And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.

2 KINGS 16:17KJV
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2 Kings 16:17 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 16:17 mean?

2 Kings 16:17 describes how King Ahaz altered the temple furnishings in Jerusalem by cutting off the decorative borders from the bases, removing the laver (a large basin for washing), and taking down the "sea" (a massive bronze basin) from the bronze oxen that supported it, placing it instead on a stone pavement. This verse records specific changes Ahaz made to the temple's sacred objects.

King Ahaz, ruling in Judah, made these changes during a time of political pressure from Assyria. The verse highlights not just physical alterations, but also a shift in religious practice and respect for the temple’s original design. The details show Ahaz’s willingness to change long-standing traditions, likely to please foreign powers or adapt to outside influences.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 16:17

  • "borders" (מִסְגְּרוֹת, misgerot): This word refers to the decorative panels or frames on the bases that supported the temple’s basins. Removing them suggests Ahaz was stripping away both beauty and possibly symbolic meaning from the temple furnishings.
  • "sea" (יָם, yam): In this context, "sea" refers to the large bronze basin used by priests for ritual washing. Taking it off the "brasen oxen" (bronze oxen, נְחֹשֶׁת, nechoshet, and בָּקָר, baqar) and placing it on stone pavement was a significant change, reducing its grandeur and altering its intended design.
  • "pavement" (מַרְצֵפָה, martseifah): This word means a stone floor or platform. Placing the sea on a stone pavement instead of the bronze oxen lowered its status and changed its visual impact in the temple.

Why 2 Kings 16:17 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Ahaz was not just making minor repairs, but fundamentally changing the temple’s sacred furnishings, which had been carefully designed in Solomon’s time.
  • The changes Ahaz made are part of a larger pattern in the chapter, where he alters worship practices under foreign influence, showing how political alliances affected religious life.
  • Understanding these details helps explain later criticism of Ahaz and sets up the context for later kings who would try to restore the temple to its original state.

Where else these words appear

“off” Hebrew H7112 · used in 14 verses

  • Exodus 39:3 And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
  • 2 Samuel 4:12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.
  • Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

“borders” Hebrew H4526 · used in 14 verses

  • Exodus 25:25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.
  • 2 Samuel 22:46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
  • 1 Kings 7:32 And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit.

“bases” Hebrew H4350 · used in 18 verses

  • 1 Kings 7:27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it.
  • 1 Kings 7:35 And in the top of the base was there a round compass of half a cubit high: and on the top of the base the ledges thereof and the borders thereof were of the same.
  • 2 Kings 25:16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

“laver” Hebrew H3595 · used in 20 verses

  • Exodus 30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
  • Exodus 40:7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
  • 1 Kings 7:38 Then made he ten lavers of brass: one laver contained forty baths: and every laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten bases one laver.