Discovery Box2 Kings 25:9-17 
Context25:9 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. 1 25:10 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 25:11 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, deported the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 2 25:12 But he 3 left behind some of the poor of the land and gave them fields and vineyards.
25:13 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called the “The Sea.” 4 They took the bronze to Babylon. 25:14 They also took the pots, shovels, 5 trimming shears, 6 pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. 7 25:15 The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers 8 and basins. 25:16 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple – including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” 9 and the movable stands – was too heavy to be weighed. 25:17 Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet 10 high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet 11 high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it.
1 tn Heb “and every large house he burned down with fire.”
2 tc The MT has “the multitude.” But הֶהָמוֹן (hehamon) should probably be emended to הֶאָמוֹן (he’amon).
3 tn Heb “the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and contemporary English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.
4 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
5 sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.
6 sn These were used to trim the wicks.
7 tn Heb “with which they served [or, ‘fulfilled their duty’].”
8 sn These held the embers used for the incense offerings.
9 tc The MT lacks “the twelve bronze bulls under ‘the Sea,’” but these words have probably been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton. The scribe’s eye may have jumped from the וְהָ (vÿha-) on וְהַבָּקָר (vÿhabbaqar), “and the bulls,” to the וְהָ on וְהַמְּכֹנוֹת (vÿhammÿkhonot), “and the movable stands,” causing him to leave out the intervening words. See the parallel passage in Jer 52:20.
10 tn Heb “eighteen cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.
11 tn Heb “three cubits.” The parallel passage in Jer 52:22 has “five.”
