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Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

2 Chronicles 4:5

The walls of the Sea were about three inches thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a water lily blossom. It could hold about 16,500 gallons of water.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Handbreadth;   Lily;   Measure;   Temple;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Flowers;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Lilly;   Temple;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Lily;   Sea, the Molten;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Laver;   Temple;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Flowers;   Laver;   Molten Sea;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Lily;   Temple;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Firkin ;   Lily;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Laver;   Sea, the Molten;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Sea (2);   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sea, Molten;   Weights and Measures;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Lily;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Brim;   Handbreadth;   Laver;   Lily;   Sea, the Molten or Brazen;   Temple;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Kelim;   Lily;   Temple of Solomon;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The basin was three inches thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blossom. It could hold eleven thousand gallons.
Hebrew Names Version
It was a handbreadth thick; and the brim of it was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
Its thickness was a handbreadth. And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths.
New Century Version
The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and it held about seventeen thousand five hundred gallons. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.
New English Translation
It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold 18,000 gallons.
Amplified Bible
It was a handbreadth (the width of the four fingers) thick; its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold 3,000 baths (measures).
New American Standard Bible
It was a hand width thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold three thousand baths.
World English Bible
It was a handbreadth thick; and the brim of it was worked like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the thickenesse thereof was an hande breadth, & the brim thereof was like the worke of the brim of a cuppe with floures of lilies: it conteined three thousand baths.
Legacy Standard Bible
And it was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold 3,000 baths.
Berean Standard Bible
It 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.
Contemporary English Version
The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and its rim was in the shape of a cup that curved outward like flower petals. The bowl held about fifteen thousand gallons.
Complete Jewish Bible
It was a handbreadth thick, its rim was made like the rim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; and its capacity was 16,500 gallons.
Darby Translation
And its thickness was a hand-breadth, and its brim like the work of the brim of a cup, with lily-blossoms; in capacity it held three thousand baths.
Easy-to-Read Version
The large bronze tank was 3 inches thick. The edge of the large tank was like the edge of a cup. The edge looked like a lily blossom. The tank could hold about 17,400 gallons.
George Lamsa Translation
And he made also ten poles, and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to carry with them the altar of burnt offering.
Good News Translation
The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, curving outward like the petals of a flower. The tank held about 15,000 gallons.
Lexham English Bible
And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was like the working of the lip of a cup, the blossom of a lily. And it held three thousand baths.
Literal Translation
And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its lip like the work of the lip of a cup, like a lily blossom. It received and held three thousand baths.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The thicknesse of it was an handbredth, and the edge of it was like the edge of a cuppe, and as a floured rose. And it conteyned thre thousande Batthes.
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
It was as thick as a man's open hand, and the edge of it was curved like the edge of a cup, like a lily flower; it would take three thousand baths.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the thyckest of it was an hande breadth, and the brym like the brym of a cuppe, with floures of lilies: and it receaued and helde three thousande battes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
And the thicknes of it was an hand breadth, & the brim of it like the worke of the brim of a cup, with flowers of Lillies: and it receiued and held three thousand baths.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And its thickness was a hand-breadth, and its brim as the brim of a cup, graven with flowers of lilies, holding three thousand measures: and he finished it.
English Revised Version
And it was an 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli the thicknesse therof hadde the mesure of a pawm of the hond, and the brynke therof was as the brynke of a cuppe, ethir of a lilie crokid ayen, and it took thre thousynde metretis of mesure.
Update Bible Version
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.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the thickness of it [was] a hand-breadth, 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.
New King James Version
It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained three thousand 1 Kings 7:26)">[fn] baths.
New Life Bible
The brass of the pool was as thick as a hand is wide. Its round top was made like the top of a cup, like a lily flower. It could hold 22,000 bottles of water.
New Revised Standard
Its thickness was a handbreadth; its rim was made like the rim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held three thousand baths.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, the thickness thereof, was a hand-breadth, and, the brim thereof, was like the brim-work of a cup, with blossoms of lilies, - it could hold many baths, three thousand, would it contain.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now the thickness of it was a handbreadth, and the brim of it was like the brim of a cup, or of a crisped lily: and it held three thousand measures.
Revised Standard Version
Its thickness was a handbreadth; and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held over three thousand baths.
Young's Literal Translation
And its thickness [is] a handbreadth, and its lip as the work of the lip of a cup flowered with lilies; taking hold -- baths three thousand it containeth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom; it could hold 3,000 baths.

Contextual Overview

1 Solomon also made a bronze altar 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high. 2 Then he cast a great round basin, 15 feet across from rim to rim, called the Sea. It was 7 1⁄2 feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference. 3 It was encircled just below its rim by two rows of figures that resembled oxen. There were about six oxen per foot all the way around, and they were cast as part of the basin. 4 The Sea was placed on a base of twelve bronze oxen, all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east, and the Sea rested on them. 5 The walls of the Sea were about three inches thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a water lily blossom. It could hold about 16,500 gallons of water. 6He also made ten smaller basins for washing the utensils for the burnt offerings. He set five on the south side and five on the north. But the priests washed themselves in the Sea. 7 He then cast ten gold lampstands according to the specifications that had been given, and he put them in the Temple. Five were placed against the south wall, and five were placed against the north wall. 8 He also built ten tables and placed them in the Temple, five along the south wall and five along the north wall. Then he molded 100 gold basins. 9 He then built a courtyard for the priests, and also the large outer courtyard. He made doors for the courtyard entrances and overlaid them with bronze. 10 The great bronze basin called the Sea was placed near the southeast corner of the Temple.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

with flowers of lilies: or, like a lily flower

three thousand baths: In the parallel passage, it is said to hold only two thousand baths; which some think may be reconciled by supposing that the quantity of water which was commonly in it was 2,000 baths, but that, if filled up to the top, it would hold 3,000. But, as we have already seen that the Babylonish cubit was less than that of the ancient Hebrews, it might be the same with measures of capacity; so that 2,000 of the ancient Jewish baths might have been equal to 3,000 of those used after the captivity. The Targum cuts the knot: "It received 3,000 baths of dry measure, and held 2,000 of liquid measure." See note on 1 Kings 7:26. 1 Kings 7:26

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 7:25 - General 2 Chronicles 4:21 - the flowers

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
But the Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground!
Genesis 4:11
Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother's blood.
Genesis 31:2
And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban's attitude toward him.
Genesis 31:5
He said to them, "I have noticed that your father's attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.
Numbers 16:15
Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord , "Do not accept their grain offerings! I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, and I have never hurt a single one of them."
Job 5:2
Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple.
Psalms 20:3
May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude
Matthew 20:15
Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?'
Acts 13:45
But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.
Hebrews 11:4
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Three thousand baths - See 1 Kings 7:23 note. It is quite possible that either here or in Kings the text may have been accidentally corrupted.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 4:5. It - held three thousand baths. — In 1 Kings 7:26, it is said to hold only two thousand baths. As this book was written after the Babylonish captivity, it is very possible that reference is here made to the Babylonish bath which might have been less than the Jewish. We have already seen that the cubit of Moses, or of the ancient Hebrews, was longer than the Babylonish by one palm; see on 2 Chronicles 3:3. It might be the same with the measures of capacity; so that two thousand of the ancient Jewish baths might have been equal to three thousand of those used after the captivity. The Targum cuts the knot by saying, "It received three thousand baths of dry measure, and held two thousand of liquid measure."


 
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