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.
The large bronze basin rested on top of twelve bronze oxen. Three oxen faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. The basin sat on top of them, and all the oxen's rear ends pointed inward toward the center.
This verse describes how Solomon's massive bronze basin in the temple was supported by twelve bronze ox statues arranged in a circle, each group facing one of the four directions.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of 1 Kings, this verse describes part of the elaborate furnishings in Solomon's Temple, which was constructed in Jerusalem as a permanent house for God's presence among the Israelites. The "sea" was a massive bronze basin used for the priests' ritual cleansing, symbolizing purification in worship. The twelve oxen supporting it represented the twelve tribes of Israel, emphasizing national unity and divine order in their religious practices.
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