1 Kings 7:38

1Ki 7:38 Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: [and] every laver was four cubits: [and] upon every one of the ten bases one laver.

Ver. 38. Then made he ten lavers of brass.] And all to show the filthiness of sin, and the necessity of Christ’s blood, {1Jn 1:7 Zec 13:1} wherewith the holy priesthood of his chosen must be washed and sanctified in action and affection, before their service can be accepted. {Eph 5:26}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 7:38-39. He made ten lavers of brass — Which were to stand upon the bases before mentioned. One laver contained forty baths — See 1Ki 7:26; from whence it will appear, that each of these lavers contained ten barrels of water. And every laver was four cubits — Some think they were of this height. But it is more likely that these words relate to the diameter of them, which was four cubits, and then their compass was twelve cubits. He put five bases on the right side — That is, on the south side. See 1Ki 6:8. Of the house — Of the court where the priests ministered, and where, as occasion required, they washed either their hands or feet, or the parts of the sacrifices. Five on the left side of the house — That is, on the north side of that court, which is here opposed to the right or south side. Over against the south — That is, in the south-east part, where the offerings were prepared. So that, as soon as the priests entered, which they did at the east gate, they might have water to wash their hands and their feet.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To keep waters for the use of the sacrifices.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 38. Then made he ten lavers] These were set on the ten bases or pedestals, and were to hold water for the use of the priests in their sacred office, particularly to wash the victims that were to be offered as a burnt-offering, as we learn from 2Ch 4:6; but the brazen sea was for the priests to wash in. The whole was a building of vast art, labour, and expense.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

38. Then made he] It is only the simple copulative And.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he put five bases on the right side of the house,.... On the south side, which is commonly understood; that is, of the courts of the priests, where they were placed for their use: and five on the left side of the house; on the north, as it must be, if the south is on the right; though as the entrance into the temple was at the east, when a man went in, the north must be on the right, and the south on the left; and this seems to be the position by what follows:

and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, over against the south; and therefore the right side must be the north, which is opposite to the south; the sea seems to have stood northeast, which was for the priests to wash in before they entered on divine service; see Gill on Exo 30:20 hence it became customary with the Heathens to wash before they performed any religious worship (e), particularly the hands and feet (f).

(e) Vid. Virgil. Bucolic. Eclog. 8. "affer aquam", &c. Aeneid. 2. "attrectare nefas", &c. Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. l. (f) Vid. Sperling de Bapt. Ethnic. p. 88, 89, 101.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Every laver was four cubits - Assuming height to be intended, and taking the cubit at 20 inches, the entire height of the lavers as they stood upon their wheeled stands would seem to have been 13 ft. 9 in. It is evident, therefore, that the water must have been drawn from them, as from the “molten sea,” through cocks or taps.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

CHAPTER VII.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Forty baths; ten barrels; of which See Poole "1Ki 7:26".

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

38. Ten lavers — One laver to stand on each of the ten bases.

Forty baths — Three hundred and fifty-five gallons.

Every laver was four cubits — In diameter at the mouth.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then made he ten layers of brass: one laver contained forty baths i.e. , about 340 gals., if we accept the account of Josephus, Ant 8:2.9. But see on ver. 26: and every laver was four cubits. It is uncertain whether the height or the diameter is meant. Keil decides for the latter and four cubits, the width of the sides of the stand, may well have been also the diameter of the basin on the ground that as" the basins were set upon (l) the stands," it can hardly refer to the height. But it is worthy of remark that "the height of all the ether parts has been mentioned" (Rawlinson). See vers. 27, 32, 35, and without this particular we could not calculate the entire height, which, if the laver were four cubits, would be about thirteen feet. This surprising size is accounted for by remembering the height of the altar, to which the fat and other sacrificial portions had to be transferred from the laver): and upon every one of the ten bases one laver. Ten layers would not be at all too many when we remember the prodigious number of victims which were occasionally offered.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Huram made ten ... He made five ... He set

Huram would have commanded his workers to do this work. AT: "Huram had them make ten ... Human had them make five ... Huram commanded them to set" (See: Metonymy)

forty baths

A bath is a unit of volume equal to about 22 liters. AT: "about 88 liters" or "about 90 liters" (See: Biblical Volume)

four cubits

A cubit is 46 centimeters. AT: "about 1.8 meters" (See: Biblical Distance)

the south-facing side ... the north-facing side

"the south side ... the north side"

on the east corner, facing toward the south of the temple

"near the southeast corner of the temple"

translationWords

bronze

temple

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

He made ten [copper wash] basins. It is written in Divrei Hayomim, “the parts of the burnt-offering they rinsed with them.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.