מִזְבֵּחַ
Mizbeach
Altar, place of sacrifice
Mizbeach (מִזְבֵּחַ) is a Hebrew word meaning “altar, place of sacrifice,” pronounced “miz-BAY-akh.” Derived from the root ז-ב-ח, mizbeach appears 403 times in the Hebrew Bible (Strong's H4196).
| Hebrew | מִזְבֵּחַ |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | Mizbeach |
| Pronunciation | miz-BAY-akh |
| Meaning | Altar, place of sacrifice |
| Root Letters | ז-ב-ח |
| Occurrences in Hebrew Bible | 403× |
| Key Verse | Genesis 8:20 |
| Strong's Number | H4196 |
| Category | Covenant & Theology |
The first thing Noah did when he stepped off the ark onto a devastated, waterlogged earth was build a mizbeach (מִזְבֵּחַ) — an altar (Genesis 8:20). Not a house. Not a city. An altar. This pattern repeats throughout Genesis: Abraham built altars at Shechem, Bethel, Hebron, and Moriah. Isaac built one at Beersheba. Jacob built them at Shechem and Bethel. The patriarchs marked their encounters with God by building places of sacrifice. The Hebrew word mizbeach comes from the root zavach, meaning 'to slaughter, to sacrifice.' An altar is literally a 'place of slaughter' — not a comfortable image, but an honest one. Every mizbeach in the Bible represents the intersection of heaven and earth, the meeting point between a holy God and sinful humanity, the place where life is given so that relationship can continue. The great altar of the Temple in Jerusalem stood at the center of Israel's worship for centuries. When it was destroyed in 70 AD, Jewish worship was fundamentally transformed — prayer and Torah study replaced animal sacrifice. For Christians, the ultimate mizbeach is the cross, where Jesus offered Himself as both priest and sacrifice. But the concept of altar — a place where you bring your whole self to God — remains central to authentic worship. As Paul writes, 'Present your bodies as a living sacrifice' (Romans 12:1). Every believer's life is meant to be a mizbeach.
Key Bible Verse: Genesis 8:20
“Then Noah built an altar (mizbeach) to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.”
What Is the Root of Mizbeach in Hebrew?
Mizbeach comes from the root ז-ב-ח (zayin-bet-chet), meaning 'to slaughter, to sacrifice.' The prefix 'mi-' indicates a place — so mizbeach literally means 'place of slaughter/sacrifice.' The word is direct and unflinching about what worship costs.
What Does Mizbeach Mean in the Bible?
Mizbeach appears over 400 times in the Hebrew Bible. Key altars include Noah's after the flood (Genesis 8:20), Abraham's at Moriah (Genesis 22:9), the bronze altar in the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:1), the golden incense altar (Exodus 30:1), and Solomon's Temple altar (2 Chronicles 4:1). Elijah's rebuilt altar on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:30-32) is one of the Bible's most dramatic scenes.
How Is Mizbeach Used in Modern Hebrew?
Since the Temple's destruction in 70 AD, the synagogue 'bimah' (reading platform) symbolically replaced the altar. The Talmud teaches that 'a person's table is like the altar' — meals shared with gratitude and generosity carry the altar's sacred function. Some Jewish groups advocate rebuilding the Temple altar on the Temple Mount, which remains one of the world's most contested religious sites.
How to Use Mizbeach in Prayer & Worship
Let your life be a mizbeach — a place of sacrifice and surrender. Romans 12:1 calls you to present your body as a 'living sacrifice.' Ask God where you need to rebuild broken altars of worship, prayer, and devotion in your life, just as Elijah rebuilt the altar on Carmel.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mizbeach
How do you say “Altar” in Hebrew?
“Altar” in Hebrew is Mizbeach (מִזְבֵּחַ), pronounced “miz-BAY-akh.” Mizbeach comes from the root ז-ב-ח (zayin-bet-chet), meaning 'to slaughter, to sacrifice.' The prefix 'mi-' indicates a place — so mizbeach literally means 'place of slaughter/sacrifice.' The word is direct and unflinching about what worship costs.
What does Mizbeach mean in the Bible?
Mizbeach (מִזְבֵּחַ) means “Altar, place of sacrifice” in Biblical Hebrew. Mizbeach appears over 400 times in the Hebrew Bible. Key altars include Noah's after the flood (Genesis 8:20), Abraham's at Moriah (Genesis 22:9), the bronze altar in the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:1), the golden incense altar (Exodus 30:1), and Solomon's Temple altar (2 Chronicles 4:1). Elijah's rebuilt altar on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:30-32) is one of the Bible's most dramatic scenes.
How do you pronounce Mizbeach?
Mizbeach is pronounced “miz-BAY-akh.” The word comes from the Hebrew root ז-ב-ח.
Why did the patriarchs build altars everywhere they went?
Building an altar was the patriarchal way of consecrating a place to God, marking a divine encounter, and claiming territory for worship. When Abraham built an altar at Shechem (Genesis 12:7), he was declaring that this land belonged to God. Each altar was both a memorial of God's faithfulness and a commitment to ongoing worship. The pattern teaches that wherever God meets you, you should build a place of surrender.
What happened on Mount Moriah?
On Mount Moriah (Genesis 22), Abraham built an altar and prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God's command. At the last moment, God provided a ram as a substitute. Abraham named the place 'YHWH Yireh' — 'The LORD will provide.' Jewish tradition identifies Mount Moriah as the future Temple Mount in Jerusalem — the same mountain where Solomon built the Temple and where Jesus was ultimately crucified. The ram substituting for Isaac foreshadowed the Lamb of God substituting for humanity.
What is the significance of Elijah's altar on Mount Carmel?
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah rebuilt a broken altar using twelve stones (representing the twelve tribes) and called on God to send fire from heaven. God's fire consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water. The rebuilt altar represented the restoration of true worship in a nation that had abandoned God for Baal. It teaches that God's fire falls on altars that are rebuilt — places of renewed surrender and faith.
Sources & Further Study
- Blue Letter Bible — H4196: Mizbeach
- Bible Gateway — Genesis 8:20 (ESV)
- Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB) — entry for ז-ב-ח
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