Topical Bible: Basins

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the context of the Bible, basins are vessels or containers used for various purposes, primarily in religious and ceremonial settings. These items are mentioned numerous times throughout the Scriptures, serving both practical and symbolic roles in the worship and daily life of the Israelites.

Old Testament Usage

Basins are frequently referenced in the Old Testament, particularly in the context of the Tabernacle and the Temple. They were used for holding water, blood, and other substances necessary for ritual purification and sacrifices. In Exodus 30:18, God commands Moses to make a bronze basin for the Tabernacle: "You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it." This basin was used by the priests for washing their hands and feet before performing their duties, symbolizing the need for purity when approaching God.

In the construction of Solomon's Temple, basins played a significant role. 1 Kings 7:38-39 describes the creation of ten bronze basins: "He made ten bronze basins—each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across—one basin for each of the ten stands. He set five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north." These basins were used in conjunction with the larger "Sea," a massive basin for the priests' ceremonial washing.

Symbolic Significance

Basins also carry symbolic meaning in the Scriptures. They often represent cleansing and purification, essential themes in the relationship between God and His people. The act of washing in a basin signifies the removal of impurity and sin, preparing individuals to enter into God's presence. This symbolism is evident in the rituals of the Tabernacle and Temple, where physical cleanliness mirrored spiritual purity.

New Testament Context

While the New Testament does not emphasize basins as prominently as the Old Testament, they still appear in significant moments. In John 13:5, during the Last Supper, Jesus uses a basin to wash the disciples' feet: "After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel that was wrapped around Him." This act of humility and service underscores the importance of spiritual cleansing and servanthood in the Christian life.

Cultural and Historical Context

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, basins were common household items, used for washing, cooking, and religious rituals. The materials and craftsmanship of basins varied, with more elaborate designs reserved for sacred purposes. The use of bronze, as specified in the construction of the Tabernacle and Temple basins, indicates their importance and durability.

Conclusion

Basins in the Bible serve as practical tools and powerful symbols of purification and service. Their presence in both the Old and New Testaments highlights the continuity of God's call for holiness and humility among His people. Through the use of basins, the Scriptures convey the necessity of cleansing—both physical and spiritual—as a prerequisite for approaching the divine.

Greek

2048. eremos -- solitary, desolate
... Here and there, in clefts and basins, and on the hillsides, grade on grade, you
observe a patch of corn, a clump of olives, a single palm' " (, 22).]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2048.htm - 8k

Strong's Hebrew

101. aggan -- a bowl, basin
... 100, 101. aggan. 102 . a bowl, basin. Transliteration: aggan Phonetic
Spelling: (ag-gawn') Short Definition: basins. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/101.htm - 6k

3595. kiyyor -- pot, basin
... Word Origin from the same as kur Definition pot, basin NASB Word Usage basin
(6), basins (5), firepot (1), laver (9), pan (1), platform (1). ...
/hebrew/3595.htm - 6k

4219. mizraq -- bowl, basin
... Word Origin from zaraq Definition bowl, basin NASB Word Usage basin (1), basins
(8), bowl (13), bowls (9), sacrificial bowls (1). bason, bowl. ...
/hebrew/4219.htm - 6k

5592a. saph -- a basin, goblet
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition a basin, goblet NASB Word Usage basin
(2), basins (1), bowls (1), cup (1), cups (2). 5592, 5592a. ...
/hebrew/5592a.htm - 5k

Library

Upon the Gathering Together of the Waters.
... But we must not therefore say, that if the water covered the face of the earth,
all the basins which have since received the sea were originally full. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily iv upon the gathering.htm

Continues the Same Subject, Explaining by a Comparison in what ...
... experienced them. 3. To make the matter clearer, let us imagine we see two
fountains with basins which fill with water. I can find ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter ii continues the same 2.htm

King David's Little Boy.
... He refused to put on the fresh clothing they brought for him, or to wash in the
brass basins of water held out to him, or to eat the food placed on the table ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/king davids little boy.htm

High Priest
... They were to receive the blood of the burnt-offerings in basins and sprinkle it
around about the altar, arrange the wood and the fire, and to burn the parts of ...
/.../conversion of a high priest into a christian worker/chapter iv high priest.htm

At the Well
... the sky. Half-way between On and Pa-Ramesu was one of these basins, elliptical
in shape and walled with rough limestone. Moss grew ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxxvii at the well.htm

The Peace and Harmony of the Universe.
... The vast unmeasurable sea, gathered together by His working into various basins,
[87] never passes beyond the bounds placed around it, but does as He has ...
/.../chapter xx the peace and harmony.htm

The Peace and Harmony of the Universe.
... The vast unmeasurable sea, gathered together by His working into various basins,
[4095] never passes beyond the bounds placed around it, but does as He has ...
/.../keith/the epistles of clement/chapter xx the peace and harmony.htm

Of the Loving Recollection of the Soul in Contemplation.
... For as a new swarm of bees when it would take flight and change country, is recalled
by a sound softly made on metal basins, by the smell of honied wine, or by ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter vii of the loving.htm

The Sad Fate of a Guilty Nation
... took away. The fire-pans and the basins of silver and of gold, the commander
of the body-guard also melted and took away. The commander ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the sad fate of a.htm

But if Men Either Knew Themselves Thoroughly, or had the Slightest ...
... as their own a divine and immortal nature; nor would they think themselves something
great because they have made for themselves gridirons, basins, and bowls ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/19 but if men either.htm

Thesaurus

Basins (33 Occurrences)
...Basins (33 Occurrences). Exodus 12:34 And the people took their bread-paste before
it was leavened, putting their basins in their clothing on their backs. (BBE) ...
/b/basins.htm - 16k

Bread-basins (1 Occurrence)
Bread-basins. Bread-basin, Bread-basins. Bread-corn . Multi-Version
Concordance Bread-basins (1 Occurrence). Exodus ...
/b/bread-basins.htm - 6k

Shovels (9 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/s/shovels.htm - 9k

Pans (19 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/p/pans.htm - 12k

Fire-pans (11 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 And thou shalt make its pots to take away its ashes, and its shovels,
and its basins, and its flesh-hooks, and its firepans: all the vessels ...
/f/fire-pans.htm - 9k

Fire-trays (6 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 And make all its vessels, the baskets for taking away the dust of the
fire, the spades and basins and meat-hooks and fire-trays, of brass. (BBE). ...
/f/fire-trays.htm - 8k

Snuffers (8 Occurrences)
... In 4 of these passages, the English text reads, "the snuffers and the basins"; the
5th is merely a summary of things taken to Babylon (2 Kings 25:14). ...
/s/snuffers.htm - 11k

Pots (30 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins,
its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass ...
/p/pots.htm - 15k

Spades (9 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 And make all its vessels, the baskets for taking away the dust of the
fire, the spades and basins and meat-hooks and fire-trays, of brass. (BBE). ...
/s/spades.htm - 9k

Firepans (9 Occurrences)
... Exodus 27:3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels,
and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof ...
/f/firepans.htm - 9k

Resources

What was the significance of the bronze laver? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Valley of Succoth in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the importance of the Dead Sea in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Basins (33 Occurrences)

Exodus 12:34
And the people took their bread-paste before it was leavened, putting their basins in their clothing on their backs.
(BBE)

Exodus 24:6
Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Exodus 25:29
And make the table-vessels, the spoons and the cups and the basins for liquids, all of the best gold.
(BBE)

Exodus 27:3
You shall make its pots to take away its ashes, its shovels, its basins, its flesh hooks, and its fire pans: all its vessels you shall make of brass.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV)

Exodus 37:16
And all the table-vessels, the plates and spoons and basins and the cups for liquids, he made of the best gold.
(BBE)

Exodus 38:3
He made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its vessels of brass.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV)

Numbers 4:7
And on the table of the holy bread they are to put a blue cloth, and on it all the vessels, the spoons and the basins and the cups; and the holy bread with them;
(BBE)

Numbers 4:14
They shall put on it all its vessels, with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the flesh hooks, the shovels, and the basins; all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV)

Numbers 7:84
These were the offerings given for the altar by the chiefs of Israel, when the holy oil was put on it: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve gold spoons;
(BBE JPS RSV)

2 Samuel 17:28
brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched grain, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV)

1 Kings 7:38
He made ten basins of brass: one basin contained forty baths; and every basin was four cubits; and on every one of the ten bases one basin.
(WEB NAS NIV)

1 Kings 7:40
Hiram made the basins, and the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram made an end of doing all the work that he worked for king Solomon in the house of Yahweh:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 7:43
and the ten bases, and the ten basins on the bases;
(WEB NAS NIV)

1 Kings 7:45
and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins: even all these vessels, which Hiram made for king Solomon, in the house of Yahweh, were of burnished brass.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS RSV)

1 Kings 7:50
and the cups, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the fire pans, of pure gold; and the hinges, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, of gold.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT RSV NIV)

2 Kings 12:13
But there were not made for the house of Yahweh cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE YLT RSV NIV)

2 Kings 16:17
And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone.
(See NIV)

2 Kings 25:15
The fire pans, and the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE NAS)

1 Chronicles 28:17
and the forks, and the basins, and the cups, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV)

2 Chronicles 4:6
He made also ten basins, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
(WEB NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 4:8
He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. He made one hundred basins of gold.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS RSV)

2 Chronicles 4:11
Huram made the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. So Huram made an end of doing the work that he did for king Solomon in the house of God:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS RSV)

2 Chronicles 4:14
He made also the bases, and the basins made he on the bases;
(WEB NAS NIV)

2 Chronicles 4:22
and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the fire pans, of pure gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors of it for the most holy place, and the doors of the main hall of the temple were of gold.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE WBS RSV)

2 Chronicles 35:13
And the Passover lamb was cooked over the fire, as it says in the law; and the holy offerings were cooked in pots and basins and vessels, and taken quickly to all the people.
(BBE)

Ezra 1:10
Thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.
(KJV BBE WBS YLT)

Isaiah 22:24
And all the glory of his father's family will be hanging on him, all their offspring, every small vessel, even the cups and the basins.
(BBE YLT)

Jeremiah 35:5
And I put before the sons of the Rechabites basins full of wine and cups, and I said to them, Take some wine.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 52:18
The pots also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV)

Jeremiah 52:19
The cups, and the fire pans, and the basins, and the pots, and the lampstands, and the spoons, and the bowls-that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver,-the captain of the guard took away.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Amos 6:6
Drinking wine in basins, rubbing themselves with the best oils; but they have no grief for the destruction of Joseph.
(BBE)

Zechariah 9:15
Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.
(See JPS)

Zechariah 14:20
On that day all the bells of the horses will be holy to the Lord, and the pots in the Lord's house will be like the basins before the altar.
(BBE JPS)

Subtopics

Basins

Related Terms

Creeds

Base (127 Occurrences)

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Charge (379 Occurrences)

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Thummim (6 Occurrences)