1 Kings 7:39

39 He put five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north side of the temple. He set the pool on the south side of the temple in the southeast [corner].

1 Kings 7:39 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 7:39

And he put five bases on the right side of the house
On the south side, which is commonly understood; that is, of the courts of the priests, where they were placed for their use: and five on the left side of the house; on the north, as it must be, if the south is on the right; though as the entrance into the temple was at the east, when a man went in, the north must be on the right, and the south on the left; and this seems to be the position by what follows:

and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, over
against the south;
and therefore the right side must be the north, which is opposite to the south; the sea seems to have stood northeast, which was for the priests to wash in before they entered on divine service, (See Gill on Exodus 30:20) hence it became customary with the Heathens to wash before they performed any religious worship ^F5, particularly the hands and feet ^F6.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Vid. Virgil. Bucolic. Eclog. 8. "affer aquam" Aeneid. 2. "attrectare nefas" Macrob. Saturnal. l. 3. c. l.
F6 Vid. Sperling de Bapt. Ethnic. p. 88, 89, 101.

1 Kings 7:39 In-Context

37 This is the way he made the ten stands. All of them were cast in the same mold, identical in size and shape.

38 Hiram also made ten bronze basins. Each basin held 240 gallons. Every basin was six feet [wide]. There was one basin on each of the ten stands.

39 He put five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north side of the temple. He set the pool on the south side of the temple in the southeast [corner].

40 Hiram also made pots, shovels, and bowls. So Hiram finished all the work for King Solomon on the LORD's temple:

41 2 pillars, the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the 2 pillars, and 2 sets of filigree to cover the 2 bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars,