1 Kings 7:13-47
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Products of Hiram the Bronzeworker
13 Now King Solomon invited and received Hiram from Tyre.(A) 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, whose father, a man of Tyre, had been an artisan in bronze; he was full of skill, intelligence, and knowledge in working bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.(B)
15 He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of the one, and a cord of twelve cubits would encircle it; the second pillar was the same.[a](C) 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 cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were nets of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 He made the columns with two rows around each latticework to cover the capitals that were above the pomegranates; he did the same with the other capital. 19 Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits high. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection that was beside the latticework; there were two hundred pomegranates in rows all around, and so with the other capital.(D) 21 He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the south and called it Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called it Boaz.(E) 22 On the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.
23 Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely.(F) 24 Under its brim were gourds[b] all around it, each of ten cubits, surrounding the sea; there were two rows of gourds,[c] cast when it was cast.(G) 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; the sea was set on them. The hindquarters of each were toward the inside.(H) 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth; its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held two thousand baths.[d]
27 He also made the ten stands of bronze; each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.(I) 28 This was the construction of the stands: they had borders; the borders were within the frames; 29 on the borders that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30 Each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze; at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each.(J) 31 Its opening was within the crown, whose height was one cubit; its opening was round, as a pedestal is made; it was a cubit and a half wide. At its opening there were carvings; its borders were four-sided, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the borders; the axles of the wheels were in the stands; and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each stand; the supports were of one piece with the stands. 35 On the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; on the top of the stand, its stays and its borders were of one piece with it. 36 On the surfaces of its stays and on its borders he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees where each had space, with wreaths all around. 37 In this way he made the ten stands; all of them were cast alike, with the same size and the same form.(K)
38 He made ten basins of bronze; each basin held forty baths;[e] each basin measured four cubits; there was a basin for each of the ten stands.(L) 39 He set five of the stands on the south side of the house and five on the north side of the house; he set the sea on the southeast corner of the house.
40 Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars;(M) 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars;(N) 43 the ten stands, the ten basins on the stands; 44 the one sea and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.(O)
45 The pots, the shovels, and the basins—all these vessels that Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord were of burnished bronze.(P) 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.(Q) 47 Solomon left all the vessels unweighed because there were so many of them; the weight of the bronze was not determined.
Read full chapter
1 Kings 7:13-47
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Chief Craftsman
13 King Solomon sent for Hiram[a] from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, but his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. Hiram too was filled with wisdom, understanding, and skill for all kinds of work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and performed the work for him.
The Large Bronze Pillars
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each twenty-seven feet tall. Their circumference was eighteen feet.
16 He made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars. The height of one capital was seven and a half feet, and the height of the other capital was seven and a half feet. 17 The capitals that sat on top of the pillars were decorated with a latticework of interwoven chains. There were seven rows of decoration on one capital and seven rows on the other capital. 18 This is how he made the pillars: He made two rows of pomegranates to go above the latticework on the capitals that were on top of the pillars.[b] He did this for each pillar. 19 The capitals that were on top of the pillars for the porch were shaped like lilies, six feet tall. 20 On top of each pillar, above the bulge, beside the latticework, there were two hundred pomegranates arranged in rows all the way around.[c]
21 He set up the pillars on the porch of the temple building. He set up one pillar on the south and named it Jakin,[d] and he set up the other pillar on the north and named it Boaz.[e] 22 The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. In this way the work for the pillars was finished.
The Sea
23 He made the sea of cast metal. It was round, fifteen feet from rim to rim. It was seven and a half feet high. Its circumference was forty-five feet. 24 Under its rim all the way around there were round, gourd-shaped ornaments, one every two inches, all the way around the sea.[f] The ornaments were in two rows, cast as one piece with the sea. 25 The sea stood on twelve cattle, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them. All their hindquarters faced toward the center of the sea. 26 The sea was three inches[g] thick. Its rim was shaped like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held twelve thousand gallons.[h]
The Carts
27 He made ten bronze carts. Each cart was six feet long and six feet wide and four and a half feet tall. 28 This is how the carts were constructed: They had side panels between supporting frames. 29 The panels between the frames were decorated with lions, cattle, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and cattle, there were wreaths hanging down.[i] 30 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and at each of the four corners of the cart there were supports for the basin, with wreaths beside each of them. 31 The opening on top of the cart within a crowning structure was a foot and a half deep. The opening was round. It had a supporting pedestal a little more than two feet tall.[j] Around the opening there were engravings, and the panel that surrounded the opening was square, not round.
32 The four wheels were underneath the side panels, and the axles for the wheels were inserted through the cart. The height of each wheel was twenty-seven inches. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel. Their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal. 34 There were supports at each of the four corners of each cart. The supports were part of the cart itself. 35 In the top of the cart there was a round opening nine inches deep.[k] On top of the cart the supports and its panels were one piece with it. 36 On the panels between the supports he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees wherever there was room, with wreaths all around. 37 That is how he made the carts. All of them were cast with the same mold, so they had the same size and shape.
The Basins
38 He made ten bronze basins. Each basin contained two hundred forty gallons.[l] Each basin was six feet in diameter, and there was one basin for every one of the ten carts. 39 He placed five carts on the south side of the temple and five on the north side of the temple. He set the sea on the south side of the temple near the southeast corner.
40 Hiram made the basins, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls.
Summary
So Hiram completed all the work that he had been assigned by King Solomon for the House of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two globe-shaped capitals on top of the pillars, the two latticeworks that covered the two globe-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars, 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks (two rows of pomegranates for each latticework to cover the globe-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars), 43 the ten carts, the ten basins on the carts, 44 the one sea, the twelve cattle under the sea, 45 the pots, the shovels, and the sprinkling bowls. All these items, which Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of the Lord, were burnished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the ground, in the plain of the Jordan, between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon did not weigh all the vessels, because there were so many of them. The weight of the bronze was never determined.
Read full chapterNotas al pie
- 1 Kings 7:13 Called Huram in Chronicles. He is not to be confused with Hiram king of Tyre.
- 1 Kings 7:18 Pillars is the reading of the Syriac and many Hebrew manuscripts. Most Hebrew manuscripts read pomegranates.
- 1 Kings 7:20 The meaning of this sentence is uncertain.
- 1 Kings 7:21 Jakin means he establishes.
- 1 Kings 7:21 Boaz means in him is strength.
- 1 Kings 7:24 The meaning of this sentence is uncertain. The parallel in 2 Chronicles 4:3 says the ornaments were cattle.
- 1 Kings 7:26 A handbreadth
- 1 Kings 7:26 Literally two thousand baths. The reading in 2 Chronicles 4:5 is three thousand baths. They may have been using different standards for the size of a bath or rounding off.
- 1 Kings 7:29 A very different interpretation of this phrase is: On top of the framed sides there was a platform/pedestal/mounting stand. The mounting stand would be the structure that supported the basin that was inserted into the stand. The translation of the description of the carts is uncertain.
- 1 Kings 7:31 The meaning of this sentence is uncertain, and the interpretations in different translations vary.
- 1 Kings 7:35 The meaning of this sentence is uncertain.
- 1 Kings 7:38 Hebrew forty baths
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.