Lexical Summary mekonah: Base, Stand, Foundation Original Word: מְכוֹנָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance base Or mkonah {mek-o-naw'}; feminine of makown; a pedestal, also a spot -- base. see HEBREW makown NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. of makon Definition a fixed resting place, base NASB Translation foundation (1), pedestal (1), stand (7), stands (15). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְכוֺנָה, מְכֹנָה25 noun feminine fixed resting-place, base; — absolute ׳מ 1 Kings 7:27 5t.; מְכֹנָה 1 Kings 7:34 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 7:35; suffix מְכֻנָתָתּ Zechariah 5:11 (Ges§ 27, 3. R. 1); plural מְכוֺנוֺת Jeremiah 27:19, מְכֹנֹת 1 Kings 7:27 12t.; suffix מְכוֺנֹתָ֯ו Ezra 3:3; — base or stand of laver כִּיּוֺד 1 Kings 7:27 (twice in verse) + 13 t. 1 Kings 7; 2 Kings 16:17; 2 Kings 25:13,16 = Jeremiah 52:17,20; Jeremiah 27:19; 2Chronicles 4:14 (twice in verse); of altar Ezra 3:3; of the symbolic ephah Zechariah 5:11. Topical Lexicon Terminology and Scope of Usage The noun מְכוֹנָה appears twenty-four times in the Old Testament, nearly always in reference to the wheeled bronze “stands” fashioned for Solomon’s Temple and, on one occasion (Ezra 3:3), to the “foundation” of the restored altar. The word therefore spans both the literal notion of an engineered support and the broader idea of a secure base for the worship of the LORD. Architectural Context in Solomon’s Temple 1 Kings 7 devotes thirteen verses to the design of ten lavish מְכוֹנוֹת. Each stand measured four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high (1 Kings 7:27-28). They were cast in bronze, equipped with four bronze wheels and axles (7:30, 32), and decorated with reliefs of lions, oxen, and cherubim (7:29). The lavers they carried held “forty baths” of water apiece (7:38). All ten were identical—“one casting, one measure, one form” (7:37)—underscoring ordered uniformity in the worship environment. Liturgical Function: Support for Priestly Cleansing Placed “five on the right side of the house and five on the left” (1 Kings 7:39), each מְכוֹנָה bore a laver that provided flowing water for washing the sacrificial flesh and the priests’ hands and feet. The stands thus upheld the ministry of purification that kept the altar service ceremonially clean (Exodus 30:17-21 anticipates this need). Cleansing water was literally made mobile, able to be repositioned wherever sacrifices were prepared. Symbolic and Theological Implications 1. Stability amid Movement: The stands were designed to roll, yet each gave a fixed, reliable platform for the laver. They picture the unchanging holiness of God carried into the changing circumstances of His people. Historical Developments and Decline • Innovated by Solomon: Crafted under the oversight of Hiram of Tyre (1 Kings 7:13-14), these stands mark Israel’s Golden Age, when worship and national prosperity intertwined. Prophetic Reflections Jeremiah 27:19 warns not to presume on sacred hardware: “For this is what the LORD Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea, the movable stands, and the rest of the vessels….” Even vessels once ordained can be taken away when covenant faithfulness is neglected. Yet Ezra 3:3 shows post-exilic hope—the altar was rebuilt “on its foundation” (מְכוֹנָתָיו), signaling restoration of true worship even without the earlier grandeur. Practical Lessons for Ministry Today • Uphold Pure Worship: External supports, whether buildings or programs, must undergird genuine holiness, not supplant it. Select Scriptural References 1 Kings 7:29-30; 7:37-39 Forms and Transliterations בַּמְּכוֹנָ֑ה במכונה הַמְּכֹנ֑וֹת הַמְּכֹנ֔וֹת הַמְּכֹנ֖וֹת הַמְּכֹנ֗וֹת הַמְּכֹנ֛וֹת הַמְּכֹנ֞וֹת הַמְּכֹנָ֖ה הַמְּכֹנָה֙ הַמְּכֹנֽוֹת׃ הַמְּכוֹנָ֖ה הַמְּכוֹנָ֗ה הַמְּכוֹנָ֣ה המכונה המכנה המכנות המכנות׃ וְהַמְּכֹנ֔וֹת והמכנות לַמְּכוֹנָ֤ה למכונה מְכ֣וֹנֹתָ֔יו מכונתיו bam·mə·ḵō·w·nāh bammechoNah bamməḵōwnāh ham·mə·ḵō·nāh ham·mə·ḵō·nō·wṯ ham·mə·ḵō·w·nāh hammechoNah hammechoNot hamməḵōnāh hamməḵōnōwṯ hamməḵōwnāh lam·mə·ḵō·w·nāh lammechoNah lamməḵōwnāh mə·ḵō·w·nō·ṯāw meChonoTav məḵōwnōṯāw vehammechoNot wə·ham·mə·ḵō·nō·wṯ wəhamməḵōnōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 7:27 HEB: וַיַּ֧עַשׂ אֶת־ הַמְּכֹנ֛וֹת עֶ֖שֶׂר נְחֹ֑שֶׁת NAS: the ten stands of bronze; KJV: And he made ten bases of brass; four INT: made stands the ten of bronze 1 Kings 7:27 1 Kings 7:28 1 Kings 7:30 1 Kings 7:32 1 Kings 7:34 1 Kings 7:34 1 Kings 7:35 1 Kings 7:35 1 Kings 7:37 1 Kings 7:38 1 Kings 7:38 1 Kings 7:39 1 Kings 7:43 1 Kings 7:43 2 Kings 16:17 2 Kings 25:13 2 Kings 25:16 2 Chronicles 4:14 2 Chronicles 4:14 Ezra 3:3 Jeremiah 27:19 Jeremiah 52:17 Jeremiah 52:20 24 Occurrences |
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