1 Kings 7:25

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
stood	עֹמֵ֞ד 'o.Med	H5975	to stand · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
twelve	שְׁנֵ֧י she.Nei	H8147	two · noun, common both genders dual construct
oxen	בָּקָ֗ר ba.Kar	H1241	beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gen… · noun, common both genders singular absolute
three	שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה she.lo.Shah	H7969	three · noun, common both genders singular absolute
looking	פֹנִ֣ים fo.Nim	H6437	to turn · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
north	צָפ֡וֹנָה tza.Fo.nah	H6828	properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute + directional suffix
three	וּשְׁלֹשָׁה֩ u.she.lo.Shah	H7969	three · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
looking	פֹנִ֨ים fo.Nim	H6437	to turn · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
west	יָ֜מָּה Ya.mah	H3220	a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water · noun, common masculine singular absolute + directional suffix
three	וּשְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה u.she.lo.Shah	H7969	three · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
looking	פֹּנִ֣ים po.Nim	H6437	to turn · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
south	נֶ֗גְבָּה Neg.bah	H5045	the south (from its drought) · noun, common masculine singular absolute + directional suffix
three	וּשְׁלֹשָׁה֙ u.she.lo.Shah	H7969	three · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
looking	פֹּנִ֣ים po.Nim	H6437	to turn · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
east	מִזְרָ֔חָה miz.Ra.chah	H4217	sunrise · noun, common masculine singular absolute + directional suffix
sea	וְהַיָּ֥ם ve.hai.Yam	H3220	a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water · conjunction + definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
above	מִלְמָ֑עְלָה mil.Ma.'e.lah	H4605	properly · preposition + preposition + cardinal number, both genders singular absolute + directional suffix
parts	אֲחֹֽרֵיהֶ֖ם 'a.cho.rei.Hem	H268	the hinder part · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
inward	בָּֽיְתָה Ba.ye.tah	H1004	a house (in the greatest variation of applications · noun, common masculine singular absolute + directional suffix

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Jeremiah 52:20 The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass…
2 Chronicles 4:4-5 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three…
Ezekiel 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face o…
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
Revelation 4:6-7 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beas…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 7:13-47

We have here an account of the brass-work about the temple. There was no iron about the temple, though we find David preparing for the temple iron for things of iron, Ch1 29:2. What those things were we are not told, but some of the things of brass are here described and the rest mentioned. I. The brasier whom Solomon employed to preside in this part of the work was Hiram, or Huram (Ch2 4:11), who was by his mother's side an Israelite, of the tribe of Naphtali, by his father's side a man of Tyre, Kg1 7:14. If he had the ingenuity of a Tyrian, and the affection of an Israelite to the house of God (the head of a Tyrian and the heart of an Israelite), it was happy that the blood of the two nati…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 7:23

he made a molten sea--In the tabernacle was no such vessel; the laver served the double purpose of washing the hands and feet of the priests as well as the parts of the sacrifices. But in the temple there were separate vessels provided for these offices. (See on Ch2 4:6). The molten sea was an immense semicircular vase, measuring seventeen and a half feet in diameter, and being eight and three-fourths feet in depth. This, at three and a half inches in thickness, could not weigh less than from twenty-five to thirty tons in one solid casting--and held from sixteen thousand to twenty thousand gallons of water. [See on Ch2 4:3.] The brim was all carved with lily work or flowers; and oxen were ca…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 7:21

The right pillar - Jachin - That is, He shall establish. The left pillar - Boaz, that is, in strength. These were no doubt emblematical; for notwithstanding their names, they seem to have supported no part of the building.

John Gill on 1 Kings 7:25

It stood upon twelve oxen,.... Figures of them in brass, of full proportion: three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and so turned to the four quarters of the world: and the sea was set above upon them; as it were on the backs of them, and their mouths served as spouts or cocks, to let water out of it on all sides: and all their hinder parts were inward; that they might not be seen, and which met in a centre; they that were north came against those that were south, and they in the east met with those to the west. The brass of the sea, according to Jacob Leon (r), weighed 1,800 arobas, and, wi…

The Church Fathers

[The sea] is set on the oxen in order not to be defiled by the ground. The oxen allude to the perfect structure of the created world, because it was prescribed in the Law that this animal should be offered in sacrifice; at the same time, the nourishment of human beings reaches its maturity through the strength of the ox. Their number of twelve refers to the constant revolution of an entire year which is accomplished in twelve months. Through their division into groups of three, which are set toward each cardinal point, [the Scripture] alludes to the four seasons. Finally, "the interior of the house" is called "the space under the sea." The water contained in the sea was used for the washing of the victims. It is possible that small ships and other objects, which are connected to the sea, were on it, and for this reason it was called "the sea."
— Ishodad of Merv, BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 7:25

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Laver — (Heb. kiyor), a “basin” for boiling in, a “pan” for cooking (1 Sam. 2:14), a “fire-pan” or hearth (Zech. 12:6), the sacred wash-bowl of the tabernacle and temple (Ex. 30:18, 28; 31:9; 35:16; 38:8;…
Sea, Molten — In the place of the laver of the tabernacle Solomon caused a laver to be cast for a similar purpose, which from its size was called a sea. It was made partly or wholly of the brass, or rather copper,…
Sea, The molten — The great laver made by Solomon for the use of the priests in the temple, described in 1 Kings 7:23-26; 2 Chr. 4:2-5. It stood in the south-eastern corner of the inner court. It was 5 cubits high, 10…
Brass · .Altar, vessels, and other articles of the tabernacle and temple — .Altar, vessels, and other articles of the tabernacle and temple
Bullock · Twelve bronze, un — Twelve bronze, un
Carving · Hiram — Hiram
Chapiter · Head of a pillar — Head of a pillar
Hiram · of the interior of the temple — of the interior of the temple
Laver Of Brass · One made by Solomon for the temple — One made by Solomon for the temple
Master Workman · .Hiram — .Hiram
Mechanic · .Hiram — .Hiram
Ox, The · Sea of brass rested on figures of — Sea of brass rested on figures of

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Kings 7:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 7:13-47

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 7:23

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 7:21

John Gill on 1 Kings 7:25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Kings 7:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 7:13-47

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 7:23

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 7:21

John Gill on 1 Kings 7:25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 7:23-26

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Kings 7:23-26

Rashi on 1 Kings 7:25