Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
2 Chronicles 4:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence: “And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “Altar, sea, and lavers prepare sacrificial service.”
An altar large enough to organize slaughter
This verse is one part of that explanation in 2 Chronicles 4:1–6. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 2 Chronicles 4:1–6
Read 2 Chronicles 4:5 with 4:1–6. The selected wording supplies one step in the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: A large bronze altar, a basin carried by twelve oxen, and ten lavers organize sacrifice and priestly washing.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Altar, sea, and lavers prepare sacrificial service,” 2 Chronicles 4:5 advances the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The account turns from sanctuary surfaces to the work, water, and bodily preparation of temple service. 2 Chronicles 3:15–17 has just established this prior movement: Two named pillars with capitals, chains, and pomegranates are erected before the temple. Together those details explain why “Altar, sea, and lavers prepare sacrificial service” belongs here rather than merely following a database record.
Read 2 Chronicles 4:1–6 together
Why these verses belong together: 2 Chronicles 4:1–6 forms the complete movement “Altar, sea, and lavers prepare sacrificial service”: A large bronze altar, a basin carried by twelve oxen, and ten lavers organize sacrifice and priestly washing.
Verse 1. 1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
Verse 2. 2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
Verse 3. 3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
Verse 4. 4 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
Verse 5. 5 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.
Verse 6. 6 He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
Follow the Context
- A large bronze altar, a basin carried by twelve oxen, and ten lavers organize sacrifice and priestly washing.
- The account turns from sanctuary surfaces to the work, water, and bodily preparation of temple service.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
2 Chronicles 4:5 does not permit the wording “And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. These ritual vessels do not prescribe modern medical cleansing, magical water, or costly worship displays detached from justice.
What Remains True
Worship and wisdom remain accountable to covenant, labor, outsiders, resources, and God's freedom; sacred scale never makes royal power or a building immune from review. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: A large bronze altar, a basin carried by twelve oxen, and ten lavers organize sacrifice and priestly washing. In 2 Chronicles 4:5, the concrete line “And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
Teach It Back
Explain why 2 Chronicles 4:5 describes the thick lily-shaped rim and its stated capacity. Use 4:1–6, paraphrase “And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the…,” state one source or reconstruction limit, identify one person or group power can obscure, and reject one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 2 Chronicles 4:1–6 — Altar, sea, and lavers prepare sacrificial serviceSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Capacity and decorative details differ from Kings in places; textual, scribal, or design explanations remain open.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 2 Chronicles 4:1–6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 4:1–6
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 2 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 2 Chronicles 4:1–6, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗