Chapter 4

1 The altar of brass. 2 The molten sea upon twelve oxen. 6 The ten lavers, candlesticks, and tables. 9 The courts, and the instruments of brass. 19 The instruments of gold.

1. Moreover he made. Chapter 4 deals with the furniture, vessels, and utensils of the Temple.

Altar of brass. The construction of the brazen (or bronze) altar of burnt offering is not mentioned in the parallel record of 1 Kings 6 and 7, but is incidentally referred to in 1 Kings 8:64; 9:25. That the altar was located in the court before the Temple is clear from 2 Chron. 6:12 and 2 Kings 16:14. The brazen altar in the Temple described by Ezekiel rose in a number of steps or terraces (Eze. 43:13–17).

2. A molten sea. A great basin made of cast metal (for size, see on 1 Kings 7:23).

3. Similitude of oxen. Verses 2–5 agree almost verbatim with 1 Kings 7:23–26; however, where the former mentions two rows of “oxen” the latter reads “knops,” probably meaning gourds. The Hebrew word for “oxen,” beqarim, and “gourds,” peqaФim, are somewhat similar and may have been confused. Many commentators believe that the text of Chronicles should read as it does in Kings.

4. Twelve oxen. This verse is practically identical with 1 Kings 7:25.

5. An handbreadth. Compare 1 Kings 7:26.

Three thousand baths. In 1 Kings 7:26 the capacity is given as 2,000 baths. It may be that 2,000 baths was the amount ordinarily kept in the tank, but that filled to the brim it would hold 3,000 baths. A bath was 22 liters, about U.S. 5.81 gals. (see on 1 Kings 7:23; Vol. I, p. 167).

6. Ten lavers. Compare 1 Kings 7:38, 39. The ten bases upon which the lavers stood are described in detail in 1 Kings 7:27–37.

7. Candlesticks. Compare 1 Kings 7:49; Jer. 52:19. There were ten candlesticks in Solomon’s Temple. Perhaps the ten were in addition to the original candlestick of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:31–39; Ex. 37:17–24). Whether or not they were patterned after it is not stated.

8. Ten tables. These ten tables were probably intended for the shewbread (ch. 4:19 and 1 Chron. 28:16 mention “tables” for shewbread), although 1 Kings 7:48 mentions only one table. There was only one table in the tabernacle (Ex. 25:23, 30; Ex. 37:10).

An hundred basons. These basins are mentioned in 1 Kings 7:50, although their number is not given there.

9. Court of the priests. Evidently the “inner court” (see 1 Kings 6:36 and 1 Kings 7:12) and probably the “higher court” of Jer. 36:10.

Great court. Compare 1 Kings 7:12. That the Temple had two courts is clear also from 2 Kings 21:5 and 23:12.

With brass. In the ancient Orient doors were at times covered with bronze. Shalmaneser’s palace at Balawat had great bronze-plated doors supposedly 22 ft. high, with each of the two leaves 6 ft. wide (6.7 m. by 1.8 m.; cf. 1 Kings 6:32).

10. Right side. The sea (v. 2) was set in the court at the southeast corner of the Temple. In Hebrew, directions are given from the standpoint of an individual facing east; thus the right side indicates the south. Compare 1 Kings 7:39. See on Gen. 23:19; Ex. 3:1.

11. Huram made. Verse 11–18, which describe the items of brass, are parallel to 1 Kings 7:40–47.

The pots. Compare 1 Kings 7:40. The pots here mentioned were used for the boiling of flesh for sacrificial purposes (see 1 Sam. 2:13, 14).

12. Two pillars. Compare ch. 3:15–17.

Pommels. Or, “bowls” (1 Kings 7:41).

The chapiters. The capitals (see on ch. 3:15).

Wreaths. Or, “networks” (1 Kings 7:41). “Wreaths” and “networks” are variant renderings of the same Hebrew word.

13. Pomegranates. Compare 1 Kings 7:42.

14. Bases. There were ten of these for the ten lavers (1 Kings 7:43).

15. One sea. Compare 2 Chron. 4:2; 1 Kings 7:23, 24.

Twelve oxen. Compare 2 Chron. 4:4; 1 Kings 7:25.

16. The pots also. Compare Ex. 27:3. The word here rendered “pots” is there translated “pans.” The pans were used for receiving the ashes. The fleshhooks were forks for handling the flesh of the sacrificial offerings (see 1 Sam. 2:13, 14).

Huram his father. See on ch. 2:13.

Bright brass. Polished or burnished bronze.

17. Succoth. A town east of the Jordan (Judges 8:4, 5), identified by some as Tell DeirФallaµ 1 mi. (1.6 km.) north of the Jabbok, and 7 mi. (11.2 km.) northeast of Tell edРDaЖmiyeh. Others identify it with Tell elРAh\s\as\ in the same general area. Jacob built a house at Succoth with booths for his cattle, after his return from Mesopotamia (Gen. 33:17).

Zeredathah. The exact location of this town is not known.

18. Weight of the brass. The parallel passage in 1 Kings 7:47 reads: “And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because they were exceeding many: neither was the weight of the brass found out.” The weight of the brass vessels was thus not ascertained.

19. All the vessels. Verses 19–22 give a catalogue of the objects of gold (see 1 Kings 7:48–50).

The tables. The parallel passage in 1 Kings 7:48 reads “the table.” Also in 2 Chron. 13:11 and 29:18 only a single table is mentioned. The tabernacle had only one table of shewbread (Ex. 25:23, 30; 37:10). But 2 Chron. 4:8 mentions ten tables in the Temple; see comment there.

20. The candlesticks. See on v. 7.

They should burn. Compare Ex. 27:20.

Ellen G. White comments

17, 19, 21 PK 36