Melachim Alef 7:25

25 It stood upon twelve bakar (oxen), shalosh looking toward tzafonah (north), and shalosh looking toward the yammah (west), and shalosh looking toward the negbah (south), and shalosh looking toward the mizrachah (east); and the Yam was set above upon them, and all their haunches were facing toward the center.

Melachim Alef 7:25 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 7:25

It stood upon twelve oxen
Figures of them in brass, of full proportion:

three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and
three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east;
and so turned to the four quarters of the world:

and the sea was set above upon them;
as it were on the backs of them, and their mouths served as spouts or cocks, to let water out of it on all sides:

and all their hinder parts were inward;
that they might not be seen, and which met in a centre; they that were north came against those that were south, and they in the east met with those to the west. The brass of the sea, according to Jacob Leon ^F18, weighed 1,800 arobas, and, with twelve oxen under, 33,500; each aroba being twenty five pounds weight.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 Relation of Memorable Things in the Temple, ch. 4. p. 21.

Melachim Alef 7:25 In-Context

23 And he made a Yam Mutzak (Cast Metal Sea), ten cubits from brim to brim; it was completely round and its height was 5 cubits; and a line of 30 cubits did measure around about it.

24 And under the brim of it all around about there were knobs surrounding it, ten in a cubit, encompassing the Yam all around about; the knobs were cast in two rows, when it was cast.

25 It stood upon twelve bakar (oxen), shalosh looking toward tzafonah (north), and shalosh looking toward the yammah (west), and shalosh looking toward the negbah (south), and shalosh looking toward the mizrachah (east); and the Yam was set above upon them, and all their haunches were facing toward the center.

26 And it was a handbreadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a kos, with shoshan blossoms; it could hold two thousand bath measures.

27 And he made ten Mekhonot (Stands [serving as water carts]) of nechoshet; four cubits was the length of one Stand, and four cubits the width thereof, and three cubits the height of it.