2. he made a molten sea—(See on :-), as in that passage "knops" occur instead of "oxen." It is generally supposed that the rows of ornamental knops were in the form of ox heads. read more
3. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast—The meaning is, that the circular basin and the brazen oxen which supported it were all of one piece, being cast in one and the same mould. There is a difference in the accounts given of the capacity of this basin, for while in :- it is said that two thousand baths of water could be contained in it, in this passage no less than three thousand are stated. It has been suggested that there is here a statement not merely of the quantity of water... read more
6. ten lavers—(See on :-). The laver of the tabernacle had probably been destroyed. The ten new ones were placed between the porch and the altar, and while the molten sea was for the priests to cleanse their hands and feet, these were intended for washing the sacrifices. read more
The Contents of the Temple1. An altar] This was in the Temple court. Though its construction is not described in Kings, it is mentioned in 1 Kings 8:64; 2 Kings 16:143. Oxen] rather, ’knops’ (i.e. gourds): see 1 Kings 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 2... read more
(a) THE PRINCIPAL VESSELS OF THE TEMPLE (2 Chronicles 4:1-10).THE BRAZEN ALTAR (2 Chronicles 4:1).(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 (1 Kings 9:25), and its existence seems to be implied in 1 Kings 8:22; 1 Kings 8:64. This altar stood in the... read more
(2) Even if pôthôth be correct in Kings, the chronicler might have understood the word to mean openings, rather than hinges, and so have substituted the common word pethah, which has that sense. The resemblance of the one word to the other would be a further consideration in its favour, according to ancient notions of interpretation. read more
(3) And under it was the similitude of oxen.—Literally, And a likeness of oxen (figured oxen) under it around surrounding it, ten in the cubit encompassing the sea around: two rows were the oxen, smelted in the smelting of it. In the parallel passage (1 Kings 7:24) we read: And wild gourds underneath its lip around surrounding it,” &c., as here; two of rows were the gourds, smelted in the smelting thereof. The Hebrew words for “oxen” and “gourds” might easily be confused by a transcriber,... read more
(4) It stood.—The whole verse coincides verbally with 1 Kings 7:25, with one slight exception: the common form of the numeral “twelve,” shnêm ‘âsâr, is substituted for the rare shnê ‘âsâr. read more
(5) And the thickness . . . a cup.—Identical with 1 Kings 7:26.With flowers of lilies.—See margin. “Lily” here is shôshannâh; in Kings, shôshân. LXX., “graven with lily buds.” Syriac and Arabic, “and it was very beautiful.” Vulg., “like the lip of a cup, or of an open lily.”And it received and held three thousand baths.—Literally, holding (whole) baths: three thousand would it contain. The bath was the largest of Hebrew liquid measures. Perhaps the true reading is, “holding three thousand... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 2 Chronicles 4:3
2 Chronicles 4:3. Similitude of oxen— The similitude of grapes. Houbigant. See the parallel passage, 1 Kings 7:24. read more