II Chronicles 3:17 · Bible study
2 Chronicles 3:17 Commentary: Jachin and Boaz
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Discover the meaning of the two pillars at Solomon’s temple, Jachin and Boaz, and their message about God’s establishing power and strength for His people.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The pillars’ names declare God’s establishment (Jachin) and strength (Boaz).
- Key words: Jachin (H3199, “He will establish”), Boaz (H1162, “strength”).
- Main debate: Whether the names refer to God’s attributes directly or to historical figures (the Davidic line and the patriarch Boaz).
- Theological theme: God’s covenant faithfulness and presence as the source of stability and power.
- Best use: Teaching on temple symbolism, God’s promises, and the call to depend on Him for establishment and strength.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin, and the pillar on the north he named Boaz.
WEB World English Bible 2000
He set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
KJV King James Version 1769
And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And he raiseth up the pillars on the front of the temple, one on the right, and one on the left, and calleth the name of that on the right Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; and he called the name of that on the right Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
These pillars he put at the entrance of the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left: that which was on the right hand, he called Jachin: and that on the left hand, Booz.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y asentó las columnas delante del templo, la una á la mano derecha, y la otra á la izquierda; y á la de la mano derecha llamó Jachîn, y á la de la izquierda, Boaz.
E assentou as colunas diante do templo, a uma à mão direita, e a outra à esquerda; e à da mão direita chamou Jaquim, e à da esquerda, Boaz.
Il dressa les colonnes sur le devant du temple, l’ une à droite et l’ autre à gauche; il nomma celle de droite Jakin, et celle de gauche Boaz.
und richtete die Säulen auf vor dem Tempel, eine zur Rechten und die andere zur Linken, und hieß die zur Rechten Jachin und die zur Linken Boas.
En hij richtte de pilaren op voor aan den tempel, een ter rechterhand, en een ter linkerhand; en hij noemde den naam van den rechter Jachin, en den naam van den linker Boaz.
E rizzò le colonne dinanzi al tempio: una a destra e l’altra a sinistra; e chiamò quella di destra Jakin, e quella di sinistra Boaz.
I postawił one słupy przed kościołem, jeden po prawej a drugi po lewej stronie; i nazwał imię tego, co był na prawej stronie, Jachyn, a imię tego, co był na lewej stronie, Boaz.
И поставил столбы пред храмом, один по правую сторону, другой по левую, и дал имя правому Иахин, а левому имя Воаз.
將 兩根柱子 立 在 殿 前，一根 在右邊，一根 在左邊；右邊 的起名 叫 雅斤，左邊 的起名 叫波阿斯。
He put up the pillars in front of the Temple, one on the right side and one on the left, naming the one on the right Jachin and that on the left Boaz.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Chronicles 3:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that the two pillars stood at the entrance of the temple as visible statements of God’s character and promises. Wesley’s Explanatory Notes gives the standard translation: Jachin means “He shall establish” and Boaz means “In it is strength.” The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges adds that the Septuagint renders the names “Setting up” (Κατόρθωσις) and “Strength” (Ἰσχύς), confirming the sense of establishment and power. Adam Clarke’s Commentary preserves the Targum’s interpretation: Jachin signifies that “the kingdom of the house of David was established,” and Boaz comes from “the name of Boaz the patriarch of the family of Judah, from whom all the kings of the house of Judah have descended.” This suggests the pillars connect the temple’s stability to God’s covenant with David. While the precise etymology of Boaz remains uncertain, Cambridge notes it “is quite uncertain”, the overall message is consistent: God establishes, and in Him is strength. The pillars therefore stand as silent witnesses to God’s faithfulness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The pillars were named as a public testimony to God’s establishment and strength, whether understood as direct divine attributes or as connected to God’s covenant with David.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of Jachin | Commentators agree that Jachin means “He will establish,” deriving from the Hebrew root “to establish.” | Some see it as a direct declaration about God (He establishes the temple and kingdom). Others, following the Targum, connect it specifically to the establishment of the Davidic dynasty. |
| Meaning of Boaz | Most relate Boaz to strength (“In it is strength” or simply “strength”). | The Cambridge Bible notes the meaning is “quite uncertain.” Some interpret it as a reference to the patriarch Boaz of Ruth, emphasizing Israel’s heritage; others see it as a general statement about God’s strength. |
| Significance of the pillars’ placement | The pillars stood at the temple entrance as visible, named witnesses. | Some traditions read them as symbols of God’s attributes (establishment and strength). Others, like the Targum, see them as memorials of Israel’s history and the Davidic covenant. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The verse sits within the Chronicler’s account of Solomon’s temple construction. The pillars were placed “before the temple,” that is, at the porch or entrance, one on the right (south) and one on the left (north) as one faced east. This follows the pattern in 1 Kings:
“He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar and called its name Boaz.”
— 1 Kings 7:21 (WEB)
In the Ancient Near East, monumental pillars often served as memorials or declarations. Here, by naming them, Solomon performs a symbolic act: the names are not mere labels but proclamations. Jachin (יָכִין) likely derives from the verb “to establish” (כון), and Boaz (בֹּעַז) from a word meaning “strength” (עז). The Chronicler uses the pillars to emphasize God’s presence and promise with Israel.
The temple itself was the center of Israel’s worship. These pillars stood as guardians, reminding every worshiper that this house was built not by human effort alone but by God’s establishing power and strength. The Chronicler also links the temple to Mount Moriah (v.1), the place of Abraham’s sacrifice, adding depth: this site of faith and promise now hosts the meeting place of God and his people. The pillars were cast from bronze and stood thirty-five cubits high according to the Chronicler, though 1 Kings gives eighteen cubits, likely a scribal variant, as Keil and Delitzsch suggest. Each capital was adorned with chains and pomegranates (vv.15-16), emphasizing the craftsmanship dedicated to God’s house. By naming the pillars, the Chronicler underlines that every part of the temple carries meaning: the building itself preaches about God’s establishment and strength.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for verse 17 itself. However, Keil and Delitzsch point to a discrepancy in the pillar height between 2 Chronicles 3:15 (35 cubits) and 1 Kings 7:15 (18 cubits), which they explain as a scribal confusion of numbers (יח = 18 vs. לה = 35). This textual difficulty affects the parallel account but does not alter the meaning or textual stability of verse 17.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, the Targum (preserved in Adam Clarke’s commentary) understood the pillars as referring to the Davidic kingdom and the patriarch Boaz, grounding them in Israel’s covenantal history. Early Christian writers often saw typological significance in the pillars, viewing them as prefiguring Christ (the true foundation) or the apostles (pillars of the church). Reformation-era commentators like Matthew Henry and John Wesley focused on the plain meaning of the names as declarations of God’s attributes, establishment and strength, applying them directly to the life of faith. In more recent scholarship, the pillars are interpreted as architectural expressions of theological truth, emphasizing God’s presence and covenant loyalty without requiring a single allegorical meaning. The names continue to be used in church architecture and hymnody as symbols of stability and divine strength.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s Establishment (Jachin): The name “He will establish” points to God’s faithful work, establishing the temple, the Davidic line, and His covenant people. This calls us to trust in His sustaining power.
- God’s Strength (Boaz): The name “In it is strength” declares that true strength resides in God alone. The temple, like our lives, draws its stability from Him.
- The Temple as Testimony: The pillars stand at the entrance, inviting every worshiper to enter with confidence in God’s establishment and strength. They are a silent sermon on dependence.
Five-point outline
- The Context: Solomon builds the temple as the fulfillment of God’s promise to David (2 Samuel 7). The pillars are part of this larger story of covenant faithfulness.
- The Name Jachin: “He will establish”, God establishes the kingdom, the temple, and His people. It is a verb of ongoing action.
- The Name Boaz: “In it is strength”, the strength is not in the bronze but in the God to whom the pillar points.
- The Placement: Before the temple, at the threshold of worship, they challenge us to leave our own strength behind and rely on God’s.
- The Application: Enter into worship today acknowledging that God alone establishes and strengthens. These pillars invite us to build our lives on the same foundation.
Illustration hooks
- Consider a corner store that has two large columns at its entrance, they proclaim stability. The pillars at the temple do the same for God’s house.
- A parent naming a child after a meaningful virtue. Here, God’s house is named with two attributes that define His character toward His people.
- When we visit a historic monument, we read the plaque. The pillars themselves are the plaque, inscribed with the message that God establishes and strengthens.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does the Bible include such detailed description of temple furniture? What does it teach us about God?
- How do ancient names like Jachin and Boaz speak to my life today? Are they just history, or do they carry a present message?
- What does it mean for me to rely on God’s establishment and strength in a world that prizes self-reliance?
Leading a Discussion
The details of the temple construction might seem distant, but the names of these two pillars invite us to consider the foundation of our own faith. Jachin and Boaz stand for God’s establishing and strengthening work. As you discuss, think about what it means to build your life on those truths.
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Chronicles 3:17 together. What do you notice about the placement of the pillars and the act of naming them?
- Why do you think the Chronicler included these names when he could have just described the pillars’ dimensions?
- The name Jachin means “He will establish.” In what areas of your life are you most aware of needing God’s establishment?
- Boaz means “In it is strength.” How does this verse challenge our tendency to find strength in ourselves or in circumstances?
- How does the context of the temple, God’s dwelling place, deepen the meaning of these names?
- If you were to place two “pillars” at the entrance of your home or heart, what names would you give them? Why?
- How can we remind ourselves daily of God’s establishing power and strength, especially when we feel weak or uncertain?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 7:21 | He set up the pillars at the porch of the temple. He set up the right pillar and called its name Jachin; and he set up the left pillar and called its name Boaz. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws on the Targum to explain the pillar names as references to Judah's royal lineage: Jachin points to the establishment of David's throne, and Boaz honors the patriarch from whom all Judah's kings descended.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentary points out that the Revised Version margin offers translations for the two pillar names: Jachin as he shall establish and Boaz perhaps as in it is strength. It notes the Septuagint gives setting up and strength. The meaning of Boaz, however, remains quite uncertain.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And he set vp the pillars before the Temple, one on the right hande and the other on the left, and called that on the right hand Iachin, and that on the left hand Boaz.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch point out that the height of thirty-five cubits in this passage likely results from a scribal error where the number eighteen was mistakenly written as thirty-five. They also argue the word debir in verse 16 is a copyist's mistake and should be rabid, meaning a necklace or collar, referring to the lower part of the pillar capital.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that when Solomon enlarged the most holy place, two large cherubim were added by divine appointment so the space would not look bare and unfurnished. These new cherubim, representing angels attending God, filled what would otherwise have been an empty room.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains the names of the two pillars by their Hebrew meanings. Jachin signifies that God will establish, and Boaz points to the strength that resides in Him. Each name proclaims a different aspect of divine power and stability.