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2 Chronicles 4

The chapter records the abundant furnishings of God’s house, with distinct provisions for sacrifice, washing, and service within the sanctuary.

Solomon’s temple is being furnished with a bronze altar, a vast water basin called the sea, and vessels for worship. The account describes their size, materials, and placement, distinguishing the water used for offerings from the water used by priests. Huram completes his metalwork for the king, including pillars and bronze utensils. The closing inventory turns to the gold furnishings inside God’s house, ending with the doors of the most holy place and main hall.

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1Then he made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
2Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim. It was round, five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference.
3Under 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.
4It stood on twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set on them above, and all their hindquarters were inward.
6He also made ten basins, and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to wash in them. The things that belonged to the burnt offering were washed in them, but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
7He 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.
8He 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.
9Furthermore he made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze.
11Huram made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Huram finished doing the work that he did for King Solomon in God’s house:
13and 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.
16Huram-abi also made the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all its vessels for King Solomon, for the LORD’s house, of bright bronze.
18Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, so that the weight of the bronze could not be determined.
19Solomon made all the vessels that were in God’s house: the golden altar, the tables with the show bread on them,
20and the lamp stands with their lamps to burn according to the ordinance before the inner sanctuary, of pure gold;
21and the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold that was purest gold;
22and the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and the fire pans of pure gold. As for the entry of the house, its inner doors for the most holy place and the doors of the main hall of the temple were of gold.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
2 Chronicles 4:1The large bronze altar opens the inventory, establishing the place of sacrifice among the temple’s furnishings.
2 Chronicles 4:11Huram’s completed work connects the detailed inventory with the craftsman who made these objects for God’s house.
2 Chronicles 4:8The ten tables and hundred gold basins show the scale and ordered arrangement of the temple’s equipment.
Where this chapter reaches

1 Kings gives a parallel account of Solomon’s temple furnishings, including the bronze sea, its twelve supporting oxen, and Huram’s work. Exodus describes earlier sanctuary furnishings with shared functions and materials: a bronze altar and washing basin, along with gold lamps and a table.

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What do you notice about the separate provisions for washing offerings and washing priests?

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How does the attention to both gold furnishings and bronze tools shape your reading of service to God?

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Questions people ask about 2 Chronicles 4

What was the sea in 2 Chronicles 4?

The sea was a large cast-metal water basin supported by twelve oxen facing the four directions. Verse 6 states that it was for the priests to wash in. Ten smaller basins served a separate purpose: washing the things used for burnt offerings. The sea’s stated capacity was three thousand baths.

Who was Huram in 2 Chronicles 4?

Huram, also called Huram-abi in verse 16, was the craftsman credited with completing metalwork for King Solomon’s temple. The inventory associates his work with the pillars, the sea and its supports, and bronze utensils. This chapter focuses on what he made rather than giving an account of his background.

Why were there ten lamp stands in Solomon’s temple?

The chapter records ten gold lamp stands, arranged five on each side of the temple. It says they were made according to the ordinance and that their lamps were to burn before the inner sanctuary. It does not explain why there were ten or assign a symbolic meaning to that number.

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What the Bible says about worship →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).