Translations
Modern
Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
Traditional
And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.
Literal
And the likeness of oxen was under it encompassing it all around, ten to a cubit, encircling around the Sea. In two rows the oxen were cast in its being cast.
Latin
Similitudo quoque boum erat subter illud, et decem cubitis quædam extrinsecus cælaturæ, quasi duobus versibus alvum maris circuibant. Boves autem erant fusiles:
Original
Hebrew
English
Below the rim, figures of oxen encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.
Notes
The temple, God's house, symbolized Eden, God's garden (see Isaiah 51:3). The large sea, supported by twelve bronze oxen, represented either the waters before creation or the life-giving waters from the Garden of Eden. Divine forces control the chaotic waters (Genesis 1:2) so they nourish plants, animals, and humans (see Revelation 21:1, where the sea is gone forever).
Theme notes and profiles
Parallels
Glossary
Bronze Sea Chronicles, Books of First and Second Genealogy Minerals and Metals Temple