Bible Dictionary
Sea, The
The sea, or molten sea, was the great laver made by Solomon for the temple. It held a large quantity of water for priestly cleansing and rested on twelve oxen facing outward.
Definition
The Hebrew word translated sea can refer to the gathering of waters, the ocean, a river, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, the Sea of Galilee, or the Dead Sea. It may also be used in a general or figurative sense.
Biblical Usage
Scripture uses sea for named bodies of water and for waters generally. Symbolically, it may represent the nations around the Mediterranean or the tumultuous changes among the nations of the earth.
Historical Background
The biblical names include the Great Sea, western sea, Salt Sea, sea of the Arabah, Red Sea, and Sea of Galilee. The word could also refer to the Nile and to the temple’s molten sea.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Heb. yam), signifies (1) “the gathering together of the waters,” the ocean (Gen. 1:10); (2) a river, as the Nile (Isa. 19:5), the Euphrates (Isa. 21:1; Jer. 51:36); (3) the Red Sea (Ex. 14:16, 27; 15:4, etc.); (4) the Mediterranean (Ex. 23:31; Num. 34:6, 7; Josh. 15:47; Ps. 80:11, etc.); (5) the “sea of Galilee,” an inland fresh-water lake, and (6) the Dead Sea or “salt sea” (Gen. 14:3; Num. 34:3, 12, etc.). The word “sea” is used symbolically in Isa. 60:5, where it probably means the nations around the Mediterranean. In Dan. 7:3, Rev. 13:1 it may mean the tumultuous changes among the nations of the earth.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>See MEDITERRANEAN SEA; SEA, THE GREAT.</p>