The big structures and furnishings in the temple of Solomon were crafted by a Phoenician craftsman called Hiram (or Ahiram), especially the two pillars which stood at the entrance to the temple (verses 15–22), and the circular bronze sea ("molten sea"; verses 23–26), among those listed in verses 40–47. A note states that Solomon established his own ore-refinery in the Jordan valley to produce the necessary bronze material. Other holy instruments and royal blessing-gifts were richly covered with gold (verses 48–51).
Verses 13–14 :
And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. :
He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work. • "Hiram from Tyre": called "Huram-abi" in 2 Chronicles 2:13, not to be confused with the Phoenician king in
1 Kings 5. Spelled as "
Hiram Abiff, he becomes the central character of an
allegory presented to all candidates during the third degree in
Freemasonry.
Verse 21 :
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz. These two pillars most likely were not support structures, but were free standing, based on similar
pillars in other nearby contemporary temples.
Verse 23 :
And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. • Cross reference:
2 Chronicles 4:2 • "5 cubits": a length measurement of about 7.5 feet or 2.3 meters. • "30 cubits": about 45 feet or 14 meters. The approximation of the
mathematical constant "''''''" ("pi"), defined as the
ratio of a
circle's
circumference to its
diameter, can apparently be calculated from this verse as 30 cubits divided by 10 cubits to yield "3". However, Matityahu Hacohen Munk observed that the spelling for "line" in Hebrew, normally written as , in is
written (ketiv) as . Using
gematria,
qaweh yields "111" whereas
qaw yields "106", so when used in calculation \frac{30}{10} * \frac {111} it results in = "
3.1415094", very close to the modern definition of "
3.1415926". Charles Ryrie gives another explanation based on 1 Kings 7:26 (cf. 2 Chronicles 4:5) that the molten sea has a brim of a handbreadth (about 4 inches or 10 cm) wide, so when the inside diameter, subtracting 10 cubits (about 180 inches or 4.6 meter; from outer "brim to brim") with 2 times 4 inches (two handbreadth) to yield 172 inches (4.4 meter), is divided by , it results in 540 inches (45 feet or 14 meter or 30 cubits) which is the circumference given in this verse. ==See also==