The Pillars and Furnishings for the Temple^(A)

¹⁵ He made two pillars to stand in front of the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. They were ·about fifty-two feet [^Lthirty-five cubits; ^Cpossibly the combined length of the two] tall, and the capital on top of each pillar was over ·seven feet [^Lfive cubits] tall. ¹⁶ He made ·a net of [interwoven] chains and put them on the tops of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. ¹⁷ Then he put the pillars up in front of the Temple. One pillar stood on the ·south [^Lright] side, the other on the ·north [^Lleft]. He named the ·south [^Lright] pillar Jachin [^C“he establishes”] and the ·north [^Lleft] pillar Boaz [^C“in him is strength”].

4 He made a bronze altar ·thirty feet [^Ltwenty cubits] long, ·thirty feet [^Ltwenty cubits] wide, and ·fifteen feet [^Lten cubits] tall. ² Then he made from ·bronze [cast metal] a large round ·bowl [basin], which was called the Sea [^Csymbol of chaos subdued; 1 Kin. 7:23]. It was ·forty-five feet [^Lthirty cubits] ·around [in circumference], ·fifteen feet [^Lten cubits] ·across [from rim to rim], and ·seven and one-half feet [^Lfive cubits] ·deep [high]. ³ There were ·carvings [figures; images] of ·bulls [oxen] under the rim of the bowl—ten ·bulls [oxen] every ·eighteen inches [^Lcubit]. They were in two rows and were ·made [cast] in one piece with the bowl.

⁴ The bowl rested on the backs of twelve bronze ·bulls [oxen] ·that faced outward from the center of the bowl [^Lall their hindquarters were toward the inside]. Three ·bulls [oxen] faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. ⁵ The sides of the bowl were ·four inches [four fingers; ^La handbreadth] thick, and it held ·about seventeen thousand five hundred gallons [^Lthree thousand baths]. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup ·or like [and resembled] a lily blossom.

⁶ He made ten ·smaller bowls [basins] and put five on the ·south [^Lright] side and five on the ·north [^Lleft]. They were for ·washing [rinsing] the ·animals [or utensils; ^Lthings] for the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17], but the ·large bowl [^LSea; v. 2] was for the priests to wash in.

⁷ He ·made [cast] ten lampstands of gold, ·following the plans [according to the specifications]. He put them in the Temple, five on the ·south [^Lright] side and five on the ·north [^Lleft].

⁸ He made ten tables and put them in the Temple, five on the ·south [^Lright] side and five on the ·north [^Lleft]. And he used gold to ·make [mold] a hundred other ·bowls [basins].

⁹ He also made the priests’ courtyard and the large courtyard. He made the doors that opened to the courtyard and ·covered [overlaid] them with bronze. ¹⁰ Then he put the large ·bowl [basin; ^Cthe Sea] on the right side toward the southeast corner.

¹¹ Huram also made ·bowls [pots; pails; washbasins], shovels, and ·small [or sprinkling] bowls. So he finished his work for King Solomon on the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of God:

All the things that Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord were made of ·polished [burnished] bronze. ¹⁷ The king had these things ·poured [cast] into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. ¹⁸ Solomon had so many things made that the total weight of all the bronze ·was never known [could not be/was not calculated].

¹⁹ Solomon also made all the ·things [furnishings] for God’s ·Temple [^Lhouse]: the golden altar; tables which held the bread ·that shows God’s people are in his presence [^Lof Presence; Ex. 25:23–30]; ²⁰ the lampstands and their lamps of ·pure [solid] gold, to burn in front of the ·Most Holy Place [inner sanctuary] as ·planned [prescribed; specified]; ²¹ the flowers, lamps, and tongs of pure gold; ²² the pure gold ·wick trimmers [lamp snuffers], small bowls, pans, and dishes ·used to carry coals [and incense burners/censers], the gold doors for the ·Temple [^Lhouse], and the inside doors of the ·Most Holy Place [^THoly of Holies] and of the ·main room [main hall; nave].

5 Finally all the work Solomon did for the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord was finished. He brought in everything his father David had ·set apart [dedicated] for the ·Temple [^Lhouse]—all the silver and gold and other ·articles [utensils]. And he ·put [stored] everything in the treasuries of God’s ·Temple [^Lhouse].

The Temple Is Completed Inside^(A)

¹³ King Solomon sent to Tyre and had ·Huram [^LHiram; ^Ca variant spelling of Huram (2 Chr. 2:13; 4:11); this craftsman is to be distinguished from the king of the same name (5:1)] brought to him. ¹⁴ ·Huram’s mother was [^LHe was the son of] a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father was from Tyre and had been ·skilled in making things from [a craftsman/artisan in] bronze. ·Huram [^LHe] was also very skilled and ·experienced [knowledgeable; wise] in bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all ·the bronze [his] work.

¹⁵ He made two bronze pillars, each one ·twenty-seven feet [^Leighteen cubits] tall and ·eighteen feet [^Ltwelve cubits] ·around [in circumference]. ¹⁶ He also made two bronze capitals that were ·seven and one-half feet [^Lfive cubits] tall, and he put them on top of the pillars. ¹⁷ Then he made a net of seven ·chains [sets of filigree/latticework] for each capital, which covered the capitals on top of the two pillars. ¹⁸ He made two rows of bronze pomegranates to go ·on [around] the nets. These covered the capitals at the top of the pillars. ¹⁹ The capitals on top of the pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies, and they were ·six feet [^Lfour cubits] tall. ²⁰ The capitals were on top of both pillars, above the ·bowl-shaped [round] section and next to the nets. At that place there were two hundred pomegranates in rows all around the capitals. ²¹ ·Huram [^LHe] put these two bronze pillars at the ·porch [portico; entrance] of the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. He named the ·south [right-hand] pillar ·He Establishes [^LJachin] and the ·north [left-hand] pillar ·In Him Is Strength [^LBoaz]. ²² The capitals on top of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work on the pillars was finished [^Cpillars represent establishment].

²³ Then ·Huram [^Lhe] made from bronze a large round bowl, which was called the Sea [^Csymbol of chaos subdued]. It was ·forty-five feet [^Lthirty cubits] around, ·fifteen feet [^Lten cubits] across, and ·seven and one-half feet [^Lfive cubits] deep. ²⁴ Around the outer edge of the bowl was a rim. Under this rim were two rows of ·bronze plants [gourds] which surrounded the ·bowl [Sea]. There were ten ·plants [gourds] every ·eighteen inches [^Lcubit], and these ·plants [gourds] were made in one piece with the bowl. ²⁵ The ·bowl [Sea] rested on the backs of twelve ·bronze bulls [oxen] that faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. ²⁶ The sides of the bowl were ·four inches [^La hand’s breadth] thick, and it held ·about eleven thousand gallons [^Ltwo thousand baths]. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.

²⁷ Then ·Huram [^Lhe] made ten bronze ·stands [water carts], each one ·six feet [^Lfour cubits] long, ·six feet [^Lfour cubits] wide, and ·four and one-half feet [^Lthree cubits] high. ²⁸ The ·stands [water carts] were made from ·square sides, which were put on frames [or side panels braced with crossbars/uprights]. ²⁹ On the sides were bronze lions, ·bulls [oxen], and ·creatures with wings [^Lcherubim]. On the ·frames [panels] above and below the lions and ·bulls [oxen] were ·designs of flowers [wreaths] hammered into the bronze. ³⁰ Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the corners there were bronze supports for a ·large bowl [basin], and the supports had ·designs of flowers [wreaths]. ³¹ There was a frame on top of the bowls, ·eighteen inches [^Lone cubit] high above the bowls. The opening of the bowl was round, ·twenty-seven inches [^Lone and one-half cubits] deep. ·Designs [Engravings] were carved into the bronze on the frame, which was square, not round. ³² The four wheels, placed under the frame, were ·twenty-seven inches [^Lone and one-half cubits] high. The axles between the wheels were ·made as one piece with [within; attached to] the stand. ³³ The wheels were like a chariot’s wheels. Everything on the wheels—the axles, rims, spokes, and hubs—were ·made [cast] of bronze.

³⁴ The four supports were on the four corners of each stand. They were made as one piece with the stand. ³⁵ A ·strip of bronze [rim; band] around the top of each stand was ·nine inches [^Lone-half cubit] deep. ·It was [The corner supports were] also made as one piece with the stand. ³⁶ ·Wherever there was room [^LAccording to the space of each], the sides of the stand and the frames were ·covered with carvings of [engraved with] ·creatures with wings [cherubim; 6:23], as well as lions, palm trees, and ·flowers [wreaths]. ³⁷ This is the way ·Huram [^Lhe; v. 13] made the ten ·stands [water carts]. ·The bronze for each stand [^LEach] was melted and poured into a mold, ·so all the stands were [^Lall] the same size and shape.

³⁸ ·Huram [^LHe] also made ten bronze ·bowls [basins], one ·bowl [basin] for each of the ten ·stands [water carts]. Each bowl was ·six feet [^Lfour cubits] across and could hold ·about two hundred thirty gallons [^Lforty baths]. ³⁹ ·Huram [Hiram] put five stands on the ·south [right] side of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] and five on the ·north [left] side. He put the ·large bowl [Sea on the right] in the southeast corner of the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. ⁴⁰ ·Huram [Hiram] also made ·bowls [washbasins; pots], shovels, and small bowls.

So ·Huram [^LHiram; v. 13] finished all his work for King Solomon on the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord:

·Huram [^LHiram] made everything King Solomon wanted from ·polished [burnished] bronze. ⁴⁶ The king had these things ·poured [cast] into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. ⁴⁷ Solomon never weighed the bronze used to make these things, because there ·was too much to weigh [were so many]. So the total weight of all the bronze was never ·known [calculated].

⁴⁸ Solomon also made all the items for the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord:

⁵¹ ·Finally [Thus] the work King Solomon did for the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in everything his father David had ·set apart [dedicated; consecrated] for the ·Temple [^Lhouse]—silver, gold, and ·other articles [the various utensils]. He put everything in the treasuries of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord.