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fı̄r´pan (מחתּה, mahÌ£taÌ„h, “firepan,†“censer,†“snuffdish,†from חתה, hÌ£aÌ„thaÌ„h, “to snatch upâ€): A vessel for carrying coals. Brazen firepans were part of the furnishings of the altar of burnt offerings (; , and in , where the King James Version wrongly reads “censers,†the context indicating a vessel belonging to the brazen altar).
The same word is translated “snuffdishes†in ; ; , where it refers to golden firepans which belonged to the golden candlestick or lamp stand, and were used to receive the burnt ends of the wicks. In and , although the King James Version reads “censers,†the context points to the firepans belonging to the candlestick; as also in and , translated “firepans†in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American). A similar firepan designated by the same Hebrew word but translated “censer†was used to carry the burning coals upon which the incense was thrown and burned (; ; , ). See CENSER.
The firepan or censer of the Hebrews was doubtless similar to the censer of the Egyptians, pictures of which have been found. It consisted of a pan or pot for the coals, which was held by a straight or slightly curved long handle. The style of censer used in recent centuries, swung by three chains, came into use about the 12th century ad.