1 Kings 7:23-40 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

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Hiram Fashions The Molten Sea And The Ten Lavers With Their Instruments (1 Kings 7:23-40).

Hiram also fashioned the molten Sea, or Sea made of cast-work. The Hebrew word ‘sea' (yam) is nowhere else in Scripture used of anything other than literal large expanses of water or as an indicator of ‘the west' (because the Great (Mediterranean) Sea was to the west of Palestine, see 1 Kings 7:25). Thus its occurrence in this connection is unique in the Old Testament. In post Biblical Hebrew it would be used of settling tanks. But we can see why the Israelites, who were not used to such a large artificial expanse of water, and were filled with admiration at it, might call it a ‘sea' of water (compare how they would later call the lake of Galilee ‘a sea'). The word ‘molten' signifies that it was cast-work. The same ‘sea' is again mentioned in 2 Chronicles 4:2-10 where we are told that ‘the sea was for the priests to wash in' (1 Kings 7:6). We are not told how they accessed it, for it was five cubits high (1 Kings 2:3 metres, about seven and a half feet). Perhaps there was a kind of tap system by which water could be drawn off. But it clearly indicated the availability of abundant cleansing.

The suggestion that it symbolised the control of ‘chaos' by YHWH (in the Psalms YHWH never fights the sea, He always controls it with His sovereign word and power - Psalms 74:12-14; Psalms 89:9-10; Psalms 93:3-4; Psalms 98:7-9; Psalms 104:9; compare Job 38:11) is attractive but probably ungrounded. There is nowhere any hint of chaos in connection with it. Compare how in Revelation 4:6 the sea had become a solid because in Heaven no cleansing was needed.

Artificial water sources were found in other temples. The nearest comparison is a large stone basin from Amathus in Cyprus, which Isaiah 2:2 metres in diameter and 1.85 metres high, specific purpose unknown. It has four false handles in relief, circling the heads of bulls (compare 1 Kings 7:24 in the light of 2 Chronicles 4:3). There was also an artificial sea connected with the temple of Marduk in Babylon which was associated with a monster, and therefore probably connected by them with Chaos. But in view of the fact that the Tabernacle had a laver, or large bowl on a base, filled with water, for the priests to wash in (Exodus 30:17-21), and that Solomon undoubtedly loved magnifying things up (consider the cherubim in the Most Holy Place), it is most probable that that is how the molten Sea was looked at in Israel, especially in view of 2 Chronicles 4:6. It was thus to be seen as the place of lavish provision for cleansing, much needed in view of Solomon's tendency for multiple sacrifices which would involve many priests in relays. It would also probably be used to top up the ten ‘bowls on wheels' described below, which according to the Chronicler were for washing the parts of the sacrifices (e.g. Leviticus 1:13; Leviticus 8:21; etc.).

Related Commentaries of 1 Kings 7:23

1 Kings 7:23-40

23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.

25 It 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.

26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.

28 And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges:

29 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work.

30 And every base had four brasen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.

31 And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.

32 And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.

33 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten.

34 And there were four undersetters to the four corners of one base: and the undersetters were of the very base itself.

35 And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.

36 For on the plates of the ledges thereof, and on the borders thereof, he graved cherubims, lions, and palm trees, according to the proportioni of every one, and additions round about.

37 After this manner he made the ten bases: all of them had one casting, one measure, and one size.

38 Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.

39 And he put five bases on the right sidej of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south.k

40 And Hiraml made the lavers, and the shovels, and the basons. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he made king Solomon for the house of the LORD: