Original Word: יְצֻקָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ytsukah
Pronunciation: yeh-tsoo-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (yets-oo-kaw')
KJV: when it was cast
NASB: rest
Word Origin: [passive participle feminine of H3332 (יָצַק - cast)]

1. poured out, i.e. run into a mould

when it was cast

Passive participle feminine of yatsaq; poured out, i.e. Run into a mould -- when it was cast.

see HEBREW yatsaq

Word Origin
from yatsaq
Definition
a casting
NASB Translation
rest (1).

[יְצֻקָה] noun feminine a casting (of metal); — יְצֻקִוים בִּיצֻקָתוֺ 1 Kings 7:24 cast at its casting (מֻצַקְתּוֺ in "" 2 Chronicles 4:3).

Meaning and Scope

יְצֻקָה denotes an object produced by casting or pouring molten metal. The noun highlights the finished work rather than the process, underscoring intentional design, precision, and permanence in items dedicated to worship.

Scriptural Occurrences

• 1 Kings 7:24 – Describes the two rows of gourds that “were cast when the Sea was cast,” integral to the great bronze basin in Solomon’s temple court.
• 1 Kings 7:30 – Refers to the “cast supports” and “cast wreaths” on the mobile bronze stands that held smaller basins.

Architectural Context in Solomon’s Temple

Hiram of Tyre, the master craftsman enlisted by Solomon, produced all temple bronze work in the clay ground of the Jordan plain (1 Kings 7:45–46). יְצֻקָה draws attention to two prominent features:

1. The Bronze Sea (1 Kings 7:23–26). Holding about eleven thousand gallons of water, it visually proclaimed the cleansing necessary for priestly service. The cast gourds beneath its rim suggested life and abundance drawn from purification.
2. The Ten Bronze Stands (1 Kings 7:27–39). Each four-wheeled cart bore a basin for ritual washings. Their cast supports and wreaths conveyed mobility combined with stability, symbolizing God’s holiness carried wherever His people ministered.

Theological Significance

1. Permanence of Divine Provision – Casting fixes molten metal into lasting form. Likewise, God’s means of purification remains unchanging.
2. Beauty and Order in Worship – The detailed artistry of each יְצֻקָה element illustrates that aesthetics matter when honoring the Lord (cf. Exodus 31:1–5).
3. Anticipation of Ultimate Cleansing – The vast waters of the Sea point forward to the grace poured out through Jesus Christ, “who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5).

Ministry Reflection

• Excellence in Craft – Those serving the church are called to careful, skillful labor, presenting offerings of time, talent, and treasure shaped for God’s glory (Colossians 3:23).
• Holiness and Accessibility – The combination of massive, stationary Sea and mobile stands challenges believers to pursue personal purity while bringing the message of cleansing into every sphere (Hebrews 10:22; Matthew 28:19).
• Lasting Impact – Just as bronze castings survive centuries, works done in Christ endure (1 Corinthians 3:14).

Intertextual Echoes

Isaiah likens idols to metal poured out by smiths (Isaiah 44:10). In contrast, the temple’s יְצֻקָה objects are not lifeless deities but instruments facilitating true worship. Their presence testifies to the reliability of God’s covenant promises recorded earlier in the Torah and celebrated later by the Chronicler (2 Chronicles 4:2–6).

Archaeological Insights

Excavations at ancient foundry sites in the Jordan Valley reveal clay molds and slag deposits dating to the Iron Age, consistent with large-scale casting projects such as those described in 1 Kings 7. These finds corroborate the biblical portrait of sophisticated metallurgy under Solomon.

Lessons for Today

Believers are “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5), yet like molten bronze, our lives must be poured into the mold of Scripture and solidified by the Spirit’s fire. When shaped according to God’s design, individual callings become durable testimonies that adorn the true Temple—Christ’s body, the church.

בִּיצֻקָתֽוֹ׃ ביצקתו׃ יְצֻק֔וֹת יצקות bî·ṣu·qā·ṯōw bîṣuqāṯōw bitzukaTo yə·ṣu·qō·wṯ yəṣuqōwṯ yetzuKotInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts