Lexical Summary
kiyyor: Basin, laver
Original Word: כִּיּוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kiyowr
Pronunciation: kee-yore
Phonetic Spelling: (kee-yore')
KJV: hearth, laver, pan, scaffold
NASB: laver, basin, basins, firepot, pan, platform
Word Origin: [from the same as H3564 (כּוּר - Furnace)]
1. (properly) something round (as excavated or bored), i.e. a chafing-dish for coals or a caldron for cooking
2. hence (from similarity of form) a washbowl
3. (for the same reason) a pulpit or platform
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
hearth, laver, pan, scaffold
Or kiyor {kee-yore'}; from the same as kuwr; properly, something round (as excavated or bored), i.e. A chafing-dish for coals or a caldron for cooking; hence (from similarity of form) a washbowl; also (for the same reason) a pulpit or platform -- hearth, laver, pan, scaffold.
see HEBREW kuwr
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
kurDefinitionpot, basin
NASB Translationbasin (6), basins (5), firepot (1), laver (9), pan (1), platform (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
1Kings 7:38 (Late Hebrew
wash-basin, so Aramaic ) — absolute
1 Kings 7:30 8t.;
1 Samuel 2:14 5t.; construct
Exodus 30:18 2t.; plural absolute
1 Kings 7:40 (but see below), 2 Chronicles 4:14;
1 Kings 7:43; 2Chronicles 4:6; construct
1 Kings 7:38; —
pot for cooking 1 Samuel 2:14 ("" , , ).
fire-pot Zechariah 12:6 ("" ; figurative of chiefs of Judah).
basin of bronze for washing, laver; set on a bronze support
Exodus 30:18,28; Exodus 31:9; Exodus 35:16; Exodus 38:8; Exodus 39:39; Exodus 40:7,11,30; Leviticus 8:11 (all P).
, 5 at each front corner of temple 1 Kings 7:30,38 (3 t. in verse); 1 Kings 7:43 2Chronicles 4:14,6 (1 Ki 7:40 read as 1 Kings 7:45 and "" 2 Chronicles 4:11,16, so Hebrew Manuscripts Th Ke Sta Klo and others)
plat form or stage of bronze (probably round, bowl-like in shape) on which, according to Chronicles, Solomon stood and kneeled 2 Chronicles 6:13.
Topical Lexicon
General Scope of the WordThe word designates a rounded receptacle fashioned chiefly from bronze. Its range of meaning spans (1) the ritual laver for priestly washing, (2) the movable basins of Solomon’s Temple, (3) a household or sacrificial cooking pot, (4) a fire-holder, and even (5) a temporary platform. In every setting the object serves to prepare, purify, or empower God’s servants for acceptable ministry.
The Bronze Laver of the Tabernacle
Exodus 30:18 introduces the laver that stood “between the Tent of Meeting and the altar.” Exodus 38:8 notes its extraordinary origin: “He made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” Because mirrors represented personal appearance, their surrender testified that cleansing before God outweighs self-image. The basin held water for the priests to wash “so that they will not die” (Exodus 30:20), underscoring the necessity of holiness for all who draw near. Moses consecrated it with anointing oil (Exodus 40:11; Leviticus 8:11), setting the pattern for ongoing priestly service.
Typological Significance
Daily washing at the laver pictured continual sanctification. The altar dealt with guilt; the basin maintained fellowship. Jesus’ statement, “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet” (John 13:10) preserves the same logic: initial cleansing followed by repeated renewal. Later New Testament references to “the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26) echo the laver’s function.
The Ten Bronze Basins of Solomon’s Temple
Solomon multiplied the single laver into ten (1 Kings 7:38; 2 Chronicles 4:6), each resting on an ornate wheeled stand (1 Kings 7:30). While the massive “Sea” supplied water for ritual washing, the basins rinsed the meat of the burnt offerings: “They were for washing the burnt offering” (2 Chronicles 4:6). The advance from one laver to ten speaks of the Temple’s greater scope and foreshadows the wider access to God anticipated in redemptive history.
The Platform of Dedication
A surprising appearance occurs in 2 Chronicles 6:13, where Solomon “had made a bronze platform” from which he knelt and prayed. Here the word describes a raised stage rather than a container. Yet the theological thread remains: it is still a sanctified bronze fixture facilitating communion between king and covenant God before the assembled people.
Domestic and Sacrificial Cooking Pot
In 1 Samuel 2:14 the same noun denotes one of the vessels into which the sons of Eli thrust their fork. The scene exposes their contempt for the LORD’s portion, turning a vessel meant for sacrificial sharing into a tool of greed. The passage warns that sacred objects cannot sanctify sinful actions.
Prophetic Firepot Imagery
Zechariah 12:6 broadens the term metaphorically: “I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile.” Here the basin becomes a portable brazier whose concentrated flames consume surrounding fuel. Judah, refined by earlier judgment, will in turn become an instrument of divine defeat against hostile nations, while Jerusalem remains protected.
Materials and Craftsmanship
Every canonical reference links the object to bronze—an alloy symbolic of durability and judgment. Whether hand-held or cart-mounted, each basin required skilled workmanship (Exodus 31:9; 1 Kings 7:40). The finest artisans—Bezalel, Oholiab, and Hiram—were appointed to fashion them, reflecting God’s insistence on excellence in worship.
Ministerial Lessons
1. Cleansing precedes service. No priest could bypass the laver and live; no Christian can prosper in ministry without ongoing sanctification.
2. Sacrifice does not eclipse purity. The fire of the altar and the water of the basin complement one another, reminding worshipers that zeal must be matched by holiness.
3. God multiplies provision. The single laver became ten basins, illustrating His expanding grace for an enlarging people.
4. Misuse invites judgment. Eli’s sons abused the cooking pot and forfeited their priesthood; instruments dedicated to God must never be commandeered for self-interest.
5. Purified vessels become instruments of victory. As Judah becomes a “firepot,” so believers, cleansed and filled with the Spirit, are set ablaze to advance the kingdom.
Summary
From wilderness tabernacle to prophetic oracle, this bronze vessel accompanies Israel’s worship, serving as a continual reminder that the Holy One both cleanses and empowers His people. Each appearance of the word reinforces the same fundamental truth: genuine fellowship with God is inseparable from the purity He Himself provides.
Forms and Transliterations
בַכִּיּ֜וֹר בכיור הַ֨כִּיֹּר֔וֹת הַכִּיֹּ֔ר הַכִּיֹּ֖ר הַכִּיֹּ֛ר הַכִּיֹּר֥וֹת הַכִּיֹּרֹ֥ת הַכִּיּ֖וֹר הַכִּיּ֣וֹר הכיור הכיר הכירות הכירת כְּֽכִיּ֧וֹר כִּיּ֣וֹר כִּיּ֤וֹר כִּיּ֥וֹר כִּיּוֹרִים֮ כִיֹּר֖וֹת כיור כיורים כירות ככיור לַכִּיֹּר֙ לכיר ḇak·kî·yō·wr ḇakkîyōwr chiyoRot hak·kî·yō·rō·wṯ hak·kî·yō·rōṯ hak·kî·yō·wr hak·kî·yōr hakkiYor hakkîyōr hakkiyoRot hakkîyōrōṯ hakkîyōrōwṯ hakkîyōwr kə·ḵî·yō·wr kechiYor kəḵîyōwr ḵî·yō·rō·wṯ kî·yō·w·rîm kî·yō·wr kiYor kiyoRim ḵîyōrōwṯ kîyōwr kîyōwrîm lak·kî·yōr lakkiYor lakkîyōr vakkiYor
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