1 Kings 7:44

7:44 the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath,¹

1 Kings 4:20

Solomon’s Wealth and Fame

4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore; they had plenty to eat and drink and were happy.

1 Kings 9:27

9:27 Hiram sent his fleet and some of his sailors, who were well acquainted with the sea, to serve with Solomon’s men.²

1 Kings 5:9

5:9 My servants will bring the timber down from Lebanon to the sea. I will send it by sea in raft-like bundles to the place you designate.³ There I will separate the logs⁴ and you can carry them away. In exchange you will supply the food I need for my royal court.”⁵

1 Kings 7:25

7:25 “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.⁶

1 Kings 4:29

4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment; the breadth of his understanding⁷ was as infinite as the sand on the seashore.

1 Kings 7:24

7:24 Under the rim all the way around it⁸ were round ornaments⁹ arranged in settings 15 feet long.¹⁰ The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.”¹¹

1 Kings 9:26

9:26 King Solomon also built ships¹² in Ezion Geber, which is located near Elat in the land of Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.

1 Kings 18:43

18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.”¹³ Seven times Elijah sent him to look.¹⁴

1 Kings 7:23

7:23 He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.”¹⁵ It measured 15 feet¹⁶ from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet¹⁷ high. Its circumference was 45 feet.¹⁸

1 Kings 7:39

7:39 He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side. He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner.

1 Kings 10:22

10:22 Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships¹⁹ that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet²⁰ came into port with cargoes of²¹ gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.²²

1 Kings 18:44

18:44 The seventh time the servant²³ said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah²⁴ then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’”²⁵

¹tn Heb “underneath ‘The Sea.’”

²tn Heb “and Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, men of ships, [who] know the sea, [to be] with the servants of Solomon.”

³tn Heb “I will place them [on? as?] rafts in the sea to the place where you designate to me.” This may mean he would send them by raft, or that he would tie them in raft-like bundles, and have ships tow them down to an Israelite port.

⁴tn Heb “smash them,” i.e., untie the bundles.

⁵tn Heb “as for you, you will satisfy my desire by giving food for my house.”

⁴tn Heb “all their hindquarters were toward the inside.”

⁵tn Heb “heart,” i.e., mind. (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)

⁶tn Heb “The Sea.” The proper noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷tn Or “gourd-shaped ornaments.”

⁸tn Heb “ten cubits surrounding the sea all around.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.

⁹tn Heb “the gourd-shaped ornaments were in two rows, cast in its casting.”

⁷tn Or “a fleet” (in which case “ships” would be implied).

⁸sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the Lord’s prophet.

⁹tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”

⁹tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”

¹⁰tn Heb “ten cubits.”

¹¹tn Heb “five cubits.”

¹²tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”

¹⁰tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

¹¹tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”

¹²tn Heb “came carrying.”

¹³tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”

¹¹tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹²tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”