Bible Strands
1 Kings 7:44
the Sea; the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator catalogs the bronze furnishings prepared by Huram for Solomon’s temple, focusing on the structural base of the large casting. The account occurs during the detailed inventory of the sanctuary’s completed articles.
The words — The Hebrew תַּחַת (Taḥat) translates literally as “under” or “beneath,” and יָם (Yam) means “sea.” The verse explicitly positions the twelve oxen beneath the Sea.
The thread — This phrase continues the architectural description in 1 Kings 7:23 and 1 Kings 7:25, which establish the Sea’s circular form and the directional arrangement of its supports. The surrounding inventory in 1 Kings 7:43 and 1 Kings 7:45 lists the accompanying stands, basins, and utensils.
Why it lands — The text records the physical load-bearing design of the temple’s water reservoir without symbolic commentary. It requires the reader to acknowledge the precise engineering and material reality of the sanctuary’s construction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea;
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 7:23 He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
- 1 Kings 7:25 The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center.