BRONZE SEA. – A vast water reservoir resting on 12 bronze oxen, arranged in groups of three facing the four cardinal points.
Circular in shape, with a diameter of 10 cubits (= approx. 5 m.), a depth of 5, and a circumference of 30, it was one palm thick. According to I Reg. 7:28 it held 200 bath, whereas according to II Par. 4:5 it held 3000 (approx. 800 and 1200 hl.; one bath = approx. 38 l.). These figures appear exaggerated and not faithfully transmitted, even if the reservoir is assumed to have been cylindrical or bulging at the center; they do not correspond to the dimensions given above, which suggest instead a capacity of approx. 400 hl. The rim of the b. s. opened in the shape of a lily flower; it was finished and projecting. Beneath it ran two festoons of floral ornamentation in bas-relief, one cubit wide, cast together with the basin. The b. s. was placed to the southeast in the priests’ court, between the altar of burnt offerings and the Sanctuary. The water poured into it by the Temple servants, drawn from cisterns or from some spring brought there, served for the ritual ablutions of the priests and for the purification of the altar. It was the work of the Phoenician Hiram, who had cast its various parts in the region of the Jordan between Sochoth and Sarthan (I Reg. 7:23-26, 39, 46; II Par. 4:2-5, 10, 14 ff.). Ten bronze basins mounted on carts carried water from the b. s., which was stationary, to wherever it was needed (I Reg. 7:27-39; II Par. 4:6). King Achaz replaced the bronze oxen with a stone base (II Reg. 16:17), perhaps out of respect for the Assyrian cult of the bull. After conquering Jerusalem, the Chaldeans broke the b. s. into pieces and transported the metal to Babylon (II Reg. 25:13).