1 Kings 7:31
And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round. And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round.
The verse belongs to the history of Solomon's reign over the undivided kingdom recorded in 1 Kings 1 to 11, which parallels 2 Chronicles 1 to 9 and stands in chronological order. Within that history it stands in the latter part of 1 Kings 7 giving details concerning the building and furniture, furnishings and vessels of the temple. The detail it describes is a base whose mouth or opening was round and a cubit and a half across, while its carved borders upon the mouth were foursquare, not round.
The temple it describes was built on the same plan as the tabernacle with two holy places, the same kinds of vessels and the same ministry, and served as a pattern of the heavenly temple. At the same time the temple enlarged the tabernacle's plan as a permanent building rather than a temporary one, with its sacred vessels increased in size and number.
The construction work it describes was done with special wisdom imparted by the Lord, showing that skill and the power of invention are God-given. Its placement after the account of Solomon's own house, which he built only after he had finished the house of Jehovah, shows he did not put self first as many do.