Basically, 1 Kings 5–7 & 2 Chron. 2-4, 2 Chron 8:12-16 (1 Kings 9:25)
Ryan: Thanks to all “those miserable psalms,” it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to do a nice solid math post. Having gotten to read about Solomon’s building of the Temple of the Name of the Lord, we got another day of reading with lots of numbers. The one that struck me the most and made me want to dig a little deeper was “The Sea” (2 Chron. 4:2-5, 2 Chron. 4:10, 2 Chron. 4:6c). The Sea was a (very) large basin filled with water that was primarily used for the priests’ washings. It measured roughly 15 feet across and 7.5 feet deep; in other words, enough for an average U.S. male (6-feet tall) to stand in the water and still have 1.5 feet of water above him, and have 2.5 average males floating on the surface from edge to edge. The Bible account says the volume was “three thousand baths” (2 Chron. 4:5), which NIV converts to roughly 17,500 gallons. Other sources (and my own calculations) put it closer to 10,000 gallons. The weight of 10,000 gallons of water is approximately 42 tons. The bowl itself would have been (very) roughly 9.14 cubic meters of solid bronze, and weighed roughly 84.6 tons, for a grand total of 126.6 tons. That’s the weight of a little more than 37 Ford F-150s sitting atop the 12 cast bronze bulls’ behinds.
Samantha: If only they had cameras back in Solomon’s time! I’m sure the temple was even more magnificent in person than how we picture it from the description. There is a great site called the 3D Bible Project where they have 3D modeled Noah’s Ark, Moses’ tabernacle, and Solomon’s Temple. With a quick download of the viewer software, you can walk into the temple as if you were there and see the altar of sacrifice, the basin, the walls of gold, the beautiful curtain, and enormous cherubim guarding the ark of the covenant. If you’re a visual learner, this tool is an excellent way to get an idea of the scale and grandeur of the house of the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Interestingly, what I found missing in the reading today was any indication from God on instructions for the temple. When Moses built the tabernacle, it was repeatedly instructed by God to, “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (Exodus 25:9). In this case, God didn’t ask for a temple; in fact, at first God was opposed to it and told David that instead of David building a house for him, he would build up David’s house. God later gave permission for Solomon to build the temple, but not because he needed it! Our God was perfectly content to dwell in a tent so that he could move around with his people (2 Sam. 7).
