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1 Kings 7:13-47
New Living Translation

Furnishings for the Temple

13 King Solomon then asked for a man named Huram[a] to come from Tyre. 14 He was half Israelite, since his mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. Huram was extremely skillful and talented in any work in bronze, and he came to do all the metal work for King Solomon.

15 Huram cast two bronze pillars, each 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference.[b] 16 For the tops of the pillars he cast bronze capitals, each 7 1⁄2 feet[c] tall. 17 Each capital was decorated with seven sets of latticework and interwoven chains. 18 He also encircled the latticework with two rows of pomegranates to decorate the capitals over the pillars. 19 The capitals on the columns inside the entry room were shaped like water lilies, and they were six feet[d] tall. 20 The capitals on the two pillars had 200 pomegranates in two rows around them, beside the rounded surface next to the latticework. 21 Huram set the pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one toward the south and one toward the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north Boaz.[e] 22 The capitals on the pillars were shaped like water lilies. And so the work on the pillars was finished.

23 Then Huram cast a great round basin, 15 feet across from rim to rim, called the Sea. It was 7 1⁄2 feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference.[f] 24 It was encircled just below its rim by two rows of decorative gourds. There were about six gourds per foot[g] all the way around, and they were cast as part of the basin.

25 The Sea was placed on a base of twelve bronze oxen,[h] all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east, and the Sea rested on them. 26 The walls of the Sea were about three inches[i] thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a water lily blossom. It could hold about 11,000 gallons[j] of water.

27 Huram also made ten bronze water carts, each 6 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4 1⁄2 feet tall.[k] 28 They were constructed with side panels braced with crossbars. 29 Both the panels and the crossbars were decorated with carved lions, oxen, and cherubim. Above and below the lions and oxen were wreath decorations. 30 Each of these carts had four bronze wheels and bronze axles. There were supporting posts for the bronze basins at the corners of the carts; these supports were decorated on each side with carvings of wreaths. 31 The top of each cart had a rounded frame for the basin. It projected 1 1⁄2 feet[l] above the cart’s top like a round pedestal, and its opening was 2 1⁄4 feet[m] across; it was decorated on the outside with carvings of wreaths. The panels of the carts were square, not round. 32 Under the panels were four wheels that were connected to axles that had been cast as one unit with the cart. The wheels were 2 1⁄4 feet in diameter 33 and were similar to chariot wheels. The axles, spokes, rims, and hubs were all cast from molten bronze.

34 There were handles at each of the four corners of the carts, and these, too, were cast as one unit with the cart. 35 Around the top of each cart was a rim nine inches wide.[n] The corner supports and side panels were cast as one unit with the cart. 36 Carvings of cherubim, lions, and palm trees decorated the panels and corner supports wherever there was room, and there were wreaths all around. 37 All ten water carts were the same size and were made alike, for each was cast from the same mold.

38 Huram also made ten smaller bronze basins, one for each cart. Each basin was six feet across and could hold 220 gallons[o] of water. 39 He set five water carts on the south side of the Temple and five on the north side. The great bronze basin called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the Temple. 40 He also made the necessary washbasins, shovels, and bowls.

So at last Huram completed everything King Solomon had assigned him to make for the Temple of the Lord:

41 the two pillars;
the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars;
the two networks of interwoven chains that decorated the capitals;
42 the 400 pomegranates that hung from the chains on the capitals (two rows of pomegranates for each of the chain networks that decorated the capitals on top of the pillars);
43 the ten water carts holding the ten basins;
44 the Sea and the twelve oxen under it;
45 the ash buckets, the shovels, and the bowls.

Huram made all these things of burnished bronze for the Temple of the Lord, just as King Solomon had directed. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon did not weigh all these things because there were so many; the weight of the bronze could not be measured.

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Footnotes

  1. 7:13 Hebrew Hiram (also in 7:40, 45); compare 2 Chr 2:13. This is not the same person mentioned in 5:1.
  2. 7:15 Hebrew 18 cubits [8.3 meters] tall and 12 cubits [5.5 meters] in circumference.
  3. 7:16 Hebrew 5 cubits [2.3 meters].
  4. 7:19 Hebrew 4 cubits [1.8 meters]; also in 7:38.
  5. 7:21 Jakin probably means “he establishes”; Boaz probably means “in him is strength.”
  6. 7:23 Hebrew 10 cubits [4.6 meters] across. . . . 5 cubits [2.3 meters] deep and 30 cubits [13.8 meters] in circumference.
  7. 7:24 Or 20 gourds per meter; Hebrew reads 10 per cubit.
  8. 7:25 Hebrew 12 oxen; compare 2 Kgs 16:17, which specifies bronze oxen.
  9. 7:26a Hebrew a handbreadth [8 centimeters].
  10. 7:26b Hebrew 2,000 baths [42 kiloliters].
  11. 7:27 Hebrew 4 cubits [1.8 meters] long, 4 cubits wide, and 3 cubits [1.4 meters] high.
  12. 7:31a Hebrew a cubit [46 centimeters].
  13. 7:31b Hebrew 1 1⁄2 cubits [69 centimeters]; also in 7:32.
  14. 7:35 Hebrew half a cubit wide [23 centimeters].
  15. 7:38 Hebrew 40 baths [840 liters].
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1 Kings 7:13-47
New English Translation

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.”
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