearing.
Hebrew · H6279
עָתַר
To burn incense in worship, i.e. intercede (reciprocally, listen to prayer)
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עָתַר H6279
Pronunciation ʿātar
What does עָתַר (ʿātar) mean in the Bible?
עָתַר (ʿātar): Incense-burning as symbolic mediation: intercession rises before God like fragrant smoke, effecting divine hearing.
Full entry for עָתַר (H6279) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6279?
The BSB source-word alignment has 20 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Pray (2), prayed (2), and [how God] received his plea (1), and appeal (1), and He granted our request (1).
Where does עָתַר (ʿātar) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 25:21. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (8), 2 Chronicles (2), 2 Samuel (2), Genesis (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Pray 2× Exodus 8:8, Exodus 9:28
prayed 2× Genesis 25:21, Judges 13:8
and [how God] received his plea 1× 2 Chronicles 33:19
and appeal 1× Exodus 10:17
and He granted our request 1× Ezra 8:23
and He will hear their prayers 1× Isaiah 19:22
and prayed 1× Exodus 8:30
answered the prayers 1× 2 Samuel 24:25
answered their prayers 1× 2 Samuel 21:14
He answered their prayers 1× 1 Chronicles 5:20
He prays 1× Job 33:26
heard his prayer 1× Genesis 25:21
I will pray 1× Exodus 8:29
Now pray 1× Exodus 8:28
presence and appealed 1× Exodus 10:18
shall I pray 1× Exodus 8:9
the LORD received his plea 1× 2 Chronicles 33:13
You will pray 1× Job 22:27
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 25:21 וַיֶּעְתַּ֨ר to prayed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 25:21 וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר to heard his prayer Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 8:8 הַעְתִּ֣ירוּ to Pray Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural Exodus 8:9 אַעְתִּ֣יר to shall I pray Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular Exodus 8:28 הַעְתִּ֖ירוּ to Now pray Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural Exodus 8:29 וְהַעְתַּרְתִּ֣י to I will pray Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Exodus 8:30 וַיֶּעְתַּ֖ר to and prayed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 9:28 הַעְתִּ֙ירוּ֙ to Pray Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural Exodus 10:17 וְהַעְתִּ֖ירוּ to and appeal Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural Exodus 10:18 וַיֶּעְתַּ֖ר to presence and appealed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 25:21
Aligned rows 20
Books represented 9
Genesis 2 Exodus 8 Judges 1 2 Samuel 2 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 2 Ezra 1 Job 2 Isaiah 1
Source forms
וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר 2x way·yê·‘ā·ṯer Genesis 25:21, 2 Chronicles 33:13
וַיֶּעְתַּ֖ר 2x way·ye‘·tar Exodus 8:30, Exodus 10:18
אַעְתִּ֣יר 1x ’a‘·tîr Exodus 8:9
הַעְתִּ֣ירוּ 1x ha‘·tî·rū Exodus 8:8
הַעְתִּ֖ירוּ 1x ha‘·tî·rū Exodus 8:28
הַעְתִּ֙ירוּ֙ 1x ha‘·tî·rū Exodus 9:28
וְהַעְתִּ֖ירוּ 1x wə·ha‘·tî·rū Exodus 10:17
וְהֵֽעָתֶר־ 1x wə·hê·‘ā·ṯer- 2 Chronicles 33:19
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 5x Genesis 25:21, 2 Samuel 21:14, 2 Samuel 24:25, 2 Chronicles 33:13
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 4x Genesis 25:21, Exodus 8:30, Exodus 10:18, Judges 13:8
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural 3x Exodus 8:8, Exodus 8:28, Exodus 9:28
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular 1x Exodus 8:29
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural 1x Exodus 10:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 1x Isaiah 19:22
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute 1x 1 Chronicles 5:20
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct 1x 2 Chronicles 33:19
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Incense-burning as symbolic mediation: intercession rises before God like fragrant smoke, effecting divine hearing.
Strong's H6279
Lexical occurrences 20 verses Word forms 2 forms 6 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Exodus 8:8-15 Source Gloss
to burn incense in worship, i.e. intercede (reciprocally, listen to prayer)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Incense-burning as symbolic mediation: intercession rises before God like fragrant smoke, effecting divine hearing.
to burn incense in worship, i.e. intercede (reciprocally, listen to prayer) BDB: pray Usage: intreat, (make) pray(-er).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 6
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 5×
Sequential imperfect Exod 8:4 · Exod 8:24 · Exod 9:28 3×
Imperfect Exod 8:5 · Job 22:27 2×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 1×
Imperfect Job 33:26 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Pharaoh requests Moses to petition God to remove the plague of frogs
General reference to prayer or intercession in wisdom literature context
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 20 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עָתַר is built from this root:
עֶתֶר H6281
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain