1 Kings 7:39 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Kings 7:39
And he put five bases on the right side 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.
to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
five
חָמֵ֞שׁcha.Mesh
H2568
five · noun, common both genders singular absolute
bases
הַמְּכֹנ֔וֹתha.me.kho.Not
H4350
a pedestal · definite article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
right
מִיָּמִ֔יןmi.ya.Min
H3225
the right hand or side (leg · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
side
כֶּ֤תֶףKe.tef
H3802
the shoulder (proper · noun, common feminine singular construct
house
הַבַּ֙יִת֙ha.Ba.yit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
five
וְחָמֵ֛שׁve.cha.Mesh
H2568
five · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular absolute
left
מִשְּׂמֹאל֑וֹmi.se.mo.Lo
H8040
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
side
כֶּ֥תֶףKe.tef
H3802
the shoulder (proper · noun, common feminine singular construct
house
הַבַּ֖יִתha.Ba.yit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
set
נָתַ֞ןna.Tan
H5414
to give · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
sea
הַיָּ֗םhai.Yam
H3220
a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
right
יְמָנִיyᵉmânîy
H3233
right (i.e. at the right hand)
side
מִכֶּ֨תֶףmi.Ke.tef
H3802
the shoulder (proper · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
house
הַבַּ֧יִתha.Ba.yit
H1004
a house (in the greatest variation of applications · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
eastward
קֵ֖דְמָהKe.de.mah
H6924
the front · noun, common masculine singular absolute + directional suffix
against
מִמּ֥וּלmi.Mul
H4136
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
south
נֶֽגֶבNe.gev
H5045
the south (from its drought) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
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
2 Chronicles 4:6 He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt of…
2 Chronicles 4:10 And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.
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…
he made ten bases of brass--These were trucks or four-wheeled carriages, for the support and conveyance of the lavers. The description of their structure shows that they were elegantly fitted up and skilfully adapted to their purpose. They stood, not on the axles, but on four rests attached to the axles, so that the figured sides were considerably raised above the wheels. They were all exactly alike in form and size. The lavers which were borne upon them were vessels capable each of holding three hundred gallons of water, upwards of a ton weight. The whole, when full of water, would be no less than two tons [NAPIER].
Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 7:38
Then made he ten lavers - These were set on the ten bases or pedestals, and were to hold water for the use of the priests in their sacred office, particularly to wash the victims that were to be offered as a burnt-offering, as we learn from Ch2 4:6; but the brazen sea was for the priests to wash in. The whole was a building of vast art, labor, and expense.
John Gill on 1 Kings 7:39
And he put five bases on the right side of the house,.... On the south side, which is commonly understood; that is, of the courts of the priests, where they were placed for their use: and five on the left side of the house; on the north, as it must be, if the south is on the right; though as the entrance into the temple was at the east, when a man went in, the north must be on the right, and the south on the left; and this seems to be the position by what follows:
and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, over against the south; and therefore the right side must be the north, which is opposite to the south; the sea seems to have stood northeast, which was for the priests t…
The Church Fathers
"And the sea he set on the right side of the temple facing the east southwards." And this was placed in the same court to the east. His words, "on the right side of the temple," he repeats when he says "southwards." For those who entered the court from the east had first to turn southwards, where the sea stood in the very corner ready for the priests to wash; then, as they proceeded inside, they were met by lavers placed on either side for washing the victims; inside these was a bronze dais five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high, on which Solomon stood when dedicating the temple; then as they proceeded further they came to the altar of burnt offering facing the south side of the court, then the temple porticoes or vestibule in which were bronze pillars around the door of the temple. Therefore, the fact that he placed the sea at the right side of the temple signifies that it is through the bath of baptism we must reach the kingdom of heaven, which is properly represented by the term "right hand." For "he who believes and is baptized shall be saved." For where right as well as left hand are taken in the positive sense, they indicate either Judea and the Gentiles, as we have said above in the explanation of the bases, or the present and future life of the church, or the happy and sad things of the world, or something of the sort, but where the right hand by itself is used in the positive sense, it more frequently stands for eternal joys. But the fact that he made the sea face eastwards has virtually the same significance, namely, that the splendor of eternal glory is revealed to us through the bath of the holy font; the fact that it was at the south side of the court signifies that the faithful are apt to be kindled into a blazing fire of genuine love through the reception of the Holy Spirit, for in the Scriptures the heat of the noonday sun customarily meant the ardor of love and the light of the Holy Spirit, through whom this love is poured forth in the hearts of the elect.
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;…
Temple, Solomon’s — Before his death David had “with all his might” provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the…
Brass · .Altar, vessels, and other articles of the tabernacle and temple — .Altar, vessels, and other articles of the tabernacle and temple
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
Master Workman · .Hiram — .Hiram
Mechanic · .Hiram — .Hiram
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).
The Brazen Stands and Their Basins.
(Note: The description which follows will be more easily understood by comparing it with the sketch given in my biblische Archologie, Taf. iii. fig. 4.)
- He made ten stands of brass, each four cubits long, four cubits broad, and three cubits high. מכנות, stands or stools (Luther), is the name given to these vessels from their purpose, viz., to serve as supports to the basins which were used for washing the flesh of the sacrifices. They were square chests cast in brass, of the dimensions given.
Kg1 7:28-29
Their work (their construction) was the following: they had מסגּרות, lit., surroundings, i.e., panels of flat sides, and that between שׁלבּים, commissur…
The ten bronze water carts each held a basin for rinsing burnt offerings (2 Chr 4:6). Five stood on either side of the Temple. Because they had wheels, they could be moved as needed.
Rashi on 1 Kings 7:39
On the [right] side of the Beis Hamikdosh. Against the right side of the Beis Hamikdosh.
[Away] from the right side of the Beis Hamikdosh. Extended from the south side toward the north side. The following [explains], “קדמה מול נגב”: The northeast corner against the space which is between the northern wall of the Beis Hamikdosh and the wall of the court; and the northern wall is called “ממול נגב,” extended and removed far away from the south, and מול and ממול are not translated the same.60I.e., ממול נגב means “opposite the south,” which is the north.
