2 Chronicles 4: The bronze altar, the sea, and the vessels of the house
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
Solomon makes a bronze altar and the cast sea that stands on twelve oxen, with ten basins for washing, ten gold lampstands, ten tables and a hundred gold basins. He also makes the courts and their doors, and Huram finishes the pillars and the bronze vessels, which the king casts in the plain of the Jordan. The chapter ends with the gold furnishings inside the house.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the whole chapter. No one speaks in it, and no verse is in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Then he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
In plain English: Then he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high.
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2Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim. It was round, five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference.
In plain English: He also made the sea of cast metal (or: the molten sea), ten cubits from rim to rim. It was round, five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits went all the way around it.
The Hebrew word: "Sea" is yam, which the dictionary gives as "a sea ... or large body of water" and, among other uses, "an artificial basin". "Molten" is the Hebrew for poured out or cast as metal, so the verse says the sea was cast.
How it is translated: Yam is in 339 verses of the Bible, and this Bible's English has "sea" in 245 of them, about 7 times in 10. The other verses use other words.
Good to know: gives the same measures: ten cubits across, round, five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits around it.
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3Under 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.
In plain English: Under it was the likeness of oxen all around, encircling the sea, ten by the cubit (word for word; it can mean ten cubits, or ten to a cubit). The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
Good to know: Where this verse says "the likeness of oxen" under the rim, says "buds". Both then say they were in two rows, cast when the sea was cast. The text does not explain the two words.
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4It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, 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.
In plain English: It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three toward the west, three toward the south and three toward the east. The sea was set on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward.
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5It was a handbreadth thick. Its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It received and held three thousand baths.
In plain English: It was a handbreadth thick. Its rim was made like the rim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It received and held three thousand baths.
Good to know: The sea "received and held three thousand baths". describes the same handbreadth, cup-like rim and lily flower, and says "two thousand baths". The text does not explain the two numbers. The bath is the Hebrew measure for liquids.
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6He 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.
In plain English: He also made ten basins and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to wash in. The things that belonged to the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
The Hebrew word: "Basins" here is kiyor, which the dictionary gives as "a washbowl" and also as "a platform". The same word is used for the bronze platform on which Solomon stands and kneels in .
How it is translated: In 2 Chronicles kiyor is in 3 verses: this Bible's English has "basins" in 2 of them (4:6 and 4:14) and "platform" in 1 (6:13).
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7He 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.
In plain English: He made the ten lampstands of gold as their ordinance said (or: according to the ordinance concerning them), and set them in the temple, five on the right hand and five on the left.
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8He 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.
In plain English: He made 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.
The Hebrew word: The hundred "basins of gold" are mizraq, which the dictionary gives as "a bowl (as if for sprinkling)". It is a different Hebrew word from the ten basins of verse 6, although this Bible's English uses "basins" for both.
How it is translated: Mizraq is in 3 verses of 2 Chronicles (4:8, 4:11 and 4:22), and this Bible's English has "basins" in all 3.
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9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze.
In plain English: He made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze.
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10He set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.
In plain English: He set the sea on the right side of the house, toward the east, in front of the south.
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11Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Huram finished doing the work that he did for King Solomon in God’s house:
In plain English: Huram made the pots, the shovels and the basins. So Huram finished the work he did for King Solomon on God's house:
Good to know: The craftsman is called "Huram" here. has almost the same sentence, with "Hiram" in its place. The text does not explain the two spellings.
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12the 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,
In plain English: the two pillars, the bowls, the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals on top of the pillars,
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13and 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.
In plain English: 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.
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14He also made the bases, and he made the basins on the bases—
In plain English: He also made the stands, and he made the basins on the stands:
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15one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
In plain English: the one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
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16Huram-abi also made the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all its vessels for King Solomon, for Yahweh’s house, of bright bronze.
In plain English: Huram-abi also made the pots, the shovels, the forks and all their vessels, of polished bronze, for King Solomon, for Yahweh's house.
The Hebrew word: "Abi" is ab, which the dictionary gives as "father". The text does not say whether it is part of the man's name or a title.
Good to know: sends him as "Huram-abi", the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, with a father from Tyre. calls him "Hiram", the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, with a father from Tyre. The text does not explain how the two fit.
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17The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.
In plain English: The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.
Good to know: This verse says the vessels were cast "between Succoth and Zeredah". has the same sentence with "Zarethan" in place of "Zeredah". The text does not explain the two names.
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18Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, so that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.
In plain English: So Solomon made all these vessels in very great number, so that the weight of the bronze could not be found out.
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19Solomon made all the vessels that were in God’s house: the golden altar, the tables with the show bread on them,
In plain English: Solomon made all the vessels that were in God's house: the golden altar, and the tables with the bread of the presence (this Bible: the show bread) on them,
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20and the lamp stands with their lamps to burn according to the ordinance before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold;
In plain English: and the lampstands with their lamps, of pure gold, to burn according to the ordinance before the inner sanctuary,
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21and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold that was purest gold;
In plain English: and the flowers, the lamps and the tongs, of gold, of the purest gold,
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22and 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.
In plain English: and the snuffers, the basins, the spoons and the fire pans, of pure gold. As for the entrance of the house, its inner doors for the most holy place and the doors of the main hall of the temple were of gold.
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