1 Kings 7:27-43

7:27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet ¹  long, six feet ²  wide, and four-and-a-half feet ³  high. 7:28 The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. 7:29 On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubs. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths. ⁴  7:30 Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths. ⁵  7:31 Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. ⁶  On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. ⁷  7:32 The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet ⁸  high. 7:33 The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. 7:34 Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand. ⁹  7:35 On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; ¹⁰  there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. 7:36 He engraved ornamental cherubs, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room, ¹¹  with wreaths ¹²  all around. 7:37 He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape.

7:38 He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons. ¹³  Each basin was six feet in diameter; ¹⁴  there was one basin for each stand. 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.

7:40 Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He ¹⁵  finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. ¹⁶  7:41 He made ¹⁷  the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, 7:42 the four hundred 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), 7:43 the ten movable stands with their ten basins,

[7:27]  ¹ tn Heb “four cubits.”

[7:27]  ² tn Heb “four cubits.”

[7:27]  ³ tn Heb “three cubits.”

[7:29]  ⁴ tn The precise meaning of these final words is uncertain. A possible literal translation would be, “wreaths, the work of descent.”

[7:30]  ⁵ tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.

[7:31]  ⁶ tn Heb “And its opening from the inside to the top and upwards [was] a cubit, and its opening was round, the work of a stand, a cubit-and-a-half.” The precise meaning of this description is uncertain.

[7:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “also over its opening were carvings and their frames [were] squared, not round.”

[7:32]  ⁸ tn Heb “a cubit-and-a-half” (a cubit was a unit of measure roughly equivalent to 18 inches or 45 cm).

[7:34]  ⁹ tn Heb “four shoulders to the four sides of each stand, from the stand its shoulders.” The precise meaning of the description is uncertain.

[7:35]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and on top of the stand, a half cubit [in] height, round all around” (the meaning of this description is uncertain).

[7:36]  ¹¹ tn Heb “according to the space of each.”

[7:36]  ¹² tn The precise meaning of this last word, translated “wreaths,” is uncertain.

[7:38]  ¹³ tn Heb “forty baths” (a bath was a liquid measure roughly equivalent to six gallons).

[7:38]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “four cubits, each basin.” It is unclear which dimension is being measured.

[7:40]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Hiram.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:40]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Hiram finished doing all the work which he did for King Solomon [on] the house of the Lord.”

[7:41]  ¹⁷ tn The words “he made” are added for stylistic reasons.