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2 Chronicles 4:5

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Chronicles 4:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
2 Chronicles 4:5 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Chronicles 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass; and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about.
3And under it was the likeness of oxen, which did compass it round about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were in two rows, cast when it was cast.
4It 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 upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.
5And it was a handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held three thousand baths.
6He made also ten lavers, 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.
7And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
8He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made a hundred basins of gold.
← 2 Chronicles 4:42 Chronicles 4:6 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Three thousand baths - See 1 Kings 7:23 note. It is quite possible that either here or in Kings the text may have been accidentally corrupted. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“with flowers of lilies: or, like a lily flower three thousand baths: In the parallel passage, it is said to hold only two thousand baths; which some think may be reconciled by supposing that the quantity of water which was commonly in it was 2,000 baths, but that, if filled up to the top, it would hold 3,000. But, as we have already seen that the Babylonish cubit was less than that of the ancient Hebrews, it might be the same with measures of capacity; so that 2,000 of the ancient Jewish baths might have been equal to 3,000 of those used after the captivity. The Targum cuts the knot: "It received 3,000 baths of dry measure, and held 2,000 of liquid measure." See note on Kg1 7:26. Kg1 7:26 2…”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification