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Then he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits[a] long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high. Also he made the molten sea[b] of ten cubits from brim to brim. It was round, five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference. Under it was the likeness of oxen, which encircled it, for ten cubits, encircling the sea. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast. 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. It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It received and held three thousand baths.[c] He also made ten basins, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them. The things that belonged to the burnt offering were washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

He made the ten lamp stands of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left. He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. He made one hundred basins of gold. Furthermore he made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 He set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.

11 Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins.

So Huram finished doing the work that he did for king Solomon in God’s house: 12 the two pillars, the bowls, the two capitals which 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, 13 and 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. 14 He also made the bases, and he made the basins on the bases; 15 one sea, and the twelve oxen under it. 16 Huram his father also made the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all its vessels for king Solomon, for Yahweh’s house, of bright bronze. 17 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; for the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

19 Solomon made all the vessels that were in God’s house, the golden altar also, and the tables with the show bread on them; 20 and the lamp stands with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; 21 and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold that was perfect gold; 22 and the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and the fire pans of pure gold. As for the entry of the house, its inner doors for the most holy place and the doors of the main hall of the temple were of gold.

Thus all the work that Solomon did for Yahweh’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver, the gold, and all the vessels, and put them in the treasuries of God’s house.

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
  2. 4:2 or, pool, or, reservoir
  3. 4:5 A bath is about 5.6 U. S. gallons or 21.1 liters, so 3,000 baths is about 16,800 gallons or 63.3 kiloliters.

The Temple's Furnishings

He made (A)an altar of bronze, twenty cubits[a] long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. (B)Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Under it were figures of gourds,[b] for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. Its thickness was a handbreadth.[c] And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. (C)It held 3,000 baths.[d] (D)He also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.

And he made ten golden lampstands (E)as prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. (F)He also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. He made (G)the court of the priests (H)and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 (I)And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

11 (J)(K)Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. (L)So Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: 12 the two pillars, (M)the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 13 (N)and the 400 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. 14 (O)He made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, 15 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. 16 The pots, the shovels, (P)the forks, and all the equipment for these (Q)(R)Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord. 17 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.[e] 18 (S)Solomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought.

19 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, (T)the tables for the bread of the Presence, 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold (U)to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; 21 the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; 22 the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets[f] of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.

(V)Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  2. 2 Chronicles 4:3 Compare 1 Kings 7:24; Hebrew oxen; twice in this verse
  3. 2 Chronicles 4:5 A handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters
  4. 2 Chronicles 4:5 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters
  5. 2 Chronicles 4:17 Spelled Zarethan in 1 Kings 7:46
  6. 2 Chronicles 4:22 Compare 1 Kings 7:50; Hebrew the entrance of the house