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The Furnishings of Solomon’s Temple

And he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits was its length, and twenty cubits was its width, and ten cubits was its height. Then he made the sea of molten metal, from brim to brim it was ten cubits, completely round. And it was five cubits in height, and its circumference measured[a] thirty cubits. Under it were figures of oxen all around it, ten cubits high, encircling the sea all around. The oxen were in two rows cast as one piece with it.[b] It was standing upon twelve oxen, three facing north, and three facing west, and three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set upon them from above, and all their hindquarters faced inward.[c] And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was like the working of the lip of a cup, the blossom of a lily. And it held three thousand baths. And he made ten basins. And he set five on the south and five on the north in which to wash; they washed off the work of the burnt offering in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash therein. And he made ten golden lampstands according to their custom, and he set them in the temple, five on the south and five on the north. And he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south and five on the north. And he made a hundred drinking bowls of gold. And he made the courtyard of the priests and the great outer courtyard and the doors for the outer court. And he overlaid their doors with bronze. 10 And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the temple. 11 And Huram[d] made the pots, the shovels, and the drinking bowls. So Hiram[e] finished making the work that he made on the house of God for King Solomon: 12 the two columns, the bowls, and the two capitals on top of the columns, and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on top of the columns, 13 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for the latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were before the columns. 14 And he made the water carts, and he made the basins on the water carts, 15 and the one sea and the twelve oxen underneath it.

16 And Huram-abi made for King Solomon the pots, the shovels, the three-pronged meat forks, and all the utensils of polished bronze for the house of Yahweh. 17 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay soil between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 Solomon made all these utensils in great abundance, for the weight of the bronze could not be determined. 19 So Solomon made all the objects that were in the house of God: the altar of gold; the tables upon which was the bread of the presence; 20 the lampstands, and the lamps for burning according to the custom before the inner sanctuary, of solid gold; 21 and the blossoms, the lamps, and the tongs that were of solid gold; 22 and the snuffers, the drinking bowls, the dishes, and the firepans, of solid gold; and the entrance to the house, the inner doors to the most holy place, and the doors to the house of the temple were of gold.

The Ark Installed in the Temple

When all the work that Solomon did for the house of Yahweh was finished, Solomon brought the holy objects of David his father: the silver, the gold, and all the objects he had put into the storehouses of the house of God.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:2 Literally “and it measured a line all around it”
  2. 2 Chronicles 4:3 Literally “molten with its casting”
  3. 2 Chronicles 4:4 Literally “into the house”
  4. 2 Chronicles 4:11 This is the spelling in Hebrew, though many translations have “Hiram”
  5. 2 Chronicles 4:11 The spelling (“Hiram”) is different here than in the previous occurrences

The Altar, Reservoir, and Basins

He made a bronze altar(A) 30 feet[a] long, 30 feet[b] wide, and 15 feet[c] high.

Then he made the cast metal reservoir,(B) 15 feet[d] from brim to brim, perfectly round. It was 7½ feet[e] high and 45 feet[f] in circumference. The likeness of oxen[g] was below it, completely encircling it, 10 every half yard,[h] completely surrounding the reservoir. The oxen were cast in two rows when the reservoir was cast. It stood on 12 oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The reservoir was on top of them and all their hindquarters were toward the center. The reservoir was three inches[i] thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blossom. It could hold 11,000 gallons.[j]

He made 10 basins for washing and he put five on the right and five on the left.(C) The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them,(D) but the reservoir was used by the priests for washing.

The Lampstands, Tables, and Courts

He made the 10 gold lampstands according to their specifications and put them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.(E) He made 10 tables and placed them in the sanctuary, five on the right and five on the left.(F) He also made 100 gold bowls.

He made the courtyard(G) of the priests and the large court, and doors for the court. He overlaid the doors with bronze. 10 He put the reservoir on the right side, toward the southeast.(H) 11 Then Huram[k](I) made(J) the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

Completion of the Bronze Furnishings

So Huram finished doing the work that he was doing for King Solomon in God’s temple: 12 two pillars; the bowls and the capitals on top of the two pillars; the two gratings for covering both bowls of the capitals that were on top of the pillars; 13 the 400 pomegranates for the two gratings (two rows of pomegranates for each grating covering both capitals’ bowls on top of the pillars(K)). 14 He also made the water carts[l](L) and the basins on the water carts. 15 The one reservoir and the 12 oxen underneath it, 16 the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all their utensils—Huram-abi[m](M) made them for King Solomon for the Lord’s temple. All these were made of polished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley between Succoth and Zeredah. 18 Solomon made all these utensils in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings

19 Solomon also made all the equipment in God’s temple: the gold altar; the tables on which to put the bread of the Presence;(N) 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the inner sanctuary according to specifications;(O) 21 the flowers, lamps, and gold tongs—of purest gold; 22 the wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, ladles,[n] and firepans—of purest gold; and the entryway to the temple, its inner doors to the most holy place, and the doors of the temple sanctuary—of gold.

So all the work Solomon did for the Lord’s temple was completed. Then Solomon brought the consecrated things of his father David—the silver, the gold, and all the utensils—and put them in the treasuries of God’s temple.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:1 Lit 20 cubits
  2. 2 Chronicles 4:1 Lit 20 cubits
  3. 2 Chronicles 4:1 Lit 10 cubits
  4. 2 Chronicles 4:2 Lit 10 cubits
  5. 2 Chronicles 4:2 Lit five cubits
  6. 2 Chronicles 4:2 Lit 30 cubits
  7. 2 Chronicles 4:3 = gourds in 1Kg 7:24
  8. 2 Chronicles 4:3 Lit 10 per cubit
  9. 2 Chronicles 4:5 Lit a handbreadth
  10. 2 Chronicles 4:5 Text emended; MT reads 3,000 baths in 1Kg 7:26
  11. 2 Chronicles 4:11 = Hiram in 1Kg 7:13,40,45
  12. 2 Chronicles 4:14 Lit the stands
  13. 2 Chronicles 4:16 Lit Huram my father
  14. 2 Chronicles 4:22 Or dishes, or spoons; lit palms