What is the meaning of 1 Kings 7:43? the ten stands • Solomon’s craftsmen, led by the gifted Hiram of Tyre, fashioned “ten stands” of bronze (1 Kings 7:27–37). These were not decorative statues but wheeled carts designed to carry water basins around the temple courts. • Their number—ten—matches other temple elements (e.g., ten lampstands, ten tables, 2 Chronicles 4:7–8), reflecting completeness and order in God’s house. • Each stand was richly adorned with lions, oxen, and cherubim, images that echoed God’s throne room (cf. Ezekiel 1:10) and proclaimed His majesty. • Practical purpose: by supporting the basins, the stands supplied fresh water wherever priests needed it for cleansing sacrificial implements and portions (Exodus 30:17-21). • Spiritual echo: cleansing was essential before drawing near to the LORD; the stands therefore underline our constant need for God-provided purity (Hebrews 10:22; 1 John 1:7). the ten basins on the stands • Verse 43 continues: “the ten basins on the stands.” These held forty baths of water apiece (about 240 gallons each, 1 Kings 7:38). • Distinct from the massive “Sea” (7:23) that served priestly washing, these smaller basins were stationed “to rinse the burnt offering” (2 Chronicles 4:6). • Mobility mattered; the basins could be rolled close to the altar, ensuring every sacrifice was washed just as God prescribed (Leviticus 1:9). • Every splash of water foreshadowed the deeper cleansing provided by Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Today, that cleansing is applied to believers “by the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5) and “with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:26). • The basins therefore remind us that worship without purity is impossible, but God Himself supplies what He demands. summary 1 Kings 7:43 records two simple inventory lines—ten bronze stands and ten water-filled basins—yet together they spotlight God’s provision for ongoing, thorough cleansing in His temple. The stands display order and splendor; the basins provide the water that makes sacrificial worship acceptable. Both point forward to the perfect, once-for-all cleansing accomplished by Jesus Christ, assuring us that those who trust Him may draw near to God with hearts washed clean. |
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