Jachin and Boaz

Biblical Text

Jachin and Boaz are the names of the two bronze pillars set up before the porch of the Temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon. According to 1 Kings 7:13-22, the pillars were cast by Hiram, a craftsman from Tyre. The pillar on the right was called Jachin, and the pillar on the left was called Boaz (1 Kings 7:21). Each pillar was topped with a capital of cast bronze, adorned with network, pomegranates, and lily work. The same account appears in 2 Chronicles 3:15-17 and 4:11-13.

The fate of the pillars is recorded in 2 Kings 25:13-17 and Jeremiah 52:17-23. When the Babylonian army captured Jerusalem, it broke the pillars in pieces and carried their bronze to Babylon.

Dimensions and Textual Differences

1 Kings 7:15 gives the height of each pillar as eighteen cubits and its circumference as twelve cubits. Using the commonly assumed cubit of about 45 cm (roughly 18 inches), the height would be just over 8 meters (about 27 feet). Jeremiah 52:21 adds that the pillars were hollow and that their walls were four fingers thick.

Some figures differ from one text to another. 2 Chronicles 3:15 gives the height of the pillars as thirty-five cubits. The height of the capitals is five cubits in 1 Kings 7:16 but three cubits in 2 Kings 25:17. Proposed explanations for these differences include taking the figure as the combined length of both pillars, attributing the discrepancy to scribal transmission, and noting whether decorative elements were included in the measurement.

Meaning of the Names and Function of the Pillars

The Hebrew name Jachin is commonly interpreted as "he will establish" (or "he will make firm"), and Boaz as "in him is strength" or "with strength." Scripture, however, does not explain why the pillars were given these names. The name Boaz is shared by Boaz, David's great-grandfather, who appears in the Book of Ruth. Jachin likewise appears as the name of a son of Simeon (Genesis 46:10). The text, however, indicates no connection between these individuals and the pillars.

Scholars differ on whether the two pillars were structural elements supporting the roof of the porch or freestanding symbolic monuments flanking the entrance.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The New Testament does not mention the names Jachin and Boaz, but the image of a temple pillar does appear there. Revelation 3:12 promises that the one who overcomes will be made "a pillar in the temple of my God." In Galatians 2:9, Paul describes James, Cephas, and John as those "who seemed to be pillars." Interpreters differ on whether these passages should be directly connected to Jachin and Boaz.

Interpretations and Later Traditions

In the church, the two names are often read together as a confession that "God establishes, and God gives strength." This is a devotional application based on the meanings of the names, not a lesson the text directly teaches.

Jachin and Boaz are also used as symbols by secret societies such as Freemasonry. Masonic ritual includes a story that Hiram, the maker of the pillars, was murdered, but this story is not found in the Bible. Scripture simply presents Hiram as the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali and a craftsman skilled in bronze work (1 Kings 7:14). 2 Chronicles 2:14 describes his mother as a woman of the tribe of Dan.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, this passage is sometimes used in sermons on building up the church or on the role of church officers. It is also cited as a sermon text for ordination and installation services and church dedication services.