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13 King Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill, to work all works in bronze. He came to king Solomon, and performed all his work. 15 For he fashioned the two pillars of bronze, eighteen cubits high apiece; and a line of twelve cubits encircled either of them. 16 He 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, and wreaths of chain work, 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 there were two rows around on the one network, to cover the capitals that were on the top of the pillars: and he did so for the other capital. 19 The capitals that were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work, four cubits. 20 There were capitals above also on the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network. There were two hundred pomegranates in rows around the other capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar, and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called its name Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars was lily work: so the work of the pillars was finished. 23 He made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in shape. Its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it. 24 Under its brim around there were buds which encircled it for ten cubits, encircling the sea. The buds were in two rows, cast when it was cast. 25 It stood on 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 on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward. 26 It was a hand width thick. Its brim was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths. 27 He made the ten bases of bronze. The length of one base was four cubits, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 The work of the bases was like this: they had panels; and there were panels between the ledges; 29 and on the panels that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Every base had four bronze wheels, and axles of bronze; and the four feet of it had supports. The supports were cast beneath the basin, with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its mouth within the capital and above was a cubit. Its mouth was round after the work of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its mouth were engravings, and their panels were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were underneath the panels; and the axles of the wheels were in the base. The height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. 33 The work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel. Their axles, and their rims, and their spokes, and their naves, were all of cast metal. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each base. Its supports were of the base itself. 35 In the top of the base there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the base its supports and its panels were the same. 36 On the plates of its supports, and on its panels, he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, each in its space, with wreaths all around. 37 He made the ten bases in this way: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one form. 38 He made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths;[a] and every basin was four cubits; and on every one of the ten bases one basin. 39 He set the bases, five 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 eastward and toward the south. 40 Hiram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished doing all the work that he worked for king Solomon in Yahweh’s house: 41 the two pillars; the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 43 the ten bases; the ten basins on the bases; 44 the one sea; the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 the pots; the shovels; and the basins: even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in Yahweh’s house, were of burnished bronze. 46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.

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Footnotes

  1. 7:38 1 bath is one tenth of a cor, or about 5.6 U. S. gallons or 21 liters, so 40 baths was about 224 gallons or 840 liters.

Contributions by Hiram the Bronzeworker(A)

13 King Solomon sent for Hiram[a] from Tyre, 14 the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, whose father was from Tyre. A bronze worker, he was wise, knowledgeable, and was skilled in all sorts of bronze working. He went to King Solomon and did all of his work.

15 He fashioned two bronze pillars, each one eighteen cubits[b] high, with a circumference of twelve cubits.[c] 16 He also crafted two capitals of cast bronze and set them on top of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits,[d] and the height of the other capital was five cubits.[e] 17 A network of latticework on top of the pillars was inlaid with ornamental wreaths and chains, the top of each pillar containing seven groups of ornamental structures. 18 The pillars contained two rows of ornaments shaped like pomegranates around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. 19 The capitals on top of each pillar above the rounded latticework contained four cubits[f] of lily designs, 20 with the capitals on the two pillars covered by 200 pomegranates in rows around both the capitals above and adjoining the rounded latticework. 21 That’s how he designed the pillars at the portico of the sanctuary. When he set up the right pillar, he named it Jachin.[g] When he set up the left pillar, he named it Boaz.[h] 22 The work on the pillars was finished with a lily design on top of the pillars.

The Bronze Sea

23 Hiram[i] also made a sea of cast metal ten cubits[j] from brim to brim, circular in shape and five cubits[k] and 30 cubits[l] in its inner circumference. 24 Under the brim, completely encircling it, were two rows of gourds inlaid as part of the original casting, ten to a cubit.[m] 25 The sea stood on top of twelve oxen. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. The sea was set on top of them, and their hind parts faced the center.[n] 26 The reservoir, which held about 2,000 baths,[o] stood about a handbreadth[p] thick, and its rim looked like the brim of a cup or of a lily blossom.

The Ten Water Carts

27 Hiram[q] also made ten bronze water carts.[r] Each one was four cubits[s] wide, four cubits long,[t] and three cubits[u] high. 28 The carts were designed with borders between cross-pieces, 29 and on the borders between the cross-pieces were lions, oxen, and cherubim. A pedestal was placed above the cross-pieces, and beneath the lions and oxen there were wreaths hanging down. 30 Each cart had four bronze wheels equipped with bronze axles with four support feet. Beneath the basin were cast support structures made like wreaths on each side. 31 The opening to each water cart inside the crown on top was one cubit[v] wide, with engravings on the opening. The borders to the frames surrounding the opening were square, not round. 32 The four wheels were placed underneath the borders, and the axles for the wheels were on the stand. Each wheel stood one and a half cubits[w] high. 33 The wheels resembled those of a chariot, with their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs made of cast bronze. 34 Four supports stood at the four corners of each cart, built into the carts themselves. 35 On top of each stand was a circular structure one half of one cubit[x] high, with its braces and support frames integral with it, forming a single piece. 36 Hiram[y] engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and frames wherever there was space to do so, and encircled the artwork with wreaths. 37 He made ten identical water carts by using the same plans, castings, and shapes for all of them.

The Other Bronze Implements

38 Hiram[z] also fashioned ten bronze basins, each holding about 40 baths,[aa] each basin measuring four cubits[ab] in diameter,[ac] with one basin for each stand. 39 He set five of the stands on the right side of the Temple and five on the left side of the Temple. He set the bronze sea on the right side of the Temple eastward facing the south. 40 Hiram also made the basins, shovels, and bowls to complete the work that he performed for King Solomon in the Lord’s Temple, 41 including the two pillars and the bowls for the capitals that stood on top of the two pillars, along with the two lattices that covered the two bowls of the capitals that stood on top of the pillars, 42 plus the 400 pomegranates for the two lattices (that is, the two rows of pomegranates for each lattice to cover the two bowls of the capitals that stood on top of the pillars), 43 the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands, 44 the single bronze[ad] sea and the twelve oxen that stood under the sea, 45 and the pots, shovels, and bowls—all of these utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon for the Lord’s Temple were made from polished bronze.

46 The king had them cast in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan in the Jordan plain. 47 Solomon never inventoried the weight of the bronze used, because there were too many utensils, so the weight of the bronze used was never ascertained.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 7:13 2Chr 2:13 identifies the man as Hiram-abi
  2. 1 Kings 7:15 I.e. about 27 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  3. 1 Kings 7:15 I.e. about 18 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  4. 1 Kings 7:16 I.e. about seven and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  5. 1 Kings 7:16 I.e. about seven and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  6. 1 Kings 7:19 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  7. 1 Kings 7:21 The name means He Established
  8. 1 Kings 7:21 The name means In Strength
  9. 1 Kings 7:23 Lit. He
  10. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e. about fifteen feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  11. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e. about seven and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  12. 1 Kings 7:23 I.e. 45 feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  13. 1 Kings 7:24 I.e. ten in each one and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  14. 1 Kings 7:25 Lit. were inward
  15. 1 Kings 7:26 I.e. about 12,000 gallons; Cf. 2Chron 4:52, where the volume is given at 3,000 baths
  16. 1 Kings 7:26 I.e. about three inches; a handbreadth was about one sixth of a cubit
  17. 1 Kings 7:27 Lit. He
  18. 1 Kings 7:27 Or stands, and so throughout this paragraph
  19. 1 Kings 7:27 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  20. 1 Kings 7:27 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  21. 1 Kings 7:27 I.e. about four and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  22. 1 Kings 7:31 I.e. about one and a half feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  23. 1 Kings 7:32 I.e. about 27 inches; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  24. 1 Kings 7:35 I.e. about 9 inches; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  25. 1 Kings 7:36 Lit. He
  26. 1 Kings 7:38 Lit. He
  27. 1 Kings 7:38 I.e. about 240 gallons; a bath held about six gallons
  28. 1 Kings 7:38 I.e. about six feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
  29. 1 Kings 7:38 The Heb. lacks in diameter
  30. 1 Kings 7:44 The Heb. lacks bronze