Then he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
Parallel Translations
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Then he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
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Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
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Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to 2 Chronicles 4:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Kings 8:64 The same day the king made the middle of the court holy that was before Yahweh’s house; for there he offered the burnt offering, and the meal offering, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that was before Yahweh was too little to receive the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the fat of the peace offerings.
- Ezekiel 43:13-17 “These are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit is a cubit and a hand width): the bottom shall be a cubit, and the width a cubit, and its border around its edge a span; and this shall be the base of the altar. From the bottom on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the width one cubit; and from the lesser ledge to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the width a cubit. The upper altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth and upward there shall be four horns. The altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides. The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and its bottom shall be a cubit around; and its steps shall look toward the east.”
- Exodus 27:1-8 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide. The altar shall be square. Its height shall be three cubits. You shall make its horns on its four corners. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with bronze. You shall make its pots to take away its ashes; and its shovels, its basins, its meat hooks, and its fire pans. You shall make all its vessels of bronze. You shall make a grating for it of network of bronze. On the net you shall make four bronze rings in its four corners. You shall put it under the ledge around the altar beneath, that the net may reach halfway up the altar. You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it. You shall make it hollow with planks. They shall make it as it has been shown you on the mountain.
- 1 Kings 8:22 Solomon stood before Yahweh’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven;
- 1 Kings 9:25 Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to Yahweh three times per year, burning incense with them, on the altar that was before Yahweh. So he finished the house.
- 2 Kings 16:14-15 The bronze altar, which was before Yahweh, he brought from the front of the house, from between his altar and Yahweh’s house, and put it on the north side of his altar. King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening meal offering, the king’s burnt offering, his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their meal offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice; but the bronze altar will be for me to inquire by.”
- 2 Chronicles 1:5 Moreover the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was there before Yahweh’s tabernacle; and Solomon and the assembly were seeking counsel there.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Ch 4:1 Moreover he made an altar of brass,…
2Ch 4:1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
Ver. 1. Moreover, he made an altar of brass.] This altar was a type of the cross of Christ, yea, of Christ himself. "We also have an altar," &c. {Heb 13:10}
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And ten cubits the height thereof.] That all the people might see the burnt offerings, and be reminded of their sins and of their Saviour; for the ceremonial law was their gospel.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Quest. How could this be, when God had said,…
Quest. How could this be, when God had said, Thou shalt not go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon, Exo 20:26, and steps were necessary for so high an altar as this was?
Answ. 1. These steps were so made that there was no fear of this inconvenience.
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2. That law was useful and fit when it was made; but afterwards, when the priests were commanded to wear linen breeches in their holy ministrations to cover their nakedness, Exo 28:42, it was not necessary.
3. Howsoever God could undoubtedly dispense with his own law, as here he did; for he it was that gave these dimensions for the altar.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain David often speaks with much affection both of the…
David often speaks with much affection both of the house of the Lord and of the courts of our God. Both without doors and within there was that which typified the grace of the gospel and shadowed out good things to come, of which the substance is Christ.
I. There were those things in the open court, in the view of all the people, which were very significant.
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1. There was the brazen altar, Ch2 4:1. The making of this was not mentioned in the Kings. On this all the sacrifices were offered, and it sanctified the gift. This altar was much larger than that which Moses made in the tabernacle; that was five cubits square, this was twenty cubits square. Now that Israel had become both numerous and more rich, and it was to be hoped more devout (for every age should aim to be wiser and better than that which went before it), it was expected that there would be a greater abundance of offerings brought to God's altar than had been. It was therefore made such a capacious scaffold that it might hold them all, and none might excuse themselves from bringing those temptations of their devotion by alleging that there was not room to receive them. God had greatly enlarged their borders; it was therefore fit that they should enlarge his altars. Our returns should bear some proportion to our receivings. It was ten cubits high, so that the people who worshipped in the courts might see the sacrifice burnt, and their eye might affect their heart with sorrow for sin: "It is of the Lord's mercies that I am not thus consumed, and that this is accepted as an expiation of my guilt." They might thus be led to consider the great sacrifice which should be offered in the fulness of time to take away sin and abolish death, which the blood of bulls and goats could not possibly do. And with the smoke of the sacrifices their hearts might ascend to heaven in holy desires towards God and his favour. In all our devotions we must keep the eye of faith fixed upon Christ, the great propitiation. How they went up to this altar, and carried the sacrifices up to it, we are not told; some think by a plain ascent like a hill: if by steps, doubtless they were so contrived as that the end of the law (mentioned Exo 20:26) might be answered.
2. There was the molten sea, a very large brass pan, in which they put water for the priests to wash in, Ch2 4:2, Ch2 4:6. It was put just at the entrance into the court of the priests, like the font at the church door. If it were filled to the brim, it would hold 3000 baths (as here, Ch2 4:5), but ordinarily there were only 2000 baths in it, Kg1 7:26. The Holy Ghost by this signified, (1.) Our great gospel privilege, that the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin, Jo1 1:7. To us there is a fountain opened for all believers (who are spiritual priests, Rev 1:5, Rev 1:6), nay, for all the inhabitants of Jerusalem to wash in, from sin, which is uncleanness. There is a fulness of merit in Jesus Christ for all those that by faith apply to him for the purifying of their consciences, that they might serve the living God, Heb 9:14. (2.) Our great gospel duty, which is to cleanse ourselves by true repentance from all the pollutions of the flesh and the corruption that is in the world. Our hearts must be sanctified, or we cannot sanctify the name of God. Those that draw nigh to God must cleanse their hands, and purify their hearts, Jam 4:8. If I was thee not, thou hast no part with me; and he that is washed still needs to wash his feet, to renew his repentance, whenever he goes in to minister, Joh 13:10.
3. There were ten lavers of brass, in which they washed such things as they offered for the burnt-offerings, Ch2 4:6. As the priests must be washed, so must the sacrifices. We must not only purify ourselves in preparation for our religious performances, but carefully put away all those vain thoughts and corrupt aims which cleave to our performances themselves and pollute them.
4. The doors of the court were overlaid with brass (Ch2 4:9), both for strength and beauty, and that they might not be rotted with the weather, to which they were exposed. Gates of brass we read of, Psa 107:16.
II. There were those things in the house of the Lord (into which the priests alone went to minister) that were very significant. All was gold there. The nearer we come to God the purer we must be, the purer we shall be. 1. There were ten golden candlesticks, according to the form of that one which was in the tabernacle, Ch2 4:7. The written word is a lamp and a light, shining in a dark place. In Moses's time they had but one candlestick, the Pentateuch; but the additions which, in process of time, were to be made of other books of scripture might be signified by this increase of the number of the candlesticks. Light was growing. The candlesticks are the churches, Rev 1:20. Moses set up but one, the church of the Jews; but, in the gospel temple, not only believers, but churches, are multiplied. 2. There were ten golden tables (Ch2 4:8), tables whereon the show-bread was set, Ch2 4:19. Perhaps every one of the tables had twelve loaves of show-bread on it. As the house was enlarged, the house-keeping was. In my father's house there is bread enough for the whole family. To those tables belonged 100 golden basins, or dishes; for God's table is well furnished. 3. There was a golden altar (Ch2 4:19), on which they burnt incense. It is probable that this was enlarged in proportion to the brazen altar. Christ, who once for all made atonement for sin, ever lives, making intercession, in virtue of that atonement.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain See Introduction to Chapter 4
See Introduction to Chapter 4
Next: 2 Chronicles Chapter 5
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The brazen altar, sea and lavers, ver. 1-5. The…
The brazen altar, sea and lavers, ver. 1-5. The golden candlesticks and tables, ver. 7, 8. The doors overlaid with brass, the vessels of the altar, and other brass work, ver. 9-18. The golden altar of incense with its appurtenances, ver. 19-22.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain The brazen altar, 1.
CHAPTER IV
The brazen altar, 1.
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Molten sea, and its supporters, 2-5.
The ten lavers, 6.
Ten golden candlesticks, 7.
Ten tables, the hundred golden basons, and the priests'
court, 8-10.
The works which Huram performed, 11-17.
Solomon finishes the temple, and its utensils, 18-22.
NOTES ON CHAP. IV
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain The brazen altar, sea, and lavers, 2Ch 4:1-6. The…
A.M. 2992. — B.C. 1012.
The brazen altar, sea, and lavers, 2Ch 4:1-6. The golden candlesticks and tables, 2Ch 4:7, 2Ch 4:8. The doors overlaid with brass, the vessels of the altar, and other brass work, 2Ch 4:9-18. The golden altar of incense, with its appurtenances, 2Ch 4:19-22.
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NOTES ON CHAPTER 4.
2Ch 4:1-2. Ten cubits the height thereof — This was too high for the priests to lay the victims on it, without going up some kind of ascent; but as it was expressly commanded (Exo 20:26) that they should not go up by steps unto God’s altar; they doubtless ascended in some other way. Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits — This and the following verses are explained 1Ki 7:23, &c.
2Ch 4:7. According to their form — The old form which God proscribed to Moses, Exo 25:31, &c. And this seems to be mentioned here, because in many other things there was a great variation from the old form; as in the posture of the cherubim, the height of the altar, and divers other things.
2Ch 4:8. He made also ten tables — Whereon the show-bread was set, 2Ch 4:19. Perhaps each of these had twelve loaves on it. As the house was enlarged, so was the provision.
2Ch 4:16. Huram his father — He is so called, because Solomon, it seems, usually called him by that name, out of that great respect which he bare to him for his excellent art, and the service which he did for him; it being usual to call great artists and inventors of things by this name. See Gen 4:20-21.
2Ch 4:20-22. That they should burn after the manner — According to the prescription of God to them by Moses. The doors of the house were of gold — To wit, in part. For they were not entirely of massy gold, but wood covered with plates of gold, 1Ki 6:31-35, and 2Ki 18:16.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The supplementary character of Chronicles is here once more…
The supplementary character of Chronicles is here once more apparent. The author of Kings had omitted to record the dimensions of the brass altar. It stood in the great court 2Ch 6:12-13.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Altar of holocausts, much larger than that of Moses.…
Altar of holocausts, much larger than that of Moses. The one which was built after the captivity, was a square of fifteen cubits. This of Solomon was only ten in height. A sloping ascent was made up to it, according to Josephus; (Jewish Wars vi. 5., or v. 14.) or the steps were closed in, if we believe others. See Exodus xxvii. 1., and xx. 26. It is thought (Calmet) that the inside of the altar was filled with earth, (Menochius) or with rough stones: (Exodus xx. 24.; Du Hamel) but that is not certain, with regard to the brazen altar. See 1 Machabees iv. 44, 47. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain Ch. 2Ch_4:1. The Altar of Brass
Ch. 2Ch_4:1. The Altar of Brass
1. twenty cubits] The measurements of the altar belonging to Solomon’s Temple are not given in 1 Kings; but in Exo_38:1 the altar made in the wilderness is described as measuring five cubits by five cubits, and in height three cubits. An altar three cubits high could perhaps be served from the ground, but one of ten cubits would require steps, which are forbidden in Exo_20:26. In Eze_43:17, however, it is assumed that the altar must have steps and a position is assigned them on the East, so that the priest ascending them faces the direction of the Holy of Holies which was on the West.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (a) THE PRINCIPAL VESSELS OF THE TEMPLE (2Ch_4:1-10).
(a) THE PRINCIPAL VESSELS OF THE TEMPLE (2Ch_4:1-10).
THE BRAZEN ALTAR (2Ch_4:1).
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(l) An altar of brass.—The brazen altar, or altar of burnt offering, made by Solomon, is not noticed in the parallel chapters of Kings (1 Kings 6, 7) which describe the construction of the temple and its vessels of service, but it is incidentally mentioned in another passage of the older work (1Ki_9:25), and its existence seems to be implied in 1Ki_8:22; 1Ki_8:64. This altar stood in the inner court of the temple. It rose from a terraced platform. (Comp. Eze_43:13-17.) The Hebrew of this verse is such as to suggest that it must have existed in the original document. The style is the same. (Comp. the construction of the numerals with the noun, and note the word qômâh, “height,” now used for the first time by the chronicler.) It would appear, therefore, that the verse has been accidentally omitted from the text of Kings.
THE BRAZEN SEA (2Ch_4:2-5).
(Comp. 1Ki_7:23-26.)
(2) Also he made a molten sea.—And he made the sea (i.e., the great basin) molten—i.e., of cast metal.
Of ten cubits . . . thereof.—Ten in the cubit from its lip to its lip, circular all round; and five in the cubit was its height. Word for word as in 1Ki_7:23, save that Kings has one different preposition (‘ad, “unto,” instead of ‘el, “to”). “Lip.” Comp. “lip of the sea,” Gen_22:17; “lip of the Jordan,” 2Ki_2:13; a metaphor which is also used in Greek.
And a line of thirty cubits . . .—Line, i.e., measuring-line, as in Eze_47:3. The Hebrew is qâw. In Kings we read a rare form, qâwèh. The rest of the clause is the same in both texts.
Did compass.—Would compass, or go round it.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain This chapter is occupied with some account of the…
This chapter is occupied with some account of the contents of the house, following naturally upon the account of the structure, dimensions, and main features of the building given in the previous chapter. The parallel, so far as it goes, is found in 1Ki 7. and 1Ki 8.
An altar of brass. This in worthier material superseded the temporary altar of the tabernacle, (Exo_27:1, Exo_27:2) made of shittim wood, and its dimensions five cubits long and broad and three cubits high. Large as was the present altar of brass as compared with the altar that preceded, it fell far short of the requirements of the grand day of dedication. (1Ki_8:64) No statement of the making of this altar occurs in the parallel. The place of it would be between vers. 22 and 23 of 1Ki 7. But that Solomon made it is stated in 1Ki_9:25, and other references to its presence are found in 1Ki_8:22, 1Ki_8:54, 1Ki_8:64, etc. The position given to the altar is referred to alike in 1Ki_8:22 and 2Ch_6:12, 2Ch_6:13, as in the court of the temple. It may be well to note that the altar, sacrifice, comes first, and is first spoken of.
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Vers. 1-22.
The altar, the sea, the light, and the bread.
The homiletics of this chapter, viewed in certain general aspects, have been already treated with those of ch. 3. But it remains to notice other interesting and important aspects of the contents of this chapter. As soon as these are exhibited in such a manner as to make their relative importance apparent, they do indeed become of marked interest.
I First, and no doubt first in importance, we read of the great ALTAR OF BRASS. The contents of the temple begin from this. The sacrifice is the great feature; nay, the great fact. of worship on the part of the Church on earth. By this early forecast of prophecy; by the earlier of the tabernacle; by the much earlier of the patriarchs" house and family; by one earlier even than that by the earliest of all, just outside the garden of Eden, and "eastward" of it, and in the presence of "cherubim" and "flaming sword" there, the sacrifice is what Scripture brings prominently to our view. Take note also of the "golden altar" (ver. 19). Well may it be that, though in every corruptest form of religion, no heathen tribe that emerges to view in our wide fields of missionary enterprise needs to be taught one thing, viz. the place of "sacrifice and offering" in religion, the call for it, the efficacy of it. Can we deny, all charity granted, that the lesson all this teaches nothing short of blindness can fail to see and acknowledge!
II We notice that, second in order, comes the great SEA OF MOLTEN BRASS, with its symbolic lily-flower ornamentation. The use of the "molten sea" is expressly stated. That use reminds us primarily of the need on the part of the priests of old, and of those of modern day, who in even a more real sense take their place, of all cleanness of hand, of deed, of word, of thought, of conscience; furthermore, of the perpetually recurring need of the cleansing and renewing of their spirit; and of this most solemn thought, that even in their holiest work impurity and defilement may be first contracted, and most disastrously. And then, by all most just and certain of inference, it reminds all believers, all servants of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, all saints and faithful, of their perpetual need of such purification as consists of self-examining and self-watching together with the direct and only all-sufficing sanctification of the Holy Ghost.
III We notice, third in order, the TEN LAVERS. These, for the washing of the victims and sacrificial offerings themselves, remind us what pure offerings and genuine sacrifices all that we bring to God should be; broken and contrite hearts, simplest motives, genuine affections, and the outward objective gifts we bring, not merely ungrudged, but best proof of the same of our best, of what may have cost us self-denial, some preparation, some honest labour to make them a little less unworthy of the Master"s work. To bring the blemished, to bring what we can so utterly dispense with, that we either do not know it is gone, or are glad to know it, is, in plain words, to bring polluted offerings.
IV We find, next in order, the TEN GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS, each probably of sevenfold lamps. They were for actual light. They were typical of that yet more actual spiritual light that must ever be present in the true Church, must ever be witnessed to by it, and which must ever be shed forth from the true Church. We are not to forget that these, too, were made from the pattern shown in the mount. And the various and beautiful Scripture references to them are most animating to think of. (see for instance, Zec_4:1-3, Zec_4:11-14; Rev_1:12, Rev_1:13, 20 2:1 11:3-5)
V We have next THE TEN TABLES on which was placed the shewbread, which lay there one week, and was after that to be eaten by the priests alone. Though it is not distinctly revealed what the twelve loaves of shewbread intended, the very mystery left hanging about it enhances our interest in it, since high importance is repeatedly attached to the mention of it. It must justly be regarded as an ordinance; it must surely typify nourishment, and that not the mere nourishment of the body, but of very spiritual life. It was the shewbread, i.e. of God; the presence-bread, i.e. of God. Was it not one perpetual standing type of the Bread of life the Bread that was to come down from heaven for the life of the world?
And after these five leading declarations of the contents of the temple, and the preparation of them, there follow descriptions of several lesser ones, all beautiful, all pure and costly in their material, each with its distinct tributary service and use. Distinct attention may be invited to the seventeenth verse, specifying the place where King Hiram cast the precious metal vessels, and the pillars, etc. It must not be said that this statement may not be important, and may serve merely some perhaps evidential use at some time or another, in corroborating the general contents of this holy history.
Yet, if it be so, the mere suggestions it inevitably excites are worth giving some expression to. The moral suggestions of the clay ground and thickened clay, by help of which and in which the finest vessels, and most enduring monuments of metal were cast and fashioned, are fruitful. They may recall to us the very mould original of that body into which the Almighty breathed the breath of life, and countless instances in the history of the individual and of the Church, when the Master-Potter has indeed shown his sovereign power and unchallengeable right over the clay. Out of it, what vessels of grace and beauty and enduringness has not he fashioned! by aid of it, and all its humiliation, what grand results to character, discipline, and sanctification, has not he brought about! and not the least encouragement to our faith and patience in trial, in affliction, in the horrible pit and miry clay how has the very contrast astonished and delighted the beholding Church and world, between the methods used and the Divine results obtained! But the humble sufferer himself has been not a mere admiring beholder. His tears have been turned into smiles and joy; and even on earth he has learnt how the "suffering" has been outweighed beyond all estimate by gain, advantage, and that which he best knows to be the earnest of a certain "eternal weight of glory.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
Vers. 1-6.
Acceptable worship.
made an altar of brass." This is a simple sentence enough, but it is one which had a great significance to the people of God. For to that brazen altar they came for many generations, and there they either worshipped/ God and gained his Divine favour, or they failed to do the one and to secure the other. It was the place of sanctity or profanation, of victory or defeat. It, with the various regulations that applied to it and provisions that were made for it, taught them, and it teaches us
I THAT MAN MAY MEET WITH GOD, IN WORSHIP AND COMMUNION. God is not so far removed from us in his nature, nor are we so separated from him by our sin, but that he is willing to draw nigh to us, is indeed desirous of meeting us. He is the Infinite and Eternal One, imeasurably above us; but he is our heavenly Father, profoundly interested in us and mindful of us. He is the Holy One, who hates all manner of iniquity; but he is also the Merciful One, delighting to forgive and to restore. He, therefore, not only permits his human children to meet him at his altar, in the sanctuary, but he positively enjoins this as a sacred duty; he is displeased when we neglect to do so. But, apart from its obligatoriness, it is "a good thing" for us, an exalted privilege and a most valuable opportunity, "to draw nigh to God.
II THAT THERE HE SHOULD SEEK GOD"S MERCY. This altar of brass was to receive sacrifices; and among these, sin offerings and trespass offerings were to be conspicuous. We are to draw near to the God whom we have grieved and wronged, with the language of confession on our lips, pleading the great sacrifice as a propitiation for our sin.
III THAT THERE HE SHOULD DEDICATE (RE-DEDICATE) HIMSELF TO HIS SERVICE. Burnt offerings (holocausts) and peace offerings as well as sin offerings were presented at that brazen altar. In the house of the Lord we are to consecrate our whole selves to him, and are to recognize that all we have and are is his, to be spent in his fear and service.
IV THAT HE MUST SEE TO IT THAT BOTH HIMSELF AND HIS SACRIFICE ARE PURE. In that "molten sea" (ver. 2) the priests were to wash, that they themselves might be unspotted when engaged in their sacred work. And in the layers (ver. 6) they were to wash "such things as they offered for the burnt offering," the "gifts and sacrifices themselves." Both offerers and offerings were to be perfectly pure when the Holy One of Israel was approached in worship. And with what purity of heart should we draw nigh to him now! It is only those who have "clean hands and a pure heart" that can "see God," or that will be accepted by him. It is only those who worship "in spirit" who worship him at all. (Joh_4:24) Andas now we all the whole Christian community are "priests unto God," and are charged to present "spiritual sacrifices" unto him, it becomes us to remember that both
(1) our own hearts and also
(2) our sacrifices, i.e. our thoughts, our feelings, our purposes, our vows, our prayers, our praises, must be "clean" and pure We must be clean who "bear the vessels of the Lord," who speak his truth, who lead his people in prayer to himself. And the spiritual "gifts" of all who worship him must be cleansed of all impurity, of all selfishness and worldliness, of all insincerity, of all unholy rivalry or envy, that they may "come up with acceptance" in the sight of God. C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Moreover he made an altar of brase
2Ch_4:1-10
Moreover he made an altar of brase
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The furniture of the holy court
1.
The altar of brass. Larger than that in tabernacle. When God enlarges our borders and business we should increase our gifts.
2. The sea of brass. God requires sanctity in all that approach Him (Jam_4:8).
3. The ten layers. Not only the priests, but the sacrifices, must be washed. We must purify our persons and performances. Iniquity cleaves to our holy things.
4. The ten golden candlesticks. One in tabernacle. Light increases.
5. The ten tables.
6. The golden altar. Christ makes atonement and intercedes for ever in virtue of that atonement. (J. Wolfendale.)
Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits.
The molten sea
I. Its use. Suggests purification for Gods service.
II. Its size. Suggests abundant provision for purification. A type of the fountain opened.
III. Its construction.
1. The material precious and durable.
2. The oxen, sacrifices of priests, emblems of strength and patience--looking all ways. The blessings procured by a holy priesthood would be universally diffused. (Homiletical Commentary.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain CRITICAL NOTES.] This chapter describes the holy furniture of…
CRITICAL NOTES.] This chapter describes the holy furniture of the temple and the court (2Ch_4:1-10); the brass works of Huram (2Ch_4:11-18); and the golden vessels of the sanctuary (2Ch_4:19; ch. 2Ch_5:1; cf. 1Ki_7:48-51).
2Ch_4:1-10.—The furniture of the temple court. 2Ch_4:1. Altar, of burnt offering, dimensions not given in Kings. 2Ch_4:2-5. Brazen sea (cf. 1Ki_7:23-26). Oxen, true reading appears to be knops, colocynths, or flower buds, as in 1Ki_7:24. The word seems to have come in by mistake from the next verse [Murphy]. 2Ch_4:4-5. The exact words of Kings used until last clause of 2Ch_4:5. Lilies (2Ch_4:5), like a lily flower (marg.). 2Ch_4:6. Ten lavers placed in the court, five on south and five on north side; used for washing utensils; sea for bathing of the priests. 2Ch_4:7. Candlesticks made after the pattern of that by Moses (Exo_25:31). Form, no allusion to shape, but to express what more fully given 2Ch_4:20. 2Ch_4:8. Ten tables, one in tabernacle. 2Ch_4:9. Court, inner court (1Ki_6:36). Great court for the congregation. 2Ch_4:10. Sea, great brazen sea, placed between the brazen altar and the porch, a little south (1Ki_7:39), where the laver before the tabernacle formerly stood (Exo_30:18).
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2Ch_4:11-18.—The brass works of Huram. Pots, buckets for carrying ashes from altar. Shovels to lift them from altar. Basins to receive and pour blood upon altar. 2Ch_4:12-16. Various things (1Ki_7:40-47). Pommels, balls on top of chapiter, upper parts, or capital of column. Pomegran. (1Ki_7:20). 2Ch_4:14. Bases mentioned first time, ornamental stands for lavers. 2Ch_4:16. Father—i.e., his master-workman, as 2Ch_2:13. 2Ch_4:17. Thick clay of the ground. Suc. lay beyond Jordan, south of the Jabbok. Zared., Zarthan. (1Ki_7:46), probably name of place in time of writer. 2Ch_4:18. Found out, so freely used that weight was not taken.
2Ch_4:19-22.—Golden vessels of the sanctuary (1Ki_7:48-51). Tables, the table in Kings, perhaps the shew-bread never put on more than one of the ten at a time [Speak. Com.]. 2Ch_4:20. Candlesticks, law of burning, Exo_27:20-21; Lev_24:2-3. 2Ch_4:21. Flowers, lamps, &c. (cf. Exo_25:31-39; 1Ki_7:49). 2Ch_4:22. Entry, the door frame; the doors, the door leaves. These were overlaid with gold.
HOMILETICS
THE FURNITURE OF THE HOLY COURT.—2Ch_4:1-10
A continued account of the furniture, things made of brass and of gold. Without and within types of good things to come. Here furniture in open court, in view of all the people, of great significance.
1. The altar of brass. Twenty cubits (30ft.) square, by ten cubits (15ft.) high. Larger than that in Tabernacle. Israel more numerous and richer, should be more devout. When God enlarges our borders and business we should increase our gifts. The burnt offerings an impressive, instructive sight, before the people in the court.
2. The sea of brass. For the same purpose as the Laver in Tabernacle, washing hands and feet of priests while ministering at the altar. Ten cubits (15ft) in diameter, by five cubits (7½ft.) in height, and raised higher by standing upon 12 brazen oxen. Reminding that God requires sanctity in all that approach him. Those that draw nigh must cleanse their hands and purify their hearts (Jas_4:8).
3. The ten lavers (2Ch_4:6). They were set upon wheels to move about, and used for the ablution of sacrifices. Not only the priests, but the sacrifices must be washed. We must purify our persons and performances. Iniquity cleaves to our holy things.
4. The ten golden candlesticks (2Ch_4:7). Only one in Tabernacle. Light increases. Divine direction was given to increase the number of tables for shew-bread and candlesticks for light.
5. The ten tables. “Five on right side and five on the left;” to which belonged 100 basins or dishes of gold (2Ch_4:7).
6. The golden altar, on which incense was burnt (2Ch_4:19); probably enlarged in proportion to the brazen altar. Christ makes atonement and intercedes for ever in virtue of that atonement. But what use all this splendid furniture? Not for mere display, but utility. Talents, education, the furniture of mind not given for mere polish, but practical use. Outward adornment, material grandeur only of service when leading to spiritual results.
THE MOLTEN SEA.—2Ch_4:2-5
I. Its use suggests purification for God’s service. Priests and people unfit without this. Holiness becomes God’s house and God’s servants. “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.”
II. Its size suggests abundant provision for purification. Not a laver, but a sea; kept full and overflowing for constant use. A type of that “fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness.”
III. Its construction.
1. The material precious and durable.
2. The oxen, sacrifices of priests, emblems of strength and patience—looking all ways. The blessings procured by a holy priesthood would be universally diffused [Adapted].
THE BRASS WORKS OF HIRAM.—2Ch_4:11-18
A detailed enumeration of principal articles executed for sacred edifice (cf. 1Ki_7:14-46).
I. The articles which Hiram made. Hiram skilled in work in gold, silver, and iron; in wood and stone; in purple, blue, fine linen and in crimson (2Ch_2:14); but chiefly metal work or works in brass contributed. Works splendid in material, “bright brass” (1Ki_7:45); numerous in quantity, “in great abundance” (2Ch_4:18), and suitable in style.
II. The foundry at which they were prepared. In neighbourhood of Succoth and Zarthan, in valley of Jordan, where the soil is marl. What natural abundant provision for man in the earth! If brass or bronze was not smelted and alloyed by Hiram, but received from Syria as a tribute in manufactured form, yet he would melt it down for casting (1Ch_18:8). Furnaces would be required and filled with metal. Moulds made in the ground and national foundry erected far from the capital, which would not be annoyed by smoke and noxious vapours. Thus we have civilisation in its beginning, progress, and end.
AN ANCIENT CONTRACT.—2Ch_4:11-18
“Hiram finished the work that he was to make for King Solomon” (2Ch_4:11). The agreement in 2 Chronicles 11.
I. The contractor. An eminent Tyrian artizan, skilled in great variety of departments; appointed for his great natural ability to superintend the execution of all works of art in the temple; and a faithful, diligent man, worthy of all confidence.
II. The articles for which he contracted. Numerous and most valuable, well-finished and most suitable. The best material and the best workmanship.
III. The completion of the contract. “He made an end of doing all the work” (1Ki_7:41). Finished the work and all the work. No breach of contract; no delay. Everything completed in time; gave satisfaction; and becomes a model transaction.
“THE ENTRY OF THE HOUSE.”—2Ch_4:22
This central, conspicuous, and attractive, suggesting—
I. Access to God in Christian worship. God great and man sinful. The door might have been for ever closed; but, in love. Jehovah directs in building a house, promises to dwell in it, and invites men to meet him there. “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”
II. Access to symbolic beauty in Christian worship. Perfection of gold, or material prosperity given to God. Palms indicating growth and fruitfulness in Christian life; flowers, emblems of beauty and fragrance in Christian character; cherubims, suggestive of alacrity in God’s service. Thought is expressed in forms of art. Beauty pleases the senses, originates in the mind the ideal, calls imagination into play, and exercises wonderful fascination over man. Delight, love, and reverence touch the heart, emotions arise and action result.
“We live by admiration, hope, and love;
And even as these are well and wisely fixed,
In dignity of being we ascend.”
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
2Ch_4:6. Ten lavers. Ten symbol of completeness. Their position in court, five on the north, and five on south side. Their us for washing parts of offering. Furniture of splendid skill, labour, and expense.
2Ch_4:5. With flowers of lilies, lit. like a lily flower. Consider—
1. That there is an acceptableness in a good and true work in itself, but much more by relation; that is, when it is rendered as to God. We must come to do our best, because we are doing it for the Lord.
2. The soundness and honesty of service in God’s spiritual temple.
3. As some of Hiram’s work was “lily work” (cf. 1Ki_7:22), so, majesty crowned with gracefulness will be found in all the Divinest thoughts.
1. The pillars must be before the florid ornamentation;
2. But beauty is also in God’s sanctuary, and “upon the top of the pillars was lily work” [G. J. Proctor]. In reviewing the whole chapter, we learn—
1. The beautiful in Christian architecture; the temple an example and stimulus.
2. Art in Christian service; subservient to man’s highest needs and God’s glory.
3. The symbolic in Christian worship. The O. T. dispensation a picture adapted to infant minds and first stages of divine instruction, “a shadow (dim sketch) of things to come” (Col_2:17; Heb_10:1).
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 4
2Ch_4:14. Bases and lavers. No heathen parallel to these bases and lavers; the whole arrangement, so full of meaning, appears quite peculiar to the Israelitish temple, for nothing of the kind is found anywhere else, either on Egyptian or Assyrian monuments [Thenius].
2Ch_4:19-22. Gold. Symbolic art. It is an incarnation of fancy, and is a sort of petrified poetry, or concrete rhetoric. It is the blossom of the art-tree, whose root is thought, and whose trunk it imagination. It is inventive, imitational, and composite.… Let our students follow nature boldly and lovingly, but not servilely—learning to compose as she does—not following her laws without laying down his own. Above all, let him remember that ornamentation is to art what words are to thought, and that if design and architecture are dead, no ornamentation, however beautiful, can give them life. It will be, at the best, but a wreath of flowers round the pale brow of the corpse.
“O powers
Illimitable! ’tis but the outer hem
Of God’s great mantle our poor stars do gem”
[Ruskin].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain The Contents of the Temple
The Contents of the Temple
1. An altar] This was in the Temple court. Though its construction is not described in Kings, it is mentioned in 1Ki_8:64; 2Ki_16:14
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3. Oxen] rather, 'knops' (i.e. gourds): see 1Ki_7:24.
7. According to their form] RV 'According to the ordinance concerning them.' In the temple] i.e. in the Holy Place.
9. The great court] The word here used differs from that employed for 'the court of the priests.' It was in the 'great court' that the scaffold mentioned in 2Ch_6:13 was placed: see on 1Ki_7:9.
10. The right side of the east end] i.e. at the SE. corner.
12. Pommels] RV 'bowls,' i.e. the globes of the capitals; and so in 2Ch_4:13.
14. He made.. made he] probably an error for 'ten., ten.'
16. Fleshhooks] probably an error for 'basons,' 2Ch_4:11 : cp. 1Ki_7:45.
20. After the manner] RV 'according to the ordinance.' In the Law (Exo_27:21) it was required that a light should burn always before the veil.
22. The entry] probably an error for 'the hinges,' 1Ki_7:50.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain CHAPTER 4 The Vessels that were for the House
CHAPTER 4 The Vessels that were for the House
1. The altar of brass (2Ch 4:1)
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2. The molten sea (2Ch 4:2-5)
3. The ten loaves (2Ch 4:6)
4. The ten candlesticks (2Ch 4:7)
5. The ten tables (2Ch 4:8)
6. The court (2Ch 4:9-10)
7. The work of Huram (2Ch 4:11-17)
8. The work of Solomon (2Ch 4:18-22)
The altar of brass, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits broad and ten cubits high, is not mentioned in the book of Kings. In the south-east of the court of the temple, stood the molten sea, which rested upon twelve oxen, three looking northward, three looking westward, three southward and three eastward. It received and held 3,000 measures of water. (3,000 measures was the full amount it could contain; the usual contents, however, were 2,000 measures [1Ki 7:26].) The molten sea was for the priests and the Levites to perform their ablutions. It is typical of that cleansing which His people need and which is so graciously provided by the Lord Himself. The immense quantity of water contained in the molten sea suggests the unlimited provision grace has made. In Rev 4:6, we read that before the throne was a sea of glass like crystal. This sea of glass is an allusion to the molten sea in Solomon’s temple. But it is not a sea of water, but of glass like crystal, because the redeemed (symbolically seen in the twenty-four elders) in glory do no longer need cleansing. They have entered upon a perfect and fixed state of holiness. The ten lavers with their bases were for the washing of the sacrifices. We see that instead of one laver there were ten; and there were also ten candlesticks and ten tables. Everything was an increase and on a large scale, while the whole house and its contents represented an untold wealth. It all foreshadows that coming glorious Kingdom of Christ. Then there will be the increase and the blessing typified by the ten lavers, the ten candlesticks and the ten tables. The brazen scaffold, five cubits long, five cubits broad and three cubits high which Solomon had made upon which he stood and kneeled in prayer (2Ch 6:13) is not mentioned in this chapter.
The Priest’s court was enclosed by a wall of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams (1Ki 6:36). It had massive gates covered with brass. What Huram had worked for Solomon and Solomon’s own work concludes this chapter and the account of the building the temple.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain The Altar, the Molten Sea, and the Lavers
The Altar, the Molten Sea, and the Lavers
v. 1. Moreover, he, Solomon, through the craftsmen engaged by him, made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof and twenty cubits the breadth thereof and ten cubits the height thereof, to which the priests probably ascended by an inclined pathway. The weight of this altar, if the thickness of its walls was only three inches, must have been at least two hundred tons.
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v. 2. Also he made a molten sea, cast from bronze or brass, of ten cubits from brim to brim, that is, in diameter, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits, in a rough measurement, did compass it round about, the exact circumference being not quite 31 ½ cubits. It was a large reservoir for the water used by the priests and Levites in the performance of their duties, especially for the many washings enjoined upon them.
v. 3. And under it, cast together with the flower-buds which were beneath its rim, 1Ki 7:24, was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about, serving for ornamentation. Two rows of oxen were cast when it was cast, the sea with its decorations was cast at the same time, in the same mold.
v. 4. It stood upon twelve oxen, which bore the great reservoir on their backs, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward, their heads looking out from under the brim.
v. 5. And the thickness of it was an handbreadth and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies, rather, like the blossom of a lily; and it received and held three thousand baths, that is, its full capacity, when used as a reservoir, was so much; when not in actual use, it held two thousand baths, 1Ki 7:26.
v. 6. He made also ten lavers, 1Ki 7:38, smaller receptacles for water, which could be moved about on wheels, as the washing of the sacrificial animals required it, and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to wash in them. Such things as they offered, that is, the flesh of the animals, for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in, the water probably being drawn out below by means of faucets.
v. 7. And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, in place of the one made by Moses for the Tabernacle, Exo 25:31-40, and set them in the Temple, that is, the Holy Place, not the court, as in the case of the lavers, five on the right hand and five on the left.
v. 8. He made also ten tables, stands for the ten candlesticks, and placed them in the Temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made an hundred basins of gold, bowls or tankards used for the drink-offerings. Note: All the washings of the Old Testament worship were typical of the time of the New Testament, where we have a lasting fountain for sin and for uncleanness in the blood of Christ.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 he made
he made
Here "he" refers to Solomon. The readers should understand that Solomon probably commanded other people to do the actual work. AT: "Solomon's workers made" (See: Metonymy)
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twenty cubits ... ten cubits ... five cubits ... thirty cubits ... each cubit
A cubit is 46 centimeters. AT: "9.2 meters ... 4.6 meters ... 2.3 meters ... 13.8 meters ... every 46 centimeters" (See: Biblical Distance)
the round sea
This refers to a tank or basin that would hold water.
cast metal
This is metal that was melted then formed in a mold.
from brim to brim
"from one edge to the other"
in circumference
Circumference is the distance or measurement around a circular object or area.
ten to each cubit
"ten per cubit"
when the sea itself was cast
This can be stated in active form. AT: "when the workers cast the sea itself" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
altar
bronze
cow
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.