Altar

A structure used in worship that is made of stone, wood, marble, brick, or other materials. The people of Israel and people of other nations used altars for worship. Some altars were very simple; others were fancy. Although Abel offered a sacrifice to God, the first altar mentioned in the Bible was built by Noah. The Jewish tabernacle had two altars. One was the altar of burnt offering, where sacrifices to God were burned. The other was an altar of incense, sometimes called the golden altar. Incense was burned on this altar twice each day to symbolize believers’ prayers. The temples built later had altars for sacrifices.