Original Word: קִטֵּר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: qitter
Pronunciation: kit-tehr
Phonetic Spelling: (kit-tare')
KJV: incense
NASB: smoking sacrifices
Word Origin: [from H6999 (קָטַר - burn incense)]

1. perfume

incense

From qatar; perfume -- incense.

see HEBREW qatar

Word Origin
from the same as qitor
Definition
incense
NASB Translation
smoking sacrifices (1).

קטֵּר. (Ol^{§ 182 e}) noun feminine incense; — Jeremiah 44:21 (on Gender see Albr^{ZAW xvi (1896), 100}, who reads אֹתָהּ for אֹתָם and so Rothst^Kau Gie; Gie also קְטֹרֶת.

Overview

Strong’s 7002 points to the act of burning incense, an activity designed either for true covenant worship or, tragically, for idolatry. The single biblical occurrence in Jeremiah 44:21 portrays a people who perverted a practice that should have symbolized consecration and intercession.

Old Testament Context of Incense

Incense had a central place in Israel’s worship. The LORD Himself instituted its regular use: “Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it every morning … so that incense will burn perpetually before the LORD for the generations to come” (Exodus 30:7-8). Rising smoke pictured devotion ascending to heaven, and only priests, using a divinely prescribed mixture, could perform the rite (Exodus 30:34-38; Leviticus 16:12-13). Unauthorised fire—incense offered in defiance of divine command—invited immediate judgment, as demonstrated in Leviticus 10:1-2.

Historical Setting of Jeremiah 44

After Jerusalem’s fall, a remnant fled to Egypt, carrying their idolatry with them. Jeremiah confronted them:

“As for the incense you burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem … did not the LORD remember and bring this to mind?” (Jeremiah 44:21).

The prophet contrasts past abuses with the LORD’s patient remembrance and impending discipline. Their claims that idolatrous incense brought prosperity (Jeremiah 44:17-19) are exposed as self-deception; covenant curses, not blessings, had followed (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

Cultural and Religious Background

Across the Ancient Near East, incense signified honor to deities. Israel’s neighbors used it in fertility cults, funerary rituals, and political treaties. When Israelites adopted these customs, they blurred the line between covenant fidelity and syncretism (2 Kings 17:10-12; Hosea 2:13). Jeremiah 44:21 captures that contamination by employing a verb form used nowhere else, underscoring how foreign their worship had become.

Theological Themes

1. Holiness of Worship: Genuine incense is acceptable only when offered as the LORD commands (1 Samuel 15:22).
2. Divine Memory: God “remembers” sinful incense, proving that idolatry is never overlooked (Jeremiah 44:21; Psalm 25:7).
3. Prayer as Spiritual Incense: Legitimate incense anticipates the New Covenant reality—“May my prayer be set before You like incense” (Psalm 141:2); “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8).

Prophetic Implications in Jeremiah 44:21

Jeremiah’s audience misread history, imagining that their homage to the “queen of heaven” had secured wellbeing. The verb behind “burned incense” exposes their misplaced trust: what should have symbolized supplication now testifies against them. The judgment pronounced (Jeremiah 44:25-30) fulfills earlier warnings that disobedient worship will empty the land (Leviticus 26:31-33).

Ministry Reflections

• Guard the purity of corporate worship; forms commanded for Israel point forward to Christ, not to cultural experimentation.
• Idolatry often masquerades as tradition; leaders must weigh every practice against Scripture.
• God’s remembrance is double-edged—He recalls both faithful service (Malachi 3:16) and persistent rebellion (Jeremiah 14:10).

Application for the Church Today

Believers now offer “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Incense’s fragrant ascent prefigures Christ’s atoning work and the Church’s prayers. Therefore:

– Let worship center on the finished sacrifice of the cross, not on sensory attraction.

– Persist in prayer, the New Covenant counterpart to fragrant incense (Hebrews 13:15).

– Reject every modern equivalent of the “queen of heaven,” whether materialism, nationalism, or self-promotion, remembering that the Lord still “searches every heart” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

קִטַּרְתֶּ֜ם קטרתם kittarTem qiṭ·ṭar·tem qiṭṭartemInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts