Hidden History of the King's Bling

II_Chronicles.4.17-18

Not all that glitters is gold. Or Copper for that matter. And even though we may be blinded by the optics of splendor it is often wise to question with some curiosity - what is the glitz about and what’s the price tag? Especially when it comes to public projects often paid for and intended for the public.

Solomon’s temple was a shining example. Gold covered every surface. Copper and silver were everywhere too.

In today’s chapter, as the lavish construction of the temple continues, we read about the massive bronze furnishings—most notably the “Sea,” a gigantic basin resting on twelve bronze oxen, alongside countless other vessels. It was used for the purification of the priests. It must have been impressive. But where did all that copper come from?

The authors suggest that it was crafted by artists and couldn’t quantify how much was used because it was so much:

בְּכִכַּ֤ר הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ יְצָקָ֣ם הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ בַּעֲבִ֖י הָאֲדָמָ֑ה בֵּ֥ין סֻכּ֖וֹת וּבֵ֥ין צְרֵדָֽתָה׃ וַיַּ֧עַשׂ שְׁלֹמֹ֛ה כׇּל־הַכֵּלִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לָרֹ֣ב מְאֹ֑ד כִּ֛י לֹ֥א נֶחְקַ֖ר מִשְׁקַ֥ל הַנְּחֹֽשֶׁת׃

The king had them cast in molds dug out of the earth, in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah.

Solomon made a very large number of vessels; the weight of the bronze used could not be reckoned.

II_Chronicles.4.17-18

The operation in the Jordan Valley must have been massive enough to be mentioned here but there are no details about the metal’s origins. The text literally says - there is no way to tell how much there was - or what are its origins.

But elsewhere, Chronicles does offer a clue. Back in Chapter 18 of I Chronicles, we’re reminded that King David conquered several Aramean towns east of the Jordan, and "took a great quantity of bronze" (1 Chron. 18:8). That bronze, we’re told there, was stored and later used for the Temple.

The sacred bronze urn called ‘the molten sea’ was used for purification was recycled from the weapons of local conquered people -- it was that loot of war.

This detail matters. In the spiritual imagination of the Bible, this Temple was a house of peace. And yet, its foundations—literally and politically—were cast in conquest. The “Sea” meant to symbolize cosmic order and divine presence sat atop the spoils of empire. David wasn’t able to build the temple because his hands were defiled with blood. And yet the spoils were what made it possible for him to supply Solomon with what was needed to go big when it came for the temple design.

Archaeologists add another layer. Scholars like Nelson Glueck pointed to the Timna Valley in southern Israel, and Faynan in Jordan, where ancient copper mines—once dubbed “King Solomon’s Mines”—show evidence of large-scale smelting. But the Bible never links Solomon directly to these sites. Others argue that the bronze came via Phoenician networks, refined and traded through King Hiram’s master artisans from Tyre.

We’ll likely never know for sure. But the possibilities—war booty, smelting plants, international trade—point to the ties between politics and spirit, narratives made public and some kept secret and hidden from the public eye.

Bronze doesn’t appear by miracle. It’s extracted, traded, transported—often through power and pain. Can the sacred be celebrated even when the materials used to the construction include some history that includes moral injury and harm? Can we transform, like alchemy, the energy of battle booty into religious relics that lift us up towards more unity and love?

Out of the fire something sacred can emerge, repurposed for noble use. We too can take our histories of hurt and lift them up for healing and repair. Trauma can become transformed into a thing of beauty and utility.

We just have to be honest about it — name the king’s holy bling, its origin and costs, past use and possible repurpose.

On this second day of the three weeks of grief for the hurts of out history - this hidden hurt is added to the list of hopeful healing.

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