Overview
The grate (or grid) was a bronze latticed framework positioned within the altar of burnt offering in the tabernacle. Placed halfway up the altar's interior, it held the sacrificial offerings while allowing ashes to fall through to the base. This design facilitated proper airflow for combustion and made ash removal practical.
Key Scriptures
"You shall also make a grate of bronze network, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners" (Exodus 27:4, NASB). "The grate shall be placed halfway up the altar" (Exodus 27:5, ESV). "He made a grate of bronze network for the altar, beneath its ledge, extending halfway up" (Exodus 38:4, NIV).
Application
The grate reminds us that God ordained specific, functional details for worship—our approach to Him through Christ should likewise be ordered, intentional, and centered on His prescribed way of atonement.