The laver, also known as the "bronze basin" or "brazen laver," is a significant element in the tabernacle and later in the temple worship as described in the Old Testament. It served as a large basin for ceremonial washing and was an essential part of the ritual purification process for the priests.

Biblical Description and Construction

The instructions for the construction of the laver are found in Exodus 30:17-21. The LORD commanded Moses, saying, "You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet from it" (Exodus 30:18-19). The laver was made from the bronze mirrors donated by the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 38:8).

The laver was positioned in the courtyard of the tabernacle, between the altar of burnt offering and the entrance to the Holy Place. This placement underscored its role in the purification process, as the priests were required to wash before entering the tent or approaching the altar to offer sacrifices.

Symbolism and Function

The laver symbolized the need for purity and cleansing before approaching God. The act of washing was not merely physical but also represented spiritual purification. The priests' washing of their hands and feet signified the cleansing of their actions and walk before the LORD. This ritual underscored the holiness required of those who ministered before God and served as a constant reminder of the need for sanctification.

The laver's construction from bronze mirrors may also carry symbolic significance, reflecting the idea of self-examination and the need for inner purity. The reflective nature of the mirrors could serve as a metaphor for the introspection required before approaching God.

Theological Significance

In the broader theological context, the laver points to the necessity of cleansing and sanctification in the life of believers. The New Testament echoes this theme, emphasizing the importance of spiritual cleansing through the Word and the work of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:26 speaks of Christ sanctifying the church, "cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" .

The laver also prefigures the sacrament of baptism in the Christian tradition, symbolizing the washing away of sin and the believer's identification with the death and resurrection of Christ. The laver's role in the tabernacle worship foreshadows the ultimate cleansing provided through Jesus Christ, who is the source of true purification for all who come to Him in faith.

Historical and Cultural Context

In the ancient Near Eastern context, ritual washing was a common practice in various religious traditions. However, the laver in the Israelite worship system was unique in its divine prescription and its specific role in the covenant relationship between God and His people. The laver's presence in the tabernacle and later in Solomon's temple (1 Kings 7:23-26) highlights the continuity of this practice and its enduring significance in the worship of Yahweh.

The laver's function and symbolism continue to be a subject of interest and study in biblical scholarship, offering insights into the nature of worship, holiness, and the relationship between God and His people.(Hebrews kiyor), a "basin" for boiling in, a "pan" for cooking (1 Samuel 2:14), a "fire-pan" or hearth (Zechariah 12:6), the sacred wash-bowl of the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 30:18, 28; 31:9; 35:16; 38:8; 39:39; 40:7, 11, 30, etc.), a basin for the water used by the priests in their ablutions.

That which was originally used in the tabernacle was of brass (rather copper; Hebrews nihsheth), made from the metal mirrors the women brought out of Egypt (Exodus 38:8). It contained water wherewith the priests washed their hands and feet when they entered the tabernacle (40:32). It stood in the court between the altar and the door of the tabernacle (30:19, 21).

In the temple there were ten lavers used for the sacrifices, and the molten sea for the ablutions of the priests (2 Chronicles 4:6). The position and uses of these are described 1 Kings 7:23-39; 2 Chronicles 4:6. The "molten sea" was made of copper, taken from Tibhath and Chun, cities of Hadarezer, king of Zobah (1 Chronicles 18:8; 1 Kings 7:23-26).

No lavers are mentioned in the second temple.

1. (n.) A vessel for washing; a large basin.

2. (n.) A large brazen vessel placed in the court of the Jewish tabernacle where the officiating priests washed their hands and feet.

3. (n.) One of several vessels in Solomon's Temple in which the offerings for burnt sacrifices were washed.

4. (n.) That which washes or cleanses.

5. (n.) One who laves; a washer.

6. (n.) The fronds of certain marine algae used as food, and for making a sauce called laver sauce. Green laver is the Ulva latissima; purple laver, Porphyra laciniata and P. vulgaris. It is prepared by stewing, either alone or with other vegetables, and with various condiments; -- called also sloke, or sloakan.

LAVER

la'-ver (kiyor):

1. In the Tabernacle:

Every priest in attendance on the altar of Yahweh was required to wash his hands and his feet before entering upon his official duties (Exodus 30:19). To this end a laver was ordered to be made as part of the tabernacle equipment (Exodus 30:17-21; Exodus 38:8). Its composition was of brass (bronze), and it consisted of two parts, the bowl and its pedestal or foot (Exodus 30:18, etc.). This first laver was a small one, and was made of the hand mirrors of the women in attendance upon the altar (Exodus 38:8). Its place was between the altar and the tabernacle (Exodus 40:30).

See TABERNACLE.

2. In the Temple:

The difficulty as to the washing of parts of the sacrificial carcasses was overcome, in the temple of Solomon, by the construction of "10 lavers" and a "molten sea" (1 Kings 7:23-37 2 Chronicles 4:2-6; see TEMPLE; SEA, THE MOLTEN). We learn from 2 Chronicles 4:6 that the "sea" was for the priests to wash in-therefore took the place of the laver in the tabernacle-and the lavers were used as baths for portions of the burnt offerings. The lavers themselves were artistic works of unusual merit for that age. Like that in the tabernacle, each had its own stand or base, which was cast in a separate piece from the laver. These bases rested on wheels which allowed of the laver being moved from one part of the court to another without being turned about. Five stood on the north and five on the south side of the temple. They were ornamented with "lions, oxen, and cherubim," and on a lower level, with a series of wreaths or festoons of flowers (1 Kings 7:27-37). In modern speech, the lavers may be described as so many circular open tanks for the storage of water. Each laver contained 40 baths (about 320 gals.) of water. Its height was 5 cubits, the locomotive machinery being 3 cubits in height, and the depth of the bowl or tank, judging from its capacity, about 2 cubits. The last we hear of the lavers, apart from their bases, is that the idolatrous king Ahaz cut off the border of the bases, and removed the bases from them (2 Kings 16:17). During the reign of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah foretold that the molten sea and the bases (there being then no lavers) should be carried to Babylon (Jeremiah 27:19). A few years later it is recorded that the bases were broken up, and the brass of which they were made was carried away (Jeremiah 52:17).

3. The Laver in the New Testament:

The Greek word (loutron) occurs twice in the New Testament. In Ephesians 5:26, Paul says that Christ gave Himself for the church "that he might sanctify it having cleansed it by the washing (Greek "laver") of water with the word"; and in Titus 3:5 he says that we are saved "through the washing (Greek "laver") of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." In these passages the reference is to the constant physical purity demanded of the Jewish priests when in attendance upon the temple. Christians are "a holy priesthood," and are cleansed not by water only, but, in the former passage, "with the word" (compare John 15:3); in the latter, by the "renewing of the Holy Spirit" (compare Ezekiel 36:25 John 3:5). The feet-washing mentioned by Jesus is emblematic of the same thing (John 13:10).

W. Shaw Caldecott

3595. kiyyor -- pot, basin
... kiyyor or kiyyor. 3596 . pot, basin. Transliteration: kiyyor or kiyyor Phonetic
Spelling: (kee-yore') Short Definition: laver. ... hearth, laver, pan, scaffold. ...
/hebrew/3595.htm - 6k

The Altar. The Rings. The Laver.
... The Rings. The Laver. The ... pillars. There was a laver or cistern between
the porch and the altar, and it lay a little to the south. ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 34 the altar the.htm

The Child of the Woman in the Apocalypse not Christ, but the ...
... Discourse VIII."Thekla. Chapter VII."The Child of the Woman in the Apocalypse
Not Christ, But the Faithful Who are Born in the Laver. ...
/.../chapter vii the child of the.htm

Why they who Come Forth from the Laver of Baptism are Anointed on ...
... The Book Concerning the Mysteries. Chapter VI. Why they who come forth
from the laver of baptism are anointed on the head? Why ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter vi why they who.htm

Petilianus Said: "Those who have Polluted their Souls with a ...
... Book II. Chapter 2. " 4. Petilianus said: "Those who have polluted their
souls with a guilty laver? "4. Petilianus said: "Those ...
/.../chapter 2 4 petilianus.htm

On Daniel. vi. On Susannah.
... 15. "As they watched a fit time." What fit time but that of the passover, at which
the laver is prepared in the garden for those who burn, and Susannah washes ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/on daniel vi on susannah.htm

That the Ruler Should be a Near Neighbour to Every one in ...
... Hence also it is that before the doors of the temple the brazen sea for washing
the hands of those who enter, that is the laver, is supported by twelve oxen (1 ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter v that the ruler.htm

Hiram, the Inspired Artificer
... Hiram constructed of bright, burnished brass, an immense laver, called
"a molten sea," to be used for the ablutions of the priests. ...
/.../milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/hiram the inspired artificer.htm

The Works of the Church, the Bringing Forth of Children in Baptism ...
... Now the statement that she stands upon the moon, as I consider, denotes the faith
of those who are cleansed from corruption in the laver of regeneration ...
/.../chapter vi the works of the.htm

The Bones and Flesh of Wisdom; the Side Out of which the Spiritual ...
... passion, and willingly suffered death for her, that He might present the Church
to Himself glorious and blameless, having cleansed her by the laver, [2572] for ...
/.../chapter viii the bones and flesh.htm

The Washing Away of Sins is Indicated by the White Robes of the ...
... The Church, having put on these garments through the laver of regeneration, says
in the Song of Songs: "I am black and comely, O daughters of Jerusalem." [2872 ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter vii the washing away.htm

Laver (13 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) One who laves; a washer. 6. (n.) The fronds of certain marine algae
used as food, and for making a sauce called laver sauce. ...LAVER. ...
/l/laver.htm - 17k

Lavers (6 Occurrences)
... 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. ...
/l/lavers.htm - 8k

Utensils (72 Occurrences)
... NAS RSV). Exodus 31:9 and the altar of burnt-offering and all its utensils,
and the laver and its stand; (DBY NAS RSV NIV). Exodus 35 ...
/u/utensils.htm - 28k

Brazen (42 Occurrences)
... It replaced the laver of the tabernacle, and, like that, was used for storing the
water in which the priests washed their hands and their feet (compare Exodus ...
/b/brazen.htm - 25k

Burnt-offering (205 Occurrences)
... (ASV DBY JPS YLT). Exodus 30:28 and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels
thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. (ASV DBY JPS WBS YLT). ...
/b/burnt-offering.htm - 38k

Sea (4178 Occurrences)
... The great laver made by Solomon for the use of the priests in the temple, described
in 1 Kings 7:23-26; 2 Chronicles 4:2-5. It stood in the south-eastern ...
/s/sea.htm - 87k

Copper (55 Occurrences)
... Exodus 30:18 Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for
washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and ...
/c/copper.htm - 27k

Foot (193 Occurrences)
... 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 ...
/f/foot.htm - 48k

Grate (6 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS YLT). Exodus 35:16 The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate,
his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, (KJV WBS YLT). ...
/g/grate.htm - 10k

Withal (38 Occurrences)
... (KJV). 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 ...
/w/withal.htm - 18k

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