2 Chronicles 4: Furnishings of Bronze and Gold
Solomon and the craftsman Huram complete the altar, the great bronze sea, the lampstands, tables, and countless vessels for the worship of God.
2 Chronicles 4 (WEB)
1 Then he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits its length, and twenty cubits its breadth, and ten cubits its height.
2 Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it.
3 Under it was the likeness of oxen, which encircled it, for ten cubits, encircling the sea. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
4 It stood on 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 on them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5 It was a hand breadth thick; and its brim was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
6 He made also ten basins, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 He made the ten lamp stands of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. He made one hundred basins of gold.
9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with brass.
10 He set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.
11 Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he did for king Solomon in God’s house:
12 the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars,
13 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars.
14 He made also the bases, and the basins made he on the bases;
15 one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
16 Huram his father also made the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all its vessels for king Solomon for Yahweh’s house of bright brass.
17 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.
18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
19 Solomon made all the vessels that were in God’s house, the golden altar also, and the tables with the show bread on them;
20 and the lamp stands with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;
21 and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold;
22 and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the fire pans, of pure gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors of it for the most holy place, and the doors of the main hall of the temple were of gold.
2 Chronicles 4 (KJV)
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
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 did compass it round about.
3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
4 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.
5 And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.
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 offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold.
9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.
10 And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.
11 And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basons. And Huram finished the work that he was to make for king Solomon for the house of God;
12 To wit, the two pillars, and the pommels, and the chapiters which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two wreaths to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were on the top of the pillars;
13 And four hundred pomegranates on the two wreaths; two rows of pomegranates on each wreath, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which were upon the pillars.
14 He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases;
15 One sea, and twelve oxen under it.
16 The pots also, and the shovels, and the fleshhooks, and all their instruments, did Huram his father make to king Solomon for the house of the Lord of bright brass.
17 In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.
18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;
20 Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold;
21 And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold;
22 And the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers, of pure gold: and the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house of the temple, were of gold.
2 Chronicles 4 (ASV)
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
2 Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about.
3 And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
4 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 upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5 And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
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 belonged to the burnt-offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7 And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
8 He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.
9 Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass.
10 And he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.
11 And Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he wrought for king Solomon in the house of God:
12 the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two capitals which were on the top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars,
13 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were upon the pillars.
14 He made also the bases, and the lavers made he upon the bases;
15 one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
16 The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the vessels thereof, did Huram his father make for king Solomon, for the house of Jehovah, of bright brass.
17 In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.
18 Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out.
19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread;
20 and the candlesticks with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;
21 and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold;
22 and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold. And as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, were of gold.
Summary
Solomon makes the great bronze altar for sacrifice, twenty cubits square, and casts the enormous molten sea, a vast basin resting on twelve bronze oxen facing the four directions. He fashions ten basins for washing the offerings and ten golden lampstands set five on each side of the temple, along with ten tables and a hundred golden basins. He builds the court of the priests and the great court with bronze-overlaid doors. The craftsman Huram completes the pots, shovels, and basins, finishing all the bronze work for the house of God, casting the pieces in the clay ground of the Jordan plain. The weight of the bronze is beyond counting. Solomon also makes all the golden vessels: the golden altar, the tables for the showbread, the lampstands with their pure-gold flowers and lamps, the tongs, snuffers, basins, spoons, fire pans, and the very doors of the most holy place, all of gold. The chapter is an inventory of glory, showing a place fully equipped for the worship of God, where cleansing, light, provision, and offering all have their appointed place.
Key Figures
- Solomon — The king who oversees the making of all the temple's furnishings in great abundance, sparing no gold or bronze for God's house.
- Huram the craftsman — The master artisan from Tyre who completes the bronze work, casting the vessels in the plain of the Jordan.
- The priests — Those who would minister with these vessels, washing in the bronze sea and tending the lamps and tables before God.
Key Verse
2 Chronicles 4:20 (WEB)
and the lamp stands with their lamps, to burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;
Lessons Learned
- Worship of God involves cleansing, light, and provision, each with its appointed vessel.
- Abundance offered to God reflects a heart that withholds nothing from him.
- The washing basins remind us that we must be made clean to draw near to a holy God.
- The lampstands picture the light of God's presence that worship is meant to keep burning.
- Drawing near requires cleansing. The basins and the great sea were made so the offerings and “the priests” could “wash” (2 Chronicles 4:6, WEB). Worship assumes that sinful people must be cleansed to approach a holy God.
- God's house is to be a place of light. The lampstands burned “according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold” (2 Chronicles 4:20, WEB). God is light, and his dwelling was never to be left in darkness.
- Give without holding back. Solomon made “all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out” (2 Chronicles 4:18, WEB). Generosity toward God knows no careful, calculated limit.
- Order honors the God we serve. Each lampstand, table, and basin had its assigned place, five on the right and five on the left (2 Chronicles 4:7-8, WEB). Thoughtful order in worship reflects the character of an orderly God.
- What does the variety of furnishings—altar, sea, lampstands, tables—suggest about the fullness of worship?
- Why do the washing basins and the great bronze sea matter for those who would serve in the temple?
- What might the constantly burning lampstands teach us about the light of God's presence?
- Solomon gave gold and bronze “in great abundance.” What would generous, unmeasured giving look like in your own walk with God?
- How do these symbols of cleansing and light point you toward your need for God in daily life?
- The altar speaks of sacrifice, the sea and basins of cleansing, the lampstands of light, and the tables of provision (4:1-8). Together they show worship as a whole life lived before God—offered, cleansed, illumined, and fed by his presence.
- The washing emphasizes that no one approaches God's service unclean (4:6). It teaches reverence and points ahead to the deeper cleansing God's people would ultimately need to stand before him.
- The lamps burned continually “before the oracle” (4:20), picturing God's abiding light in his house. They invite us to keep the flame of devotion and witness burning rather than letting it go dark.
- This is partly personal application. The bronze was beyond weighing (4:18). Invite the group to examine whether their giving of time, resources, and love to God is measured and cautious or wholehearted and abundant.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to see in the basins their daily need for cleansing and in the lamps their need for God's light, and to bring both honestly to him. Keep the reflection gentle and hopeful.