basin

A shallow receptacle for liquids. In the OT several Hebrew words mean “basin,” “bowl,” “laver,” or the like. One such word (mizrak) describes a utensil used in both cultic (Exod 27:2; Num 7) and noncultic (Amos 6:6; Zech 9:15) settings. Another common word (kiyyor) also identifies a vessel used in both cultic (Exod 30:18) and secular settings (Zech 12:6). Other kinds of basins or bowls were used to catch the blood of sacrificial victims (Exod 12:22; Exod 24:6) or were temple vessels made of gold (1Chr 28:17; Ezra 1:10; Ezra 8:27).