Hebrews 9:4

“Which had the golden censer, etc..] There were various censers used by the priests in the daily service, but this was a peculiar one, which was used by the high priest on the day of atonement; on other days he used a silver censer, but on that day a golden one, and with it he entered into the holy of holies f143; and though Moses does not call it a golden one, (<031612>Leviticus 16:12) yet Josephus does f144; and so do the Jewish doctors in the place referred to, with whom the apostle agrees, and to this the allusion is in (<660803>Revelation 8:3) but here a difficulty arises, how this can be said to have been in the holy of holies, and within the vail, when, according to Moses, it was…”

“golden censer--The Greek, must not be translated "altar of incense," for it was not in "the holiest" place "after the second veil," but in "the holy place"; but as in Ch2 26:19, and Eze 8:11, "censer": so Vulgate and Syriac. This GOLDEN censer was only used on the day of atonement (other kinds of censers on other days), and is therefore associated with the holiest place, as being taken into it on that anniversary by the high priest. The expression "which had," does not mean that the golden censer was deposited there, for in that case the high priest would have had to go in and bring it out before burning incense in it; but that the golden censer was one of the articles belonging to, and used…”

“Which had the golden censer - The censer was a “fire-pan,” made for the purpose of carrying fire, in order to burn incense on it in the place of worship. The forms of the censer were various. Some difficulty has been felt respecting the statement of Paul here that the “golden censer” was in the most holy place, from the fact that no such utensil is mentioned by Moses as pertaining to the tabernacle, nor in the description of Solomon’s temple, which was modelled after the tabernacle, is there any account of it given. But the following considerations will probably remove the difficulty. (1) Paul was a Jew, and was familiar with what pertained to the temple, and gave such a description of it as…”

“Having the golden censer - Used by the high priest only, on the great day of atonement. And the ark, or chest, of the covenant - So called from the tables of the covenant contained therein. Wherein was the manna - The monument of God's care over Israel. And Aaron's rod - The monument of the regular priesthood. And the tables of the covenant - The two tables of stone, on which the ten commandments were written by the finger of God the most venerable monument of all. Hebrews 9:5”

“9:4 The gold incense altar probably stood just outside the inner curtain (Exod 30:1-10); its location is ambiguous at points in the Old Testament, but it was closely associated with the Most Holy Place (Exod 30:6; Lev 16:13; 1 Kgs 6:22). • Since it represented the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant was the most important item in the Tabernacle (see Exod 25:10-22). • The gold jar containing manna was a reminder of God’s provision in the wilderness (Exod 16:32-34). • Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves (see Num 17:1-11) was a reminder not to rebel against God’s chosen leaders (Num 17:10; cp. Heb 13:17). • The stone tablets of the covenant held the Ten Commandments and were to remind the…”

“the golden: Lev 16:12; Kg1 7:50; Rev 8:3 the ark: Exo 25:10-16, Exo 26:33, Exo 37:1-5, Exo 39:35, Exo 40:3, Exo 40:21 was: Exo 16:33, Exo 16:34 and Aaron's: Num 17:5, Num 17:8, Num 17:10; Psa 110:2, Psa 110:3 and the: Exo 25:16, Exo 25:21, Exo 26:33, Exo 34:29, Exo 40:3, Exo 40:20, Exo 40:21; Deu 10:2-5; Kg1 8:9, Kg1 8:21; Ch2 5:10 Hebrews 9:5”