He also made ten lavers in which to wash: Good News Translation uses the plural pronoun “They” instead of He, but this is confusing since there is no clear antecedent in the preceding verses. If the subject is taken to be Solomon, it will be possible to use that proper name here as in New Century Version and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente. However, if the workmen contracted by Solomon are thought to be in view, then it may be preferable to begin this verse with “The artisans” or something similar. The fact that Huram is specifically mentioned in verses 11 and 16 of this chapter convinces some interpreters that the pronoun He refers to this master craftsman (so God’s Word, Parole de Vie). Yet it is also clear that Huram is working on Solomon’s instructions.
The English word lavers is not common American English, so many versions use the more common term “basins” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) or “small bowls” (Contemporary English Version). Moffatt says “pots.” If the same word is used of the larger tank in the previous verses, then these objects may have to be called smaller in size (so New Century Version with “smaller bowls” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “smaller basins”). The Tabernacle in the wilderness had only one such basin. A much more detailed description of these basins is given in 1 Kgs 7.27-39. See also WTH, pages 244-245|fig:WTH.4.3.3.Temple – movable stand, cart.244-245.html.
And set five on the south side, and five on the north side: The south side … the north side is literally “[the] right … [the] left.” It was assumed that the person was facing east, so the right side would have been the south side, and the left side would have been the north side. Many versions follow the form of the Hebrew here (so New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, La Bible du Semeur, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), but in languages where directions are expressed as “north” and “south” rather than as “right” and “left,” it will be better to use the points of the compass (so Good News Translation, New International Version, New Century Version).
Like the Hebrew, many versions say only that the basins were placed on the north and on the south, without indicating the point of reference. Other versions add the words “of the Temple” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie), but this may give the incorrect impression that five basins were on the south side of the Temple building and five on the north side. More likely, the basins were placed east of the Temple (that is, in front of the Temple) on the south and north sides of the entrance to the Temple, which faced east. Contemporary English Version and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch say that they were on the left and right sides of the large bronze tank, which was southeast of the Temple (verse 10); and this interpretation is also possible.
In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering: For burnt offering, see the comments on 1 Chr 16.1 and 2 Chr 1.6. In a burnt offering animals were burned, which Good News Translation makes explicit with the addition of the words “the parts of the animals.” What was washed in these ten basins?
• (1) Some interpreters understand this clause to mean that it was the sacrificial animals that were rinsed off in the ten basins; for example, God’s Word says “The priests rinsed the meat prepared for the burnt offerings in them” (so also Good News Translation, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Bible de Jérusalem, Berkeley). According to various passages, parts of the sacrificial animals were to be washed before they were burned (see, for example, Exo 29.17; Lev 1.9, 13).
• (2) Others understand the Hebrew to mean that the utensils or tools used in making burnt offerings were washed in these basins. Anchor Bible, for example, says “they were to rinse the articles for the burnt offering in them” (so also New International Version, La Bible du Semeur). Dillard also follows this interpretation, translating “The implements for the burnt offerings were rinsed in these.”
And the sea was for the priests to wash in: The sea refers to the large tank mentioned in verses 2-5. See Exo 30.17-21, where Aaron and his sons are instructed to wash their hands and feet in the water of the bronze basin before offering sacrifices. Failure to do so meant that they would die. A literal translation of this clause may incorrectly cause readers to think that the priests bathed their entire bodies in this tank. For this reason Contemporary English Version says “and the priests used the water in the large bowl to wash their hands.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .