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2 Chronicles 4

KJV · Chapter 4/36

1Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

2Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

3And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.

4It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.

5And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.

6He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

7And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.

8He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold.

9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.

10And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.

11And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God;

12To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;

13And four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were upon the pillars.

14He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;

15One sea, and twelve oxen under it.

16The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the Lord of bright brass.

17In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.

18Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.

19And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;

20Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;

21And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;

22And the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The details of the temple's construction continue: the bronze altar, the great bronze tank called the 'sea,' the basins for washing, the golden lampstands, the tables, and all the utensils needed for the sacrifices and worship.

Explanation

Each utensil described had a specific ritual function within the sacrificial system established in the Law of Moses centuries earlier, showing continuity between the instructions given in the wilderness and their permanent application in the Jerusalem temple. The great bronze 'sea,' an enormous circular tank supported by twelve sculpted oxen, was used for the ritual purification of the priests, while the ten smaller basins were used to wash the animals designated for sacrifice. The quantity and variety of utensils made of pure gold, rather than just bronze or silver, reinforces the standard of material excellence Solomon sought in order to represent the greatness of God.

Fun facts

  • The 'bronze sea' had an estimated capacity of about 66,000 liters (roughly 17,000 gallons) of water, an impressive feat of engineering to be supported by only twelve cast bronze oxen statues.
  • All the bronze used in these structures was cast in clay molds on the plain of the Jordan, between Succoth and Zeredah, a large-scale casting technique documented here with unusual detail for ancient texts.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:1The bronze altar stands outside the temple, in the courtyard — considerably larger than the bronze sea described right after — and it is there that animal sacrifices were actually made.
  2. 2 Chronicles 4:2The “molten sea” was a giant bronze basin, resting on twelve carved oxen, used by the priests to wash before their service — quite different from the ten smaller basins, which were for washing the parts of the sacrifice. The size described is enormous for the standards of the time, the kind of piece that impressed anyone visiting the temple.
  3. 2 Chronicles 4:3Two rows of carved oxen decorated the base of the bronze sea underneath, a finishing detail on the giant piece described in the previous verse.
  4. 2 Chronicles 4:4The bronze sea rested on twelve carved oxen, three facing each direction — north, south, east, west — as if carrying that enormous tank on their backs.
  5. 2 Chronicles 4:5The rim of the bronze sea was worked like the rim of a cup or a lily blossom, and it held around sixteen thousand gallons of water — a monumental piece.
  6. 2 Chronicles 4:6Besides the bronze sea, ten smaller basins were used to wash the parts of the sacrificed animals, five on each side — a different function from the large basin, which was only for the priests to wash themselves.
  7. 2 Chronicles 4:7Ten gold lampstands, made following the traditional pattern, are placed in the temple, five on each side — more luxury repeated in series.
  8. 2 Chronicles 4:8Ten tables and a hundred gold basins complete the interior furnishings, also divided five to each side of the temple.
  9. 2 Chronicles 4:9Besides the main building, Solomon builds two courtyards — one reserved for the priests and a larger, open one — with doors overlaid in bronze.
  10. 2 Chronicles 4:10The bronze sea is positioned on the right side of the temple, facing southeast, a specific spot within the complex.
  11. 2 Chronicles 4:11Huram, the craftsman sent by Huram of Tyre, also makes pots, shovels, and basins, wrapping up the portion of the work he did on commission for Solomon.
  12. 2 Chronicles 4:12The list returns to the two bronze pillars at the entrance, with their bowls, capitals, and the decorative network covering those capitals — a summary of what was already described earlier.
  13. 2 Chronicles 4:13Four hundred bronze pomegranates, in two rows per network, decorated the pillars’ capitals — an exact number that shows the account’s care with these ornamental details.
  14. 2 Chronicles 4:14The smaller basins used for washing the sacrifices rested on their own stands, completing the set of courtyard furnishings.
  15. 2 Chronicles 4:15The account briefly mentions once more the bronze sea and the twelve oxen supporting it underneath.
  16. 2 Chronicles 4:16Pots, shovels, forks, and other utensils of polished bronze complete the list of what Huram-abi made for the temple at Solomon’s command.
  17. 2 Chronicles 4:17The king has these bronze pieces cast on the plain of the Jordan, in a clay-rich region between Succoth and Zeredathah — exactly the kind of ground suited to this casting work.
  18. 2 Chronicles 4:18The amount of bronze used was so great that no one even bothered weighing it exactly — a way of marking just how abundant the project’s resources were.
  19. 2 Chronicles 4:19The list of solid gold furnishings — tables, lampstands, forks, basins, even the door hinges — makes clear that luxury was in no short supply in the temple’s interior decoration. It was a concrete way of showing the place’s importance, not only through the building itself but through every object used inside it.
  20. 2 Chronicles 4:20The lampstands of purest gold stayed lit in front of the Most Holy Place, following the custom of keeping that light burning at all times.
  21. 2 Chronicles 4:21Decorative flowers, lamps, and wick trimmers, all of the highest-grade gold, complete the fine finish of these lampstands.
  22. 2 Chronicles 4:22Forks, basins, cups, and censers of purest gold, along with the inner doors of the Most Holy Place and the main entrance also overlaid with gold, close out the temple’s long list of luxury.

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