7:23 He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” 4 It measured 15 feet 5 from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet 6 high. Its circumference was 45 feet. 7
1 tn Heb “because.” The words “his royal court was so large” are added to facilitate the logical connection with the preceding verse.
2 sn Tiphsah. This was located on the Euphrates River.
3 tn Heb “for he was ruling over all [the region] beyond the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms beyond the River, and he had peace on every side all around.”
4 tn Heb “He made the sea, cast.”
sn This large basin that was mounted on twelve bronze bulls and contained water for the priests to bathe themselves (2 Chr 4:6; cf. Exod 30:17-21).
5 tn Heb “ten cubits.”
6 tn Heb “five cubits.”
7 tn Heb “and a measuring line went around it thirty cubits all around.”
8 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
9 tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.
10 tn Or “balsam oil.”
11 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 9,000 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “five tons”; TEV “4,000 kilogrammes.”
12 tn Heb “there has not come like those spices yet for quantity which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
13 tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
14 tn Heb “the fleet of Tarshish [ships].”
15 tn Heb “came carrying.”
16 tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Some suggest “baboons.”