The ten Brazen Lavers were bronze lavers used in the Temple of Solomon, in addition to the larger Molten Sea , according to the Book of Kings. [1]
All this passage explains about the lavers themselves is their size, and that they were made from bronze. The mediaeval Masoretic Text claims that they were four cubits in diameter, and that they had a cubic capacity of forty baths, [1] but the earlier writer Flavius Josephus claims that four cubits was the size of the radius, making the capacity even larger. [2] Even with the masoretic text's measurements, these lavers would be so large that if one was to be filled with water, the water alone would weigh 14 long tons. [3]
Much greater detail is elaborated for the description of the supporting bases (Hebrew: Mekonoth) for the lavers. In the masoretic text, these are claimed to be four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high, [4] but the older Septuagint, and Josephus, both claim instead give the size as five cubits long, five cubits wide, and six cubits high. [2] [5]
These bases are described as being made from two components; in the Masoretic Text, these are described by the Hebrew terms misgeroth and shelabbim; [6] the Septuagint uses the Greek terms sygkleiston and hexechomena to describe them. [7] The meaning of these words is unfortunately somewhat uncertain, [3] although it is suspected that the shelabbim/hexechomena were the main part, onto which the misgeroth/sygkleiston were affixed [8] (hence some English translations render these words into side panels and uprights, or borders and frames). The bible describes the misgeroth/sygkleiston as being decorated by lions, oxen, and cherubim. [6]
Each base is described as resting on a solid brass wheels, each 1.5 cubits in diameter. [9] The axles for these wheels are described as being held to the base by hands (Hebrew: yadoth), which were extensions of the base itself. [10]
According to a later passage from the books of kings, King Ahaz dismantled these bases, and removed the misgeroth/sygleiston; [11] it doesn't mention whether he did anything to the lavers themselves, but if they remained they would presumably have been situated significantly lower than they were before. [3] However, an even later passage states that Nebuchadnezzar's army dismantled the bases. [12]
The ten lavers are described by the bible as being placed around the Temple building itself, five on the north side and the other five on the south. They were used for washing the hands and feet of the priests before doing ritual service (Exodus 30:18-21). This is a redundant act which was the purpose of the cast sea, thus the concluding statement of Josephus, saying that these laverns were for cleansing the entrails of the sacrificed animals, and their feet. [2] [13] Remember each item has symbolic meaning and the cast sea is for the use of the priests for cleansing of themselves, thus work of the Holy Spirit, where as this is the cleaning of the entrails, which is symbolic of the mind, soul, and leg or the intention of believers or here the priest.
In the late 19th century, bronze chariots were discovered in Cyprus which had a remarkable similarity to the biblical description of the bases of the lavers. [14] This has provided some clarification of the nature of misgeroth/sygleiston, and shelabbim/hexechomena, as well as explaining the design of the mouths of the lavers themselves (see illustration of the reconstruction, above). [3]
The Septuagint, sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy, and often abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew. The full Greek title derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates that "the laws of the Jews" were translated into the Greek language at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus by seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Molten Sea or Brazen Sea was a large basin in the Temple in Jerusalem made by Solomon for ablution of the priests. It is described in 1 Kings 7:23–26 and 2 Chronicles 4:2–5. It stood in the south-eastern corner of the inner court. According to the Bible it was five cubits high, ten cubits in diameter from brim to brim, and thirty cubits in circumference. The brim was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom, and its thickness was a hand breadth", three or four inches. It was placed on the backs of twelve oxen, standing with their faces outward. It was capable of containing two or three thousand baths of water. The fact that it was a wash basin which was too large to enter from above lends to the idea that water would likely have flowed from it down into a subcontainer beneath. The water was originally supplied by the Gibeonites, but was afterwards brought by a conduit from Solomon's Pools. The "molten sea" was made of brass or bronze, which Solomon had taken from the captured cities of Hadarezer, the king of Zobah. Ahaz later removed this laver from the oxen, and placed it on a stone pavement. It was destroyed by the Chaldeans.
The Hivites were one group of descendants of Canaan, son of Ham, according to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 (10:17). A variety of proposals have been made, but beyond the references in the Bible to Hivites in the land of Canaan, no consensus has been reached about their precise historical identity.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Urim and the Thummim are elements of the hoshen, the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod, a type of apron or garment. The pair are used frequently in the Old Testament, in Exodus 28:30 through God's instruction to Aaron on how to adorn his breastplate worn in the holy place; in 1 Samuel 14:41 by King Saul to determine who was at fault for breaking the army's fast; and Ezra 2 to determine whether those who claimed to be the descendants of the priests of Israel were truly of that class. The Lights and Perfection are sometimes connected by scholars with cleromancy, although it is equally likely no casting was physically done, and the participants of Lights and Perfection waited for a sign to answer a question or reveal the will of God. Modern scholars have noted the meaning of Lights and Perfection as being epithets for Jesus Christ, both the Light and Truth (perfection). Urim and Thummim is the motto of Yale University, which has both the Hebrew and Latin forms of the words in its seal.
An ephod was a type of apron that, according to the Hebrew Bible, was worn by the High Priest of Israel, an artifact and an object to be revered in ancient Israelite culture, and was closely connected with oracular practices and priestly ritual.
The priestly breastplate or breastpiece of judgment was a sacred breastplate worn by the High Priest of the Israelites, according to the Book of Exodus. In the biblical account, the breastplate is termed the breastplate of judgment, because the Urim and Thummim were placed upon it. These elements of the breastplate are said in the Exodus verse to carry the judgement of God concerning the Israelites at all times.
In the Bible, the Cherethites and Pelethites, the former also spelled Kerethites, are two ethnic groups in the Levant. Their identity has not been determined with certainty. The Cherethites are mentioned independently three times, and as the "Cherethites and Pelethites" seven times. They are interpreted to have been a group of elite mercenaries employed by King David, some of whom acted as his bodyguards, and others as part of his army.
Kosher animals are animals that comply with the regulations of kashrut and are considered kosher foods. These dietary laws ultimately derive from various passages in the Torah with various modifications, additions and clarifications added to these rules by halakha. Various other animal-related rules are contained in the 613 commandments.
There is no scholarly consensus as to when the canon of the Hebrew Bible was fixed. Rabbinic Judaism recognizes the twenty-four books of the Masoretic Text as the authoritative version of the Tanakh. Of these books, the Book of Daniel has the most recent final date of composition. The canon was therefore fixed at some time after this date. Some scholars argue that it was fixed during the Hasmonean dynasty, while others argue it was not fixed until the second century CE or even later.
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was a biblical Temple in Jerusalem believed to have existed between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE. Its description is largely based on narratives in the Hebrew Bible, in which it was commissioned by biblical king Solomon before being destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587 BCE. Although no remains of the temple have ever been found, most modern scholars agree that the First Temple existed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by the time of the Babylonian siege, though there is significant debate over the date of its construction and the identity of its builder.
Azal (אצל), or Azel, is a location mentioned in the Book of Zechariah 14:5, in Bibles that use the Hebrew Masoretic Text as the source for this verse. In Bibles that follow the Greek Septuagint (LXX) rendering, depending upon the source manuscript used, Azal is transcribed Jasol, Jasod, or Asael (ασαηλ):
And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
The valley between the hills will be filled in, yes, it will be blocked as far as Jasol, it will be filled in as it was by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah,
The Samuel scroll is a collection of four manuscript fragments containing parts of the Book of Samuel which were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
1 Kings 7 is the seventh chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the reign of Solomon over the unified kingdom of Judah and Israel. The focus of this chapter is the reign of Solomon, the king of Israel.
Ezekiel 41 is the forty-first chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. The Jerusalem Bible refers to the final section of Ezekiel, chapters 40-48, as "the Torah of Ezekiel". This chapter continues Ezekiel's vision of a future Temple.
Ezekiel 45 is the forty-fifth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet/priest Ezekiel, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. The final section of Ezekiel, chapters 40-48, give the ideal picture of a new temple. The Jerusalem Bible refers to this section as "the Torah of Ezekiel". In particular, chapters 44–46 record various laws governing the rites and personnel of the sanctuary, as a supplement to Ezekiel's vision.
Jeremiah 8 is the eighth chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Chapters 7 to 10 constitute an address delivered by Jeremiah at the gate of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 27 is the twenty-seventh chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The material found in Jeremiah 27 is found in Jeremiah 34 in the Septuagint, which orders some material differently. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. The New American Bible (NABRE) describes chapters 27-29 as "a special collection of Jeremiah’s prophecies dealing with false prophets", and suggests that "stylistic peculiarities evident in the Hebrew suggest that these three chapters once existed as an independent work".
2 Chronicles 4 is the fourth chapter of the Second Book of Chronicles the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or of the second part of the Books of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible. The book is compiled from older sources by an unknown person or group, designated by modern scholars as "the Chronicler", and had the final shape established in late fifth or fourth century BCE. This chapter belongs to the section focusing on the kingship of Solomon. The focus of this chapter is the construction of the temple's interior decoration.
Max Ohnefalsch-Richter: Kypros, Die Bibel und Homer: Beiträge zur Cultur-, Kunst- u. Religionsgeschichte des Orients im Alterthume, Berlin, 1893 online edition, Taf. 134