2 Chronicles 4:1-5·~1 min

The Bronze Altar and Molten Sea

The altar and Sea are described in measured detail, from dimensions and ornament to the oxen beneath the basin and its great capacity. The focus stays on their form, placement, and crafted abundance.

H¹e made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high. ²He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference. ³Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea. ⁴The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center. ⁵It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold three thousand baths.

Section summaryThe chapter opens with the great bronze altar and the cast Sea, giving their size, shape, decoration, and capacity. These first objects set the tone of scale and care that marks the temple’s furnishings.

Role in the chapterThis opening section establishes the temple’s outward equipment for sacrifice and washing. It begins the inventory with the largest bronze works, framing the chapter as a careful ordering of sacred space.