2 Chronicles Chapter 4
Furnishings for the Temple and Its Court
A. The Furnishings of the Temple
1. Second Chronicles 4:1, The Bronze Altar
Second Chronicles 4:1, KJV
“Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.”
The altar stood at the very entrance of the court and was the first major furnishing encountered by the worshiper. The Hebrew term for altar carries the sense of a “place of slaughter.” This was the divinely appointed location where blood was shed for atonement and where fellowship with God was restored. The altar was central because access to God required sacrifice. As in the tabernacle, God made it clear that He could only be approached through atoning blood.
The altar measured twenty cubits by twenty cubits and ten cubits high, making it roughly thirty feet square and fifteen feet tall. It was significantly larger than the altar prescribed for the tabernacle in Exodus 27:1–2, KJV, “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood… five cubits long, and five cubits broad.” The enlarged dimensions reflect the expanded national worship of Israel in the land and the great number of sacrifices that would occur at the temple.
Its elevated height ensured that the sacrifices were visible to the worshipers. Trapp observes that this visibility reminded the people both of their sin and of their Savior, for the ceremonial system preached the gospel through symbolic action. For New Testament believers, the altar points ultimately to the cross. Hebrews 13:10, KJV, declares, “We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” The cross is the true place of sacrifice, where Christ died and where we die to self and live unto Him.
2. Second Chronicles 4:2–6, The Washing Basins for the Temple
Second Chronicles 4:2–6, KJV
“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. 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. 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. 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. 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.”
a. Then he made the Sea of cast bronze
The Molten Sea was a massive circular basin ten cubits across, more than fifteen feet in diameter. Its height was five cubits, and its circumference measured thirty cubits. It served as the primary washing basin for the priests, fulfilling the requirement that priests must wash lest they die. Exodus 30:20–21, KJV, states, “When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not.” Ritual cleansing was essential before approaching the altar or ministering in the sanctuary.
Wiseman notes that the Sea was used both for priestly cleansing and possibly to supply water to the standing basins. Poole suggests that water may have been drawn from openings in the oxen beneath it.
b. It stood on twelve oxen
The Sea rested upon twelve cast bronze oxen arranged in four groups of three facing each cardinal direction. Oxen symbolized strength, endurance, and sacrificial service. Some commentators have seen in the twelve oxen a picture of the twelve apostles, carrying the water of life into the world. While symbolic applications must be handled carefully, the imagery of twelve supports does align with the repeated Old Testament pattern of God working through the twelve tribes.
The Sea had a capacity of three thousand baths according to Chronicles. First Kings 7:26, KJV, records a capacity of two thousand baths. Clarke notes that the variation likely reflects a difference between the Babylonian and Hebrew measurements used at different periods.
The Sea’s brim was shaped like a lily blossom, giving it both beauty and symbolic purity. A lily in Scripture often symbolizes holiness and consecration. The thickness was a handbreadth, making it an extraordinarily sturdy structure.
c. He also made ten lavers
In addition to the Sea, Solomon constructed ten smaller lavers, five on each side. These were used specifically for washing the animal parts of the burnt offerings. Second Chronicles 4:6 distinguishes this clearly. The lavers dealt with sacrificial cleansing, while the Sea was exclusively for the priests.
This distinction reinforces the theological truth that even in the sacrificial system, God made separation between the cleansing required for ministry and the cleansing related to the offerings. The priests had to be personally clean before they could handle the holy things or minister on behalf of the people.
3. Second Chronicles 4:7–8, The Lampstands, Tables, and Bowls
Second Chronicles 4:7–8, KJV
“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. 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.”
Solomon made ten golden lampstands according to the divine pattern. In the tabernacle there had been one lampstand, but the temple had ten, signifying an expanded ministry of light. The lampstands pictured the illumination of God’s truth, for without divine light man walks in darkness. The multiplication of lampstands reflects the greater glory of the permanent sanctuary compared to the portable tabernacle.
He also made ten tables. The tabernacle had only one table of showbread according to Exodus 25:23–30, KJV, “And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.” The presence of ten tables in the temple magnified the symbolism of fellowship with God. The bread represented continual covenant communion between God and His people. By increasing the number of tables, Solomon emphasized that fellowship with God was abundant, not scarce, and that access to His covenant blessings was overflowing.
Solomon also made one hundred golden bowls. These were not merely decorative. Payne notes that these “sprinkling bowls” were used in the rituals involving the blood of sacrifices. They collected the blood, which was then sprinkled on or around the altar as part of atonement rites. The abundance of bowls indicated the vast number of sacrifices offered at the temple and demonstrated the seriousness with which God regarded the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22, KJV, states this principle clearly: “And without shedding of blood is no remission.”
4. Second Chronicles 4:9–10, The Court of the Temple
Second Chronicles 4:9–10, KJV
“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. And he set the sea on the right side of the east end, over against the south.”
Solomon constructed the court of the priests, also called the inner court. This was the sacred area where only priests ministered. It was restricted to those consecrated for service and separated from the outer areas where lay Israelites gathered. This division emphasized that under the old covenant access to God was mediated and limited.
The great court surrounded the inner court and served as the gathering place for the people of Israel. It was the communal space where worshipers assembled, sacrifices were brought, and national feasts were observed. The distinction between the courts revealed the unfinished nature of the old covenant. Payne notes that this physical separation demonstrated that the universal priesthood of believers had not yet been established.
The New Testament teaches that this separation is abolished in Christ. First Peter 2:9, KJV, declares, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood.” Through Christ all believers have direct access to the Father. There is no longer an inner court reserved for a select class because the veil has been torn and the priesthood is shared by all redeemed saints.
Solomon also set the Molten Sea on the right side of the temple, toward the southeast, marking its prominent role in the ceremonial washing of the priests. Its location ensured accessibility for the regular purifications required before service at the altar.
B. The Work of Huram from Tyre
1. Second Chronicles 4:11–17, Huram’s Furnishings for the Temple
Second Chronicles 4:11–17, KJV
“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. 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. 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. He made also bases, and lavers made he upon the bases. One sea, and twelve oxen under it. 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. In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredathah.”
Huram, also called Huram abhi or Huram his father, was a master craftsman of mixed heritage. His mother was an Israelite from Dan and his father was a Tyrian. God providentially shaped his background so that he possessed the artistic skill, metalworking expertise, and cultural exposure needed for this sacred task. Solomon entrusted to Huram the fine artistic work that required precision, symbolism, and beauty. His craftsmanship was not merely technical but theological, as every element contributed to the worship of God.
Huram fashioned pots, shovels, and basins, tools used in sacrificial rituals. The Chronicler gives special attention to these items, because many of them reappeared after the Babylonian captivity. Ezra records the return of these vessels as evidence that Israel remained a covenant people. Ezra 1:7, KJV, testifies, “Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord.” Their return symbolized continuity, restoration, and God’s covenant faithfulness even after judgment.
Huram also made the bronze pillars with their ornate bowl shaped capitals, the decorative networks adorned with four hundred pomegranates, and the carts with lavers. He crafted the massive Sea with its twelve oxen and produced all the sacrificial implements. These were cast in clay molds in the plain of Jordan between Succoth and Zeredathah, where the clay soil was ideal for large foundry work. The scale of the casting operation reflects the enormous magnitude of Solomon’s temple project.
2. Second Chronicles 4:18–22, Summary of the Furnishings for the Temple
Second Chronicles 4:18–22, KJV
“Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, for the weight of the brass could not be found out. 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. Moreover the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn after the manner before the oracle, of pure gold. And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that perfect gold. 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.”
Solomon produced these sacred vessels in such abundance that the weight of the bronze could not be measured. Meyer notes the significance of this. There was no attempt at meticulous accounting because genuine devotion does not calculate its gifts to God. The spirit of worship overflows beyond careful bookkeeping. Solomon gave extravagantly because the project was for the Lord, not for human display.
The summary lists the golden altar, the tables of showbread, the lampstands of pure gold, and all the utensils used in temple service. Each object was made of “perfect gold,” meaning the highest quality. The symbolism of the flowers, lamps, and utensils reflects themes of life, creation, and holiness. Selman suggests that the floral and animal imagery in the temple may signify God’s sovereignty over creation or reflect Eden like harmony where all creation thrives under God’s presence.
Solomon finished the temple with golden doors for both the inner sanctuary and the main hall. Gold at the very threshold of the house of God asserted His holiness. Anyone approaching Him did so through the symbolism of purity and glory.
