2 Chronicles — Chapter 4

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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.

1Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

2Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

3And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.

4It stood upon twelve oxen, 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.

5And 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; and it received and held three thousand baths.

6He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

7And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.

8He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold.

9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.

10And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.

11And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God;

12To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;

13And four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were upon the pillars.

14He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;

15One sea, and twelve oxen under it.

16The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the LORD of bright brass.

17In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.

18Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.

19And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;

20Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;

21And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;

22And the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.

1Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.

2Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about.

3And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.

4It stood upon twelve oxen, 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 upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.

5And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.

6He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

7And he made the ten candlesticks 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.

8He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.

9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.

10And he set the sea on the right side [of the house] eastward, toward the south.

11And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God:

12the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars,

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 upon the pillars.

14He made also the bases, and the lavers made he upon the bases;

15one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.

16The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels thereof, did Huram his father make for king Solomon for the house of Jehovah of bright brass.

17In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.

18Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.

19And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread;

20and the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;

21and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold;

22and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, [to wit], of the temple, were of gold.

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

2He also made the big bronze basin called “The Sea.” It measured 15 feet from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood 7½ feet high. Its circumference was 45 feet.

3Images of bulls were under it all the way around, ten every 18 inches all the way around. The bulls were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.”

4“The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward.

5It was four fingers thick, and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold 18,000 gallons.

6He made ten washing basins; he put five on the south side and five on the north side. In them they rinsed the items used for burnt sacrifices; the priests washed in “The Sea.”

7He made ten gold lampstands according to specifications and put them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left.

8He made ten tables and set them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left. He also made 100 gold bowls.

9He made the courtyard of the priests and the large enclosure and its doors; he plated their doors with bronze.

10He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.

11Huram Abi made the pots, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on God’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon.

12He made the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars,

13the 400 pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar),

14the ten movable stands with their ten basins,

15the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath,

16and the pots, shovels, and meat forks. All the items King Solomon assigned Huram Abi to make for the Lord’s temple were made from polished bronze.

17The king had them cast in earth foundries in the region of the Jordan between Sukkoth and Zarethan.

18Solomon made so many of these items they did not weigh the bronze.

19Solomon also made these items for God’s temple: the gold altar, the tables on which the Bread of the Presence was kept,

20the pure gold lampstands and their lamps which burned as specified at the entrance to the inner sanctuary,

21the pure gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs,

22the pure gold trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

1Then he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.

2Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim. It was round, five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference.

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.

4It stood on twelve oxen, 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 on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward.

5It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It received and held three thousand baths.

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.

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.

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.

9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with brass.

10He set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.

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:

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,

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.

14He also made the bases, and he made the basins on the bases;

15one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.

16Huram his father also made the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all its vessels for king Solomon, for Yahweh’s house, of bright brass.

17The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.

18Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance; for the weight of the brass could not be determined.

19Solomon made all the vessels that were in God’s house, the golden altar also, and the tables with the show bread on them;

20and the lamp stands with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold;

21and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold that was perfect gold;

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.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Huram casts the temple's furnishings in bronze: a great altar twenty cubits square, and the massive round Sea, resting on twelve bronze oxen and rimmed with lily-shaped blossoms, holding about three thousand baths of water (vv. 1-5). Ten lavers are added for washing sacrifices, alongside ten golden lampstands, ten tables, and a hundred gold basins, set within the courts enclosed by bronze doors (vv. 6-9). Huram-abi completes the bronze work for Solomon — the two pillars with their capitals and four hundred pomegranates, the stands and basins, and the Sea with its oxen — casting it all in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah in such quantity that the weight of the bronze could not be calculated (vv. 10-18). Solomon then furnishes the interior with the gold altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands, and every lamp, tong, basin, and door made of pure gold (vv. 19-22).

Authorship & Background

Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe. Originally one book with 1 Chronicles. Written post-exile (approximately 450-400 BC). 2 Chronicles covers Solomon's reign through the Babylonian exile and Cyrus's decree of return (approximately 970-538 BC). The Chronicler focuses exclusively on Judah (ignoring the northern kingdom) and emphasizes Temple worship, reform movements, and the principle of 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people... shall humble themselves, and pray... then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Historical Context: Chapter 4 catalogs the furnishings of Solomon's Temple — the sacred objects that made worship possible. While modern readers may find such inventory lists tedious, for the Chronicler's audience these details were of intense practical and theological interest. The post-exilic community had rebuilt the Temple (516 BC), and this chapter provided the divine pattern for proper furnishing. Every item served a specific liturgical function: the bronze altar for sacrifice, the molten sea for priestly purification, the ten lavers for washing sacrificial portions, the lampstands for continuous light, the tables for the bread of the Presence, and the golden altar for incense. The scale is overwhelming — ten lampstands where the Tabernacle had one, ten tables where the Tabernacle had one, a bronze sea holding 3,000 baths (approximately 17,500 gallons) where the Tabernacle had a simple laver. Everything was multiplied, expanded, glorified — yet each item maintained the original Mosaic pattern in form, only increased in number and magnificence.
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: Furnishings listed by function starting in the courtyard, a bronze altar four times the area of the one it replaced, a distinction drawn precisely, lavers for washing what is offered and the sea for the priests to wash themselves, brass cast in the plain of Jordan in quantities the text declines to total, and a second half that shifts from bronze to gold as the inventory moves from the courtyard inside the house
The Brasen Altar, the Sea and the Lavers (vv.1-10): The furnishings are listed by function, beginning in the courtyard. The brasen altar is twenty cubits square and ten high, four times the area of the tabernacle altar it replaces. The molten sea is ten cubits across, standing on twelve oxen, and the text says it held three thousand baths, a volume in the region of sixty-six thousand litres. The distinction drawn at verse 6 is the point of the whole arrangement: the ten lavers are for washing what is offered, the sea is for the priests to wash themselves in. Then ten candlesticks, ten tables, a hundred golden basons, and the two courts, one for the priests and one great court for everyone else.
Huram's Work Finished, and the Vessels of Gold (vv.11-22): The second half is a manifest. Huram's brass work is itemised down to the pots, shovels and fleshhooks, then the pillars, the pommels, the wreaths and the four hundred pomegranates, the bases and the lavers, all of bright brass, cast in the clay ground of the plain of Jordan in quantities the text declines to total, brass without weight. From verse 19 the material changes to gold and the location moves inside: the golden altar, the tables of shewbread, the candlesticks and their lamps, the snuffers, basons, spoons and censers of pure gold, and the doors of the inner house. The chapter is an inventory and reads as one, which is what a reader should expect from it.

Map & Geography

  • Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
  • Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
  • The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes the progression from bronze (outer court, representing judgment) to gold (inner sanctuary, representing divine glory) and how every furnishing served a specific theological function in Israel's approach to God. The abundance of provision demonstrates that God's worship deserves the best of human creativity and resource.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

2 Chronicles 4 Summary: 5 Minute Bible Study
2BeLikeChrist

2 Chronicles 1:1-5:1 | Building God's Temple | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 2 Chronicles -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • The Altar Comes First (v.1) — The bronze altar for sacrifice is the first item Solomon builds, since nothing else in the Temple can function without it. What has first place in your own approach to God — is it grounded in what He's done for you, or in your own activity?
  • Cleansing for Both the Offering and the Offerer (v.6) — The Temple included both a basin to wash sacrifices and a sea for the priests themselves to wash before serving. Before you serve or give to God, do you take time to be honest with Him about what needs cleansing in you?
  • Provision Beyond Measure (v.18) — The Temple used so much bronze that its weight could not even be calculated. Where in your life do you need to trust that God's provision for what He's called you to do isn't limited the way your own resources are?
  • Increasing Purity Nearer God's Presence (vv.19-22) — The Temple moved from bronze in the outer court to gold in the Holy Place to the purest gold in the Most Holy Place. As you draw closer to God, are you also inviting Him to refine what's impure in you?