Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageIt rested on twelve oxen—three facing north, three west, three south, and three east—bearing the Sea on their backs, all their haunches turned inward.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GIt stood upon twelve oxen—three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, three facing east—with the Sea resting above them, all their hindquarters turned inward.
KJV
King James VersionIt stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThe Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center.
Footnotes
The twelve oxen supporting the Sea almost certainly represent the twelve tribes of Israel bearing up sacred service before YHWH. Oxen (*bakar*) were the premier sacrificial animal, and their orientation toward all four compass points declares YHWH's dominion over the entire cosmos. Ancient Near Eastern iconography sometimes depicted the earth supported by cosmic animals; here that imagery is recast in covenant terms—it is Israel, in its tribal fullness, that upholds the sacred waters at the centre of the world.
