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2 Chronicles 4:1-22

Inside the Temple: Furnishings

Read the passage

1He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.

2He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.

3Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit 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 a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths.

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.

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.

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 the LORD 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.

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.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

The furnishings for the temple begin with a bronze altar and the great Sea of cast metal. The Sea rests on twelve oxen, and ten smaller basins stand nearby for washing the parts of the burnt offerings. The priests use the great basin for washing themselves.

Ten gold lampstands, ten tables, and a hundred gold bowls are placed in the temple. The courtyard doors are overlaid with bronze. Light, bread, water, and offerings each have a place in the service of God's house.

Huram makes the pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, stands, basins, oxen, and other articles. The narrator lists the objects carefully and names the places where the bronze is cast. Skilled work is not invisible; the account remembers the people and processes that made worship possible.

Solomon also makes the golden altar, tables for the Bread of the Presence, lamps, tongs, wick trimmers, ladles, censers, and gold doors. The washing vessels are more than convenient equipment. Exodus 30:17–21 had required priests to wash before entering the Tent of Meeting or approaching the altar. God is holy, and those who approach Him must follow His instructions. The fine materials here serve that worship; owning them does not make Israel holy.

Questions

1 What supports the great Sea?

AnswerThe great Sea rests on twelve bronze oxen, with three facing each direction.

2 How do the uses of the ten basins and the Sea differ?

AnswerParts of the burnt offerings are rinsed in the ten basins. The priests use the Sea to wash themselves.

3 What does Huram make?

AnswerHuram makes the bronze pots, shovels, bowls, stands, basins, oxen, and many other temple articles.

4 What is placed on the temple tables?

AnswerThe tables hold the Bread of the Presence, and the temple also receives lamps and other golden furnishings.

What This Means for Us

The furnishings serve particular purposes: the priests wash, the lamps burn, and the bread is set out before God. Their beauty belongs to work done according to His instructions.

As we prepare to worship, we can give practical care to the room, the music, and the people who come. That preparation should help us listen to God and pray, rather than become the thing we admire most.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for skilled hands and faithful service. Make us grateful for the people behind visible work, careful with shared resources, and willing to serve without needing every contribution to be noticed. Amen.