2 Chronicles 4

The Bronze Altar and Molten Sea// 1 Kings 7:23–26

¹He made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high.

²He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring 15 feet from rim to rim, 7½ feet in height, and 45 feet in circumference. ³Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten every half yard all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

⁴The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center. ⁵It was three inches thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold 16,500 gallons.

• 2CH 4:5[TEXT]THE SEA. 1 Kings 7:26 says it held about 11,000 gallons, 2,000 in the Hebrew, and here the Hebrew number is 3,000. The CSB uses that number here too. Some think the bigger number counts it filled to the brim.

The Ten Basins, Lampstands, and Tables// 1 Kings 7:38–39

⁶He also made ten basins for washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north. The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the priests used the Sea for washing.

⁷He made ten gold lampstands according to their specifications and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.

⁸Additionally, he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made a hundred gold bowls.

The Courts

⁹He made the courtyard of the priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the doors with bronze.

¹⁰He put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner.

Completion of the Bronze Works// 1 Kings 7:40–47

¹¹Additionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of God:

¹²the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars;

the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

¹³the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

¹⁴the stands;

the basins on the stands;

¹⁵the Sea;

the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;

¹⁶and the pots, shovels, meat forks, and all the other articles.

All these objects that Huram-abi made for King Solomon for the house of Yahweh were of polished bronze. ¹⁷The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸Solomon made all these articles in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.

Completion of the Gold Furnishings// 1 Kings 7:48–51

¹⁹Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of God:

the golden altar;

the tables on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

²⁰the lampstands of pure gold and their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed;

²¹the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold—of purest gold;

²²the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers of pure gold;

and the gold doors of the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place as well as the doors of the main hall.