Does It Matter?

The Sea was placed on a base of twelve bronze oxen, all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east, and the Sea rested on them. The walls of the Sea were about three inches thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a water lily blossom. It could hold about 11,000 gallons of water. [1 Kings 7 25-26]

The Sea was placed on a base of twelve bronze oxen, all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east, and the Sea rested on them. The walls of the Sea were about three inches thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a water lily blossom. It could hold about 16,500 gallons of water. [2 Chronicles 4.4-5]

Here are two accounts of the same thing.

Not that it seems to matter how much water the Sea could hold, the fact remains that the writer of 1 Kings and the writer of 2 Chronicles do not agree how much it held.

Both writers do indeed agree on the dimensions of the Sea, but the amount of water reported that it could hold was significantly different. Which one was right?

Neither. 

Using the dimensions provided, the Sea had almost 1,326 cubic feet of storage. 1,326 (actually 1,325.86875) cubic feet of storage translates into just over 9,918 gallons of water.

So, both Old Testament writers get an "F" on their math.

Does it matter however?

YES! It does matter. I believe it matters because some things recorded in the Bible are, at best, the estimation of men. Does that make the story of the Bible invalid? Of course not. It just reminds us that God works with humans (and humans are imperfect). In fact, none of the discrepancies found in the Bible (like this one) affect in any way the love, justice, and purpose of God seen consistently throughout its pages!

I find it intriguing that both writers got the dimensions correct but calculated the volume incorrectly. The dimensions were God's. But how man perceived what those dimensions meant differed. Does that sound familiar?

I can only smile as I write this... I smile because men are so imperfect and God is so perfect.

Father, You are so amazing in the transmission of Your Word through the ages. Forgive me for ever thinking my estimation of Your Word transcends anyone else's. Help us all to see the Truth found in the Bible while understanding Your delicate preservation of Your Story transmitted through human hands.