SEV Biblia, Chapter 7:26
El grueso del mar era de un palmo, y su labio era labrado como el labio de un cáliz, o de flor de lis; y cabían en él dos mil batos.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 26. And it was an hand breadth thick , etc.] Or four fingers, as in ( Jeremiah 52:21) and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup , with flowers of lilies , embroidered and engraven on it for ornament sake: it contained 2,000 baths ; which is reckoned about five hundred barrels of water; it was filled by the Gibeonites; in ( 2 Chronicles 4:5), it is said to receive and hold 3,000 baths, which the Jewish writers thus reconcile; they suppose here it means so many baths of liquid, as the Targum expresses, there of dry measure, which might be heaped up, and so contain more; but as this was a vessel for water, and this distinction seems to answer no purpose, it may be better to observe, that in common, for the use of the priests, whether for washing their hands and feet, or dipping their bodies, it had no more than 2,000 baths in it, but, if filled up to the brim, it would hold 3,000. How a vessel of such dimensions should hold so much is difficult to account for; the Rabbins say f120 , that in the two upper cubits of it it was circular, and in the three lower cubits square, by which they imagine it would hold more, and the position of it on the oxen seems to countenance this; but very probably it was wider, and bellied out in the lower part of it, and so more capacious; but of the contents of this, according to mathematical rules, see a treatise of Bishop Cumberland’s f121 . It is said of a temple of Neptune’s, in the fore part of it were two signs of him, and another of Amphitrite, and that was a brasen sea. This brasen sea of Solomon was typical of Christ, the fountain opened to wash in for uncleanness, by all that are made priests unto God; and this being larger than the laver in the tabernacle, may denote the greater efficacy of Christ’s blood than in anything in the law of Moses to cleanse from sin; and the larger provision made for it, not only for Israel, but for all the people of God in the several nations of the world, in the four quarters of it; being published, and proclaimed, and directed to by the twelve apostles of Christ, and by all Gospel ministers since, signified by oxen for their laboriousness and strength. In the second temple there were no sea, nor bases, after mentioned, nor lavers, but one, which stood between the porch and the altar, which was for the priests to wash their hands and feet at f123 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 13-47 - The two brazen pillars in the porch of the temple, some think, were to teach those that came to worship, to depend upon God only, for strengt and establishment in all their religious exercises. "Jachin," God wil fix this roving mind. It is good that the heart be established with grace. "Boaz," In him is our strength, who works in us both to will an to do. Spiritual strength and stability are found at the door of God' temple, where we must wait for the gifts of grace, in use of the mean of grace. Spiritual priests and spiritual sacrifices must be washed in the laver of Christ's blood, and of regeneration. We must wash often for we daily contract pollution. There are full means provided for ou cleansing; so that if we have our lot for ever among the unclean it will be our own fault. Let us bless God for the fountain opened by the sacrifice of Christ for sin and for uncleanness.
Original Hebrew
ועביו 5672 טפח 2947 ושׂפתו 8193 כמעשׂה 4639 שׂפת 8193 כוס 3563 פרח 6525 שׁושׁן 7799 אלפים 505 בת 1324 יכיל׃ 3557
