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The bronze laver, also known as the “bronze basin” (NIV) and the “laver of brass” (KJV), was a necessary fixture in the outer courts of the tabernacle and temple as required by God. It was positioned between the temple and the altar, serving as a container for washing. «You shall also make a laver of brass, with its base also of brass, for washing, and you shall place it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it. », (Exodus 30:18).
The initial bronze laver was crafted for the tabernacle, the portable tent set up in the desert after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. It was designated for Aaron and his sons (the priests) to cleanse their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle, “so that they do not die” «when they go into the tabernacle of meeting, they shall wash with water, lest they die. Also, when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD. », (Exodus 30:20). The priests were also required to wash their hands and feet before approaching the altar with a food offering (verse 21). God decreed that this practice was to be an everlasting statute for them. The purification of the priests was to be upheld by Aaron and his descendants throughout generations, as long as their priesthood endured. God intended for His people to grasp the significance of purity.
Exodus 38:8 mentions that the bronze laver and its bronze base were fashioned from the mirrors contributed by “the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.” In those times, women did not have glass mirrors like today; they utilized highly polished brass and other metals. Job 37:18 makes reference to a “mirror of cast bronze.” These serving women generously donated their mirrors to the tabernacle for creative use.
During the bronze laver.
After the Jews finished their wandering in the desert, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple in Jerusalem, constructed by King Solomon. The bronze laver in the temple was created by a bronze worker named Hiram of Tyre, who also fashioned the bronze pillars located at the entrance to the temple vestibule (1 Kings 7:13-14). The “Sea of cast metal” «And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one brim to the other: it was round all about, and its height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. », (1 Kings 7:23), was so named due to its immense size, replacing the tabernacle’s laver, yet serving the same purpose—the cleansing of the priests.
This second laver was significantly larger than the one in the tabernacle: 15 feet in diameter at the top and approximately 47 feet in circumference, with a depth of 7.5 feet «And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one brim to the other: it was round all about, and its height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. », (1 Kings 7:23). The depth of the water in the bronze laver suggests that the priests fully immersed themselves in it, rather than just washing their hands and feet. The laver’s rim was adorned with flowers, and oxen were depicted or engraved on the exterior all around. The laver was supported by a base of twelve bronze oxen, three facing each cardinal direction. Additionally, the temple court housed ten bronze basins for cleansing the sacrifices «He also made ten lavers, placing five on the right and five on the left, for washing the offerings; the sea was designated for the priests to cleanse in. », (2 Chronicles 4:6).
During the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 605 BC, the invaders looted the temple, taking the bronze pillars, movable stands, and the bronze Sea to Babylon, as recorded in (Jeremiah 52:17). The bronze laver had to be reconstructed for Zerubbabel’s temple.
Although there are no biblical references to the bronze laver in Herod’s temple, historians suggest it was positioned on twelve bronze bulls between the altar and the temple, following Moses’ instructions. The Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 led to the temple’s complete devastation, with its furnishings, including the laver, either stolen or demolished.
Significantly, the bronze laver was the final item encountered before entering the tabernacle, as described in (Exodus 40:6-7). Purification was necessary before approaching God’s presence. While Levitical priests had to cleanse themselves continuously to stand before the Holy God, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, as stated in (Matthew 5:17). Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, believers were cleansed once and for all, eliminating the need for ritualistic washings to come before God, as He has “provided purification for sins.”When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; », (Hebrews 1:3). Now we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence” «Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.», (Hebrews 4:16), being assured that we are acceptable to Him because we are spiritually clean.
