Exodus 30:18

Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
make	וְעָשִׂ֜יתָ ve.'a.Si.ta	H6213	to do or make · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
laver	כִּיּ֥וֹר ki.Yor	H3595	properly · noun, common masculine singular construct
brass	נְחֹ֛שֶׁת ne.Cho.shet	H5178	copper · noun, common feminine singular absolute
foot	וְכַנּ֥וֹ ve.kha.No	H3653	a stand · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
brass	נְחֹ֖שֶׁת ne.Cho.shet	H5178	copper · noun, common feminine singular absolute
wash	לְרָחְצָ֑ה le.ra.che.Tzah	H7364	to lave (the whole or a part of a thing) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
put	וְנָתַתָּ֣ ve.na.ta.Ta	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
tabernacle	אֹ֤הֶל 'O.hel	H168	a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance) · noun, common masculine singular construct
congregation	מוֹעֵד֙ mo.'Ed	H4150	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
altar	הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ ha.miz.Be.ach	H4196	an altar · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
put	וְנָתַתָּ֥ ve.na.ta.Ta	H5414	to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
water	מָֽיִם Ma.yim	H4325	water · noun, common masculine plural 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

Exodus 40:7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
Exodus 38:8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of t…
Exodus 40:30-32 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
1 Kings 7:23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of t…
1 Kings 7:38 Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one…
2 Chronicles 4:2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits…
2 Chronicles 4:14-15 He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;
Leviticus 8:11 And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify th…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 30:17-21

Orders are here given, 1. For the making of a laver, or font, of brass, a large vessel, that would contain a good quantity of water, which was to be set near the door of the tabernacle, Exo 30:18. The foot of brass, it is supposed, was so contrived as to receive the water, which was let into it out of the laver by spouts or cocks. They then had a laver for the priests only to wash in, but to us now there is a fountain open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in (Zac 13:1), an inexhaustible fountain of living water, so that it is our own fault if we remain in our pollution. 2. For the using of this laver. Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet at this laver every time they went in to m…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 30:18

Thou shalt . . . make a laver of brass--Though not actually forming a component part of the furniture of the tabernacle, this vase was closely connected with it; and though from standing at the entrance it would be a familiar object, it possessed great interest and importance from the baptismal purposes to which it was applied. No data are given by which its form and size can be ascertained; but it was probably a miniature pattern of Solomon's--a circular basin. his foot--supposed not to be the pedestal on which it rested, but a trough or shallow receptacle below, into which the water, let out from a cock or spout, flowed; for the way in which all Eastern people wash their hands or feet is…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on Exodus 30:18

A laver of brass - כיור kiyor sometimes signifies a caldron, Sa1 2:14; but it seems to signify any large round vessel or basin used for washing the hands and feet. There were doubtless cocks or spigots in it to draw off the water, as it is not likely the feet were put into it in order to be washed. The foot of the laver must mean the pedestal on which it stood.

John Gill on Exodus 30:18

Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal,.... For Aaron, and his sons, and the priests in succession, to wash at before their entrance on their ministry; and denotes in general the necessity of purity, in order to minister in the priestly office; and which was in its perfection in Christ, who being holy and harmless, was an high priest becoming us, and suitable to us, qualified to offer himself without spot to God, and to take away sin; of which purity his baptism in water might be a symbol, which he submitted to before he entered publicly on the execution of his office as a prophet and priest; and as this may respect the ministers of the Gospel, it s…

The Church Fathers

In the first instance, we can understand this basin (or flanged bowl, as it is called further on) to be the water of baptism, in which all those who enter the doors of the church must bathe in order to be cleansed. It was put between the tabernacle of the testimony and the altar of the holocaust, and the priests were commanded to wash themselves in it twice a day (that is, morning and evening) when they were going to the altar of incense to offer to the Lord. We, however, are not supposed to be washed in the water of baptism more than once; consequently the basin commends to us that washing of compunction and of tears which is required of us at all times, and especially when we draw near to minister at the heavenly mysteries.
— Bede, On the Tabernacle 3.14, AT EXODUS 3:18-20

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

Ablution — Or washing, was practised, (1.) When a person was initiated into a higher state: e.g., when Aaron and his sons were set apart to the priest’s office, they were washed with water previous to their…
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;…
Purification — The process by which a person unclean, according to the Levitical law, and thereby cut off from the sanctuary and the festivals, was restored to the enjoyment of all these privileges. The great…
Spices — Aromatic substances, of which several are named in Ex. 30. They were used in the sacred anointing oil (Ex. 25:6; 35:8; 1 Chr. 9:29), and in embalming the dead (2 Chr. 16:14; Luke 23:56; 24:1; John…
Tabernacle — (1.) A house or dwelling-place (Job 5:24; 18:6, etc.). (2.) A portable shrine (comp. Acts 19:24) containing the image of Moloch (Amos 5:26; marg. and R.V., “Siccuth”). (3.) The human body (2 Cor.…
Ablution · Of the hands — Of the hands
Brass, Or Copper · Made into: Lavers — Made into: Lavers
Laver · Directions for making — Directions for making
Laver Of Brass · Moses was commanded to make — Moses was commanded to make
Priests · Required to wash in the brazen laver before they performed their services — Required to wash in the brazen laver before they performed their services
Purification · SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — SCRIPTURES RELATING TO

Exodus 30:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 30:17-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 30:18

Adam Clarke on Exodus 30:18

John Gill on Exodus 30:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 30:18

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 30:17-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 30:18

Adam Clarke on Exodus 30:18

John Gill on Exodus 30:18

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Exodus 30:17-21

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 30:17-21

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 30:17-21

Rashi on Exodus 30:18