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Solomon Commissions Hiram to Supply the Temple

13 King Solomon sent for Hiram[a] of Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali,[b] and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge[c] to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned.

15 He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet[d] high and 18 feet[e] in circumference. 16 He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was 7½ feet high.[f] 17 The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments.[g] 18 When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar.[h] 19 The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high.[i] 20 On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework, there were 200 pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around.[j] 21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right[k] side and called it Yakin;[l] he erected the other pillar on the left[m] side and called it Boaz.[n] 22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the pillars was completed.

23 He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.”[o] It measured 15 feet[p] from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood 7½ feet[q] high. Its circumference was 45 feet.[r] 24 Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments[s] arranged in settings 15 feet long.[t] The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.”[u] 25 “The Sea”[v] stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward.[w] 26 It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons.[x]

27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was 6 feet[y] long, 6 feet[z] wide, and 4½ feet[aa] high. 28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. 29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubim. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths.[ab] 30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports.[ac] Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths.[ad] 31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was 18 inches deep; it had a support that was 27 inches long.[ae] On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames.[af] 32 The four wheels were under the frames, and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was 27 inches[ag] high. 33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. 34 Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand.[ah] 35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep;[ai] there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. 36 He engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room,[aj] with wreaths[ak] all around. 37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape.

38 He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons.[al] Each basin was 6 feet in diameter;[am] there was one basin for each stand. 39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side. He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.

40 Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He[an] finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon.[ao] 41 He made[ap] the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, 42 the 400 pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar), 43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins, 44 the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath,[aq] 45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple[ar] were made from polished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in earth foundries[as] in the region of the Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all these items unweighed; there were so many of them they did not weigh the bronze.[at]

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:13 tn Heb “King Solomon sent and took Hiram from Tyre.” In 2 Chr 2:13 (MT v. 12) and 4:11, 16 his name is spelled “Huram.”
  2. 1 Kings 7:14 tn 2 Chr 2:14 (13 HT) says “from the daughters of Dan.”
  3. 1 Kings 7:14 tn Heb “he was filled with the skill, understanding, and knowledge.”
  4. 1 Kings 7:15 tn Heb “18 cubits.”
  5. 1 Kings 7:15 tn Heb “12 cubits.”
  6. 1 Kings 7:16 tn Heb “two capitals he made to place on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; 5 cubits was the height of the first capital, and 5 cubits was the height of the second capital.”
  7. 1 Kings 7:17 tn Heb “there were seven for the first capital, and seven for the second capital.”
  8. 1 Kings 7:18 tn Heb “he made the pillars, and two rows surrounding one latticework to cover the capitals which were on top of the pomegranates, and so he did for the second latticework.” The translation supplies “pomegranates” after “two rows,” and understands “pillars,” rather than “pomegranates,” to be the correct reading after “on top of.” The latter change finds support from many Hebrew mss and the ancient Greek version.
  9. 1 Kings 7:19 tn Heb “the capitals which were on the top of the pillars were the work of lilies, in the porch, 4 cubits.” It is unclear exactly what dimension is being measured.
  10. 1 Kings 7:20 tn Heb “and the capitals on the two pillars, also above, close beside the bulge which was beside the latticework, two hundred pomegranates in rows around, on the second capital.” The precise meaning of the word translated “bulge” is uncertain.
  11. 1 Kings 7:21 tn Or “south.”
  12. 1 Kings 7:21 tn The name “Yakin” appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
  13. 1 Kings 7:21 tn Or “north.”
  14. 1 Kings 7:21 sn The meaning of the name Boaz is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB 126-27 s.v. בעז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as בְּעֹז (beʿoz, “in strength”) and to understand it as completing the verbal form on the first pillar. Taking the words together and reading from right to left, one can translate the sentence, “he establishes [it] in strength.”
  15. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”sn This large basin was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (2 Chr 4:6; cf. Exod 30:17-21).
  16. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “10 cubits.”
  17. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “5 cubits.”
  18. 1 Kings 7:23 tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it 30 cubits all around.” The measurements are an approximation. The LXX has the number 33. Neither fit a strict calculation of the diameter time pi, but the precise details of measuring (e.g. the width of the lip or other factors) are not known and numbers may be rounded.
  19. 1 Kings 7:24 tn Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”
  20. 1 Kings 7:24 tn Heb “10 cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
  21. 1 Kings 7:24 tn Heb “the gourd-shaped ornaments were in two rows, cast in its casting.”
  22. 1 Kings 7:25 tn Heb “It.” The proper noun “The Sea” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  23. 1 Kings 7:25 tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”
  24. 1 Kings 7:26 tn Heb “2,000 baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
  25. 1 Kings 7:27 tn Heb “4 cubits.”
  26. 1 Kings 7:27 tn Heb “4 cubits.”
  27. 1 Kings 7:27 tn Heb “3 cubits.”
  28. 1 Kings 7:29 tn The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”
  29. 1 Kings 7:30 tn Heb “and four its feet, supports to them.”
  30. 1 Kings 7:30 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
  31. 1 Kings 7:31 tn Heb “And its opening from the inside to the top and upwards [was] a cubit, and its opening was round, the work of a stand, a cubit-and-a-half.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.
  32. 1 Kings 7:31 tn Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames [were] squared, not round.”
  33. 1 Kings 7:32 tn Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).
  34. 1 Kings 7:34 tn Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.
  35. 1 Kings 7:35 tn Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit [in] height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).
  36. 1 Kings 7:36 tn Heb “according to the space of each.”
  37. 1 Kings 7:36 tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.
  38. 1 Kings 7:38 tn Heb “forty baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).
  39. 1 Kings 7:38 tn Heb “4 cubits, each basin.” It is unclear which dimension is being measured.
  40. 1 Kings 7:40 tn Heb “Hiram.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  41. 1 Kings 7:40 tn Heb “Hiram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of the Lord.”
  42. 1 Kings 7:41 tn The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.
  43. 1 Kings 7:44 tn Heb “underneath ‘The Sea.’”
  44. 1 Kings 7:45 tn Heb “which Hiram made for King Solomon [for] the house of the Lord.”
  45. 1 Kings 7:46 tn Or perhaps, “molds.”
  46. 1 Kings 7:47 tn Heb “Solomon left all the items, due to their very great abundance; the weight of the bronze was not sought.”

Hiram’s Work in the House of Yahweh

13 Then (A)King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 (B)He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and (C)he was filled with wisdom and discernment and knowledge to do any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and (D)did all his work.

15 And he fashioned (E)the two pillars of bronze; (F)eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits [a]measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five [b]cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were nets of network and twisted threads of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 Now the capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 And there were capitals on the two pillars, even right above the [c]rounded projection which was on the one side of the network; and (G)the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around [d]both capitals. 21 (H)Thus he set up the pillars at the (I)porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it [e]Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it [f]Boaz. 22 And on the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished.

23 (J)And he made the sea of (K)cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and [g]thirty cubits in its circumference. 24 Now under its brim (L)gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, (M)entirely encircling the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the Sea when it was cast. 25 (N)It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a [h]handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold [i]two thousand baths.

27 Then (O)he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits. 28 Now this was the workmanship of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the [j]frames, 29 and on the borders which were between the [k]frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the [l]frames there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the laver were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the capital at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the workmanship of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 Now the workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form half a [m]cubit high, and on the top of the stand its [n]stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 (P)He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form.

38 (Q)He also made ten lavers of bronze, one laver held forty baths; each laver was four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one laver. 39 Then he set the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south.

40 And Hiram made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram completed doing all the work that he did for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh: 41 the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the (R)two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars, 42 and the (S)four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; 43 and the ten stands with the ten lavers on the stands; 44 and (T)the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 and (U)the pots and the shovels and the bowls; and all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh were of polished bronze. 46 (V)On the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between (W)Succoth and (X)Zarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; (Y)the weight of the bronze could not be found out.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:15 Lit went around the other pillar
  2. 1 Kings 7:16 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
  3. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit belly
  4. 1 Kings 7:20 Lit on the other capital
  5. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit he shall establish
  6. 1 Kings 7:21 Lit in it is strength
  7. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit a line of thirty cubits went around it
  8. 1 Kings 7:26 A handbreadth was approx. 3 in. or 7.6 cm
  9. 1 Kings 7:26 Approx. 12,000 gal. or 45,424 l, a bath was approx. 6 gal. or 23 l
  10. 1 Kings 7:28 Or crossbars
  11. 1 Kings 7:29 Or crossbars
  12. 1 Kings 7:29 Or crossbars
  13. 1 Kings 7:35 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
  14. 1 Kings 7:35 Lit hands