Before the temple was destroyed the Babylonians first looted it, removing everything of value. The extent of the looting is described in Jeremiah 52:17–23. The description is not meant to give a technical, detailed account of what was taken. Rather it is a general description that highlights the huge amount of precious metal that was taken, and the beauty of the items that were destroyed, especially the large bronze pillars.1
The bronze pillars were about 9 meters high with a circumference of about 2 meters. They were hollow but the walls were about 2 cm thick. The bronze sea
was a large basin that contained water. This was used mainly for cleansing ceremonies in the temple. These large pillars and the bronze sea were too large to carry away and so they were broken down, which resulted in a large amount of bronze that was taken back to Babylon where it could be reused. Along with the bronze, many items made of silver and gold were also removed from the temple. The looting of the temple described here represents the lowest moment in Israel’s story as the Lord’s covenant people, but it also shows again that Jeremiah is the Lord’s true prophet. In Jeremiah 27:16–22 Jeremiah spoke of this looting even while the false prophets strongly contradicted him.
17 Les Chaldéens brisèrent les colonnes d'airain qui étaient dans la maison de l'Eternel, les bases, la mer d'airain qui était dans la maison de l'Eternel, et ils en emportèrent tout l'airain à Babylone.