G3031 — λιβανωτός (libanōtós)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3031
Original: λιβανωτός
Transliteration: libanōtós
Pronunciation: lib-an-o-tos
Part of Speech: Masculine noun (n-m)
Root: From G3030 (λίβανος, líbanos — frankincense, incense-tree), which derives from H3828 (לְבוֹנָה, lebonah — frankincense)
Occurrences: 2 unique verses in NT
Books: 1 (Revelation only)
First Occurrence: Rev 8:3 — "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."
Hapax Legomenon: No (appears twice, both in Revelation 8)

Lexicon Definition¶

From G3030 (λίβανος, frankincense); frankincense, i.e. (by extension) a censer for burning.

Outline of Biblical Usage: a censer (the vessel used to hold and burn incense, named after the substance it contained). Referenced in the heavenly sanctuary scene (Revelation 8).

Note: The word derives its name from the incense itself (frankincense/λίβανος), making the censer etymologically "the frankincense-thing." The parent word G3030 appears in Matt 2:11 (gift of the Magi) and Rev 18:13 (cargo of Babylon).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 006 — Artifacts
Subdomain: 006.016 — Containers
Other words in subdomain: ἀγγεῖον (G30, vessel), ἀλάβαστρος (G211, alabaster box), ἀσκός (G779, wineskin/bottle), βαλλάντιον (G905, purse), γαζοφυλάκιον (G1049, treasury/offering box), γλωσσόκομον (G1101, bag), θήκη (G2336, sheath), θησαυρός (G2344, treasure chest)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[006] Artifacts — ritual and material objects. Other words: ἀγγεῖον (G30), ἄγγος (G30), ἄγκιστρον (G44), ἄγκυρα (G45), ἀλάβαστρος (G211), ἀλόη (G250)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
censer	2	100%

100% consistency; no translation ambiguity in KJV.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	2	0.5

Exclusive to Revelation. Both occurrences are in the same pericope (Rev 8:3–5), the heavenly sanctuary scene that opens the seventh seal and introduces the trumpet judgments.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Heavenly Censer — Offering Incense with Prayers¶

The censer is held by an angel standing at the heavenly altar. It receives much incense to offer with the prayers of all saints before God's throne.

Rev 8:3 — "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer (libanōtón); and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."

2. The Heavenly Censer — Filled with Fire and Cast to Earth¶

After the offering of incense, the same censer is filled with fire from the altar and hurled to the earth, triggering cosmic upheaval.

Rev 8:5 — "And the angel took the censer (libanōtón), and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."

Both uses are accusative singular masculine (N-ASM), referring to the same vessel within a single dramatic scene. The censer functions first as a vessel of intercessory offering, then as an instrument of divine judgment.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θυμίαμα (thymíama)	G2368	1x (Rev 8:3)	"much incense" added to the censer — the substance it holds
προσευχή (proseuchḗ)	G4335	1x (Rev 8:3)	incense offered with "the prayers of all saints"
πῦρ (pŷr)	G4442	1x (Rev 8:5)	censer filled with "fire of the altar"
θρόνος (thrónos)	G2362	1x (Rev 8:3)	standing before the golden altar "before the throne"
σεισμός (seismós)	G4578	1x (Rev 8:5)	result of casting the censer: voices, lightnings, earthquake

Word Family / Cognates¶

G3030 λίβανος (líbanos) — frankincense; the incense-tree and its resin (Matt 2:11: gift of the Magi; Rev 18:13: cargo of fallen Babylon). G3031 is formed from this root: the censer is "the thing for frankincense."
H3828 לְבוֹנָה (lebonah) — Hebrew source of λίβανος: white/pure frankincense, used in Levitical offerings and the grain offering formula (Lev 2:1–2)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for G3031.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonym entries were returned by search_relationships.py for G3031.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
θυμιαστήριον (thymiastērion)	G2369	both rendered "censer" in KJV	G2369 (Heb 9:4) denotes a place of fumigation/the incense altar itself; G3031 is the portable vessel carried by the angel; Louw-Nida classifies G3031 as a Container, not an altar
θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion)	G2379	not "censer" but context overlap: both in altar/worship scenes	G2379 is the altar of sacrifice (or golden incense altar); G3031 is the vessel used at that altar

Domain Neighbors (Containers — 006.016)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G211	ἀλάβαστρος	alabaster box	Container for precious ointment; domestic/devotional
G779	ἀσκός	bottle/wineskin	Container for liquids; everyday use
G1049	γαζοφυλάκιον	treasury	Temple offering-chest; institutional storage
G2336	θήκη	sheath	Container for a weapon (sword, John 18:11)
G2344	θησαυρός	treasure	Container of stored wealth

G3031 is the only container in this domain that functions as a ritual/liturgical instrument in an eschatological judgment context.

Hebrew Source¶

No LXX mapping found for G3031. The word is not attested as a Greek translation of a Hebrew original in the LXX corpus. The parent word G3030 (λίβανος) derives from H3828 (לְבוֹנָה, lebonah), but G3031 itself appears to be a late derivation used in Hellenistic/koine contexts.