On Thu, 13 Aug 1998 20:10:09 -0500, Glenn R. Morton wrote:
GM>I hadn't been following the theta vs. phi thread. But when I noticed that
>it was talking about the bowl whose circumference was 3 times its diameter,
>I was reminded of an article that a guy sent me years ago that he had
>written on this issue. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the author. He
>believed that the bowl was hexagonal in shape,not round. If it was
>hexagonal, then the circumference is indeed 6 times the 'diameter'. I
>checked him out and found that he was correct. It very well might be that
>this 'inaccurate pi' business is a strawman.
Thanks to Glenn for this proposed solution. But presumably he means 3 times
the diameter or 6 times the radius? A "cicumference of "6 times the diameter"
is twice the 30 cubits in 1Ki 7:23 and 2Chr 4:2.
As to a hexagon as a possible solution, according to my online
Hebrew-English translation, the word "circular" in 1Ki 7:23 and
and 2Chr 4:2:
"He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits
from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to
measure around it"
is 'agol, which is "from an unused root mean. to revolve, circular:--round".
In addition, the "around it" is Heb. cabiyb, "a circle, neighbor, or environs;
but chiefly (as adv., with or without prep.) around:--(place, round) about,
circuit, compass, on every side."
This all sounds like it was definitely circular.
But here is something that I could have added that sounds a bit like what
Glenn might have been thinking of:
"There is one interesting feature about this that might well be added. If
the rod used to mark out a length of five cubits (approximately ninety
inches) for the radius were used to measure the inside circumference
of the same bowl-shaped vessel here described, then it would take
exactly six of those five-cubit measures to complete the circumference.
Let the skeptic try it and see!" (Archer G.L., "Encyclopedia of Bible
Difficulties," 1982, pp198-199)
I have not been able to work out why this should be so. But in any event,
I don't think it is a solution because the verse actually says "It took a
LINE of thirty cubits to measure AROUND it" (My emphasis).
Steve
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Stephen E (Steve) Jones ,--_|\ sejones@ibm.net
3 Hawker Avenue / Oz \ senojes@hotmail.com
Warwick 6024 ->*_,--\_/ Phone +61 8 9448 7439
Perth, West Australia v "Test everything." (1Thess 5:21)
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