One of the things that the pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle had in common is the full detailed instructions about how to construct each of them were given. Exact building requirements for the right size, length and shape were given for every single piece of Tabernacle furniture.
The Bronze Basin is the ONLY piece of furniture in the Tabernacle that did not have any specific instructions about how to make it. Let’s have a look at the Bible:
“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.” (Exodus 30:18)
So, the question is: Why does everyone agree its shape was round?
The answer lies in the original Hebrew meaning of the Bronze Basin. In Hebrew the name is “Ki’yor Ha-Nechoshet” {כיור הנחושת} (‘Nechoshet’ {נחושת} is Hebrew for bronze).
The first word – “Ki’yor” {כיור} – is the actual name of this piece of furniture and it is derived from the Hebrew root K-U-R {כ-ו-ר} which simply means ROUND!
*It is the same Hebrew root which in Modern Hebrew is used to describe a traffic circle (“Kikar” {כיכר}).
In other words, the original Hebrew name suggests the shape of the Bronze Basin (round) so there was no need for further instructions.