1 Kings 7
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 7
Solomon’s Palace.[a] 1 Now Solomon took thirteen years to completely finish building his own palace. 2 He built the palace out of Lebanon wood. It was one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It was built upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams stretching out upon the pillars. 3 It was roofed with cedar that lay over the beams that rested on the pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in a row. 4 Its windows were set high in the wall in sets of three, each set facing the other. 5 All of the doorways and windows had rectangular frames, with the windows facing each other in sets of three.
6 He made a hall of pillars. It was fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. There was a porch in front of it with other pillars and covered over by a canopy.
7 There was a throne room, the hall of justice, where he would sit in judgment. He covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. 8 The palace in which he lived had another court inside the hall which had the same design. Solomon also built another palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he wed.
9 All of these, from the outside to the great courtyard, and from the foundations to the eaves, were built with costly stone that had been trimmed with saws on the inside and outside edges. 10 The foundations were laid with costly stones that were quite large, some being ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 Above these were costly stone, cut to measure, and cedar beams.
12 The great courtyard was surrounded by three layers of cut stone and one layer of cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord and its porch.
13 [b]King Solomon brought back Hiram from Tyre. 14 His mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a craftsman from Tyre who worked in bronze. He was wise and knowledgeable and a skilled craftsman with all varieties of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all of his work.
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each of them measured eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[c] 16 He also cast two bronze capitals to be set on the top of the pillars. Each of the capitals was five cubits high. 17 A network of chains decorated the capitals on top of the pillars, seven on each of the capitals. 18 He made two rows of pomegranates which covered the network upon the capitals on top of the pillars. He did this on each of the capitals. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars that were in the porch were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high. 20 Upon each of the capitals of the two pillars, on the outwardly curved surface between the network, there were two rows of pomegranates, two hundred in all. 21 He erected the pillars in the porch of the temple. He erected the pillar on the right and called it Jachin, and he erected the pillar on the left and called it Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars there was lily work. Thus, the work on the pillars was completed.
23 Then he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one edge to the other. It was five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under the brim of its circumference there were gourds, ten to a cubit. There were two rows of gourds all around the sea, the gourds having been cast when the rest of it was cast. 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three facing to the north, three facing to the west, three facing to the south, and three facing to the east. The sea rested upon them, and their hindquarters were on the inside. 26 It was a handsbreath thick, and its brim was like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.
27 He also made ten bronze carts. Each cart was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This is how the carts were made. They had panels, and the panels were set in frames. 29 There were lions, oxen, and cherubim on the panels between the frames. On the top of the frames was a stand. Below the lions and the oxen there were embossed wreaths.
30 Each cart had four bronze wheels and bronze axles. There were supports for a basin at the four corners. The supports were cast with wreaths on either side. 31 The opening at the top of the cart was one cubit, and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, and it was one and a half cubits deep. There were carvings around the opening. The panels of the cart were square and not round.
32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles for the wheels were attached to the cart. Each wheel was one and a half cubits high. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels, with axles, rims, spokes, and hubs, all of which were made from cast metal.
34 Each cart had four handles, one on each corner, the handles being one piece with the cart. 35 There was a circular band a half a cubit high at the top of the cart. The supports and the panels were attached to the top of the cart. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surface of the supports and the panels wherever he could, with wreaths all around them.
37 This is how he made the ten carts. They were all cast from one mold, so they were the same size and shape. 38 He then made ten bronze basins. Each basin held forty baths and was four cubits across. There was one basin for each of the ten carts.
39 He placed five of the stands at the right side of the temple, and five of the stands on the left side of the temple. He placed the sea on the right side of the temple, toward the southeast.
40 Hiram also made basins, and shovels, and bowls. Thus Hiram completed all of the work that he was doing for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the top of the two pillars, the two networks that covered the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the two pillars, 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each of the networks that covered the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars,[d] 43 the ten carts, and the ten basins upon the carts, 44 one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea, 45 the pots, the shovels, and the basins.
All of the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were made from bright bronze. 46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground that lie between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon did not weigh any of these utensils because there were too many of them; the weight of the bronze used in them was not determined.
48 Solomon also made all of the furnishings that were in the temple of the Lord: the golden altar; the golden table upon which they laid the shewbread; 49 the lampstands made of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left side; the flower work, the lamps, and the tongs, all made of gold; 50 the bowls, the snuffers, the sprinkling bowls, the spoons, and the censors, all made from pure gold; and the golden hinges for the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the main part of the temple.
51 When King Solomon had completed all of the work on the temple of the Lord, Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had dedicated: the silver, the gold, and the furnishings. He placed them in the treasury of the temple of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 7:1 The royal palace was located south of the temple, to the right as one looked eastward. This location recalled that of the king in relation to the Lord (Ps 109:1): he has the place of honor; he is the Lord’s representative among the people, his “messiah” or anointed one.
- 1 Kings 7:13 We are grateful that the text has preserved for us the name of the expert craftsman in bronze, a man of Tyre (but with a Hebrew mother) who was thought worthy of executing the king’s great works. The “sea” (v. 23) is a great basin, containing the water for the priests’ ablutions. The ten basins on the movable stands were needed for supplying the water, of which a great deal was used, especially for washing the space in front after the immolation of the victims. There are other passages having to do with the temple objects and their use (Ex 30:17; 37; 38; 2 Chr 3–4; Ezek 20–43).
- 1 Kings 7:15 The bronze was booty taken by David in war (1 Chr 18:8).
- 1 Kings 7:42 The decorative aspects of the building seem extremely ornate, but each of the chosen materials have significant symbolism. Pomegranates had adorned the tabernacle that Moses oversaw, and their abundant use was a sign of the beauty and holiness of the temple.
1 Kings 7
New King James Version
Solomon’s Other Buildings
7 But Solomon took (A)thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.
2 He also built the (B)House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was [a]one hundred cubits, its width [b]fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. 4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.
6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.
7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to [c]ceiling.
8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, (C)whom he had taken as wife.
9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the (D)inner court of the house of the Lord (E)and the vestibule of the temple.
Hiram the Craftsman
13 Now King Solomon sent and brought [d]Huram from Tyre. 14 (F)He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and (G)his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; (H)he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.
The Bronze Pillars for the Temple(I)
15 And he [e]cast (J)two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. 16 Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.
19 The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. 20 The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were (K)two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around.
21 (L)Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name [f]Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name [g]Boaz. 22 The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.
The Sea and the Oxen
23 And he made (M)the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
24 Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, (N)all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 25 It stood on (O)twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. 26 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained [h]two thousand baths.
The Carts and the Lavers
27 He also made ten [i]carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 And this was the design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; 29 on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. 30 Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath. 31 Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round. 32 Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze. 34 And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself. 35 On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. 36 On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of [j]the same mold, one measure, and one shape.
38 Then (P)he made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained [k]forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver. 39 And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.
Furnishings of the Temple(Q)
40 (R)Huram[l] made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two (S)networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 42 (T)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars); 43 the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; 44 one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 (U)the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.
All these articles which [m]Huram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze. 46 (V)In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between (W)Succoth and (X)Zaretan. 47 And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not (Y)determined.
48 Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the Lord: (Z)the altar of gold, and (AA)the table of gold on which was (AB)the showbread; 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold; 50 the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the [n]censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.
51 So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished; and Solomon brought in the things (AC)which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 7:2 About 150 feet
- 1 Kings 7:2 About 75 feet
- 1 Kings 7:7 Lit. floor of the upper level
- 1 Kings 7:13 Heb. Hiram; cf. 2 Chr. 2:13, 14
- 1 Kings 7:15 fashioned
- 1 Kings 7:21 Lit. He Shall Establish
- 1 Kings 7:21 Lit. In It Is Strength
- 1 Kings 7:26 About 12,000 gallons; three thousand, 2 Chr. 4:5
- 1 Kings 7:27 Or stands
- 1 Kings 7:37 one
- 1 Kings 7:38 About 240 gallons
- 1 Kings 7:40 Heb. Hiram; cf. 2 Chr. 2:13, 14
- 1 Kings 7:45 Heb. Hiram; cf. 2 Chr. 2:13, 14
- 1 Kings 7:50 firepans
1 Kings 7
King James Version
7 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
3 And it was covered with cedar above upon the beams, that lay on forty five pillars, fifteen in a row.
4 And there were windows in three rows, and light was against light in three ranks.
5 And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows: and light was against light in three ranks.
6 And he made a porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits: and the porch was before them: and the other pillars and the thick beam were before them.
7 Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other.
8 And his house where he dwelt had another court within the porch, which was of the like work. Solomon made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken to wife, like unto this porch.
9 All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewed stones, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court.
10 And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
11 And above were costly stones, after the measures of hewed stones, and cedars.
12 And the great court round about was with three rows of hewed stones, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of the Lord, and for the porch of the house.
13 And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
14 He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.
15 For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
16 And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:
17 And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter.
18 And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.
19 And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.
20 And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.
21 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.
22 And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.
23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.
25 It 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.
26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.
27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.
28 And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:
29 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.
30 And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.
31 And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
32 And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.
33 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.
34 And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.
35 And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
36 For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportion of every one, and additions round about.
37 After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.
38 Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.
39 And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.
40 And Hiram made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the Lord:
41 The two pillars, and the two bowls of the chapiters that were on the top of the two pillars; and the two networks, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars;
42 And four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, even two rows of pomegranates for one network, to cover the two bowls of the chapiters that were upon the pillars;
43 And the ten bases, and ten lavers on the bases;
44 And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
45 And the pots, and the shovels, and the basons: and all these vessels, which Hiram made to king Solomon for the house of the Lord, were of bright brass.
46 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarthan.
47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.
48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,
49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
50 And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.
51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.
1 Kings 7
Common English Bible
Solomon builds palaces
7 Now as for Solomon’s palace, it took thirteen years for him to complete its construction. 2 He built the Forest of Lebanon Palace one hundred fifty feet in length, seventy-five feet in width, and forty-five feet in height. It had four rows of cedar columns with cedar engravings above the columns. 3 The palace’s cedar roof stood above forty-five beams resting on the columns, fifteen beams to each row. 4 Three sets of window frames faced each other. 5 All the doorframes were rectangular, facing each other in three sets. 6 He made a porch with columns that was seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. Another porch was in front of these with roofed columns in front of them.[a] 7 He made the throne room the Hall of Justice, where he would judge. It was covered with cedar from the lower to the upper levels. 8 The royal residence where Solomon lived was behind this hall. It had a similar design. Solomon also made a similar palace for his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter. 9 He built all these with the best stones cut to size, sawed with saws, back and front, from the foundation to the highest points and from the outer boundary to the great courtyard. 10 The foundation was laid with large stones of high quality, some of fifteen feet and some of twelve feet. 11 Above them were high-quality stones cut to measure, as well as cedar. 12 The surrounding great courtyard had three rows of cut stones and a row of trimmed cedar just like the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple and its porch.
Solomon’s temple equipment
13 Then King Solomon sent a message and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 Hiram’s mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was a Tyrian skilled in bronze work. He was amazingly skillful in the techniques and knowledge for doing all kinds of work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
15 He[b] cast two bronze pillars. Each one was twenty-seven feet high and required a cord of eighteen feet to reach around it.[c] 16 He made two capitals of cast bronze for the tops of the columns. They were each seven and a half feet high. 17 He made an intricate network of chains for the capitals on top of the columns, seven for each capital. 18 He made the pillars and two rows of pomegranates for each network to adorn each of the capitals. 19 The capitals on top of the columns in the porch were made like lilies, each six feet high. 20 Above the round-shaped part and next to the network were two hundred pomegranates. These were placed in rows around both of the capitals on top of the columns. 21 He set up the columns at the temple’s porch. He named the south column Jachin. The north column he named Boaz. 22 After putting the lily shapes on top of the columns, he was finished with the columns.
23 He also made a tank of cast metal called the Sea. It was circular in shape, fifteen feet from rim to rim, seven and a half feet high, forty-five feet in circumference. 24 Under the rim were two rows of gourds completely encircling it, ten every eighteen inches, each cast in its mold. 25 The Sea rested on twelve oxen with their backs toward the center, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. 26 The Sea was as thick as the width of a hand. Its rim was shaped like a cup or an open lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.[d]
27 He also made ten bronze stands. Each was six feet long, six feet wide, and four and a half feet high. 28 This is how each stand was made: There were panels connected between the legs. 29 Lions, bulls, and winged otherworldly creatures appeared on the panels between the legs. On the legs above and below the lions and bulls were wreaths on panels hanging off the stands. 30 There were four bronze wheels with bronze axles for each stand. There were four feet and supports cast for each basin with wreaths on their sides.[e] 31 Inside the bowl was an opening eighteen inches deep. The opening was round, measuring twenty-seven inches, with engravings. The panels of the stands were square rather than round. 32 There were four wheels beneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were attached to the stand. Each wheel was twenty-seven inches in height. 33 The construction of the wheels resembled chariot wheels. The axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all made of cast metal. 34 There was a handle on each of the four corners of every stand, projecting from the side of the stand. 35 The top of the stand had a band running around the perimeter that was nine inches deep. The stand had its own supports and panels. 36 On the surfaces of the supports and panels he carved winged otherworldly creatures, lions, and palm trees with wreaths everywhere.[f] 37 In this manner he made ten stands, each one cast in a single mold of the same size and shape.
38 He made ten bronze washbasins, each able to hold forty baths.[g] Every washbasin was six feet across, and there was one for each of the ten stands. 39 He placed five stands on the south of the temple and five on the north of the temple. He placed the Sea at the southeast corner of the temple.
40 Hiram made the basins, shovels, and bowls.
And so Hiram finished his work on the Lord’s temple for King Solomon:
41 two columns;
two circular capitals on top of the columns;
two networks, adorning the two circular capitals on top of the columns;
42 four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, with two rows of pomegranates for each network that adorned the two circular capitals on top of the columns;
43 ten stands with ten basins on them;
44 one Sea;
twelve oxen beneath the Sea;
45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls.
All the equipment that Hiram made for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple was made from polished bronze. 46 The king cast it in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Due to the very large number of objects, Solomon didn’t even try to weigh the bronze.
48 Solomon also made all the equipment for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar; the gold table for the bread of the presence; 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold; 50 the cups, wick trimmers, bowls, ladles, and censers of pure gold; and the gold sockets for the doors to the most holy place and for the doors to the main hall. 51 When all King Solomon’s work on the Lord’s temple was finished, he brought the silver, gold, and all the objects his father David had dedicated and put them in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 7:6 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 7:15 Either Solomon or Hiram; this ambiguity continues in the following verses, but cf 1 Kgs 7:1, 8, 13; 1 Kgs 7:40.
- 1 Kings 7:15 Or the second; cf Jer 52:21
- 1 Kings 7:26 One bath is approximately twenty quarts or five gallons.
- 1 Kings 7:30 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 7:36 Heb uncertain
- 1 Kings 7:38 One bath is approximately twenty quarts or five gallons.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible