1 Kings 7:21
in 1 Kings 7Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin; and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.
KJV
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.
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This verse in 1 Kings 7
Commentary
11 notes on this verse[The Scripture] calls the [pillar] on the south "Jachin," indicating through it the humility of the priesthood; while the one on the north, called "Boaz," signifies the power of kingship. It is possible that in Hebrew the two pillars indicate the two powers. The capitals …
This site's exposition
two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high
on 1 Kings 7:15-22
The pillar to the south is Jachin, meaning he will establish, and the pillar to the north is Boaz, meaning in him is strength. Boaz is also the name of Ruth’s redeemer in David’s line. The book of 2 Kings 25:13-17 records these pillars broken and carried to Babylon.
This site's exposition
The pillar to the south he named Jachin
Adam Clarke and Matthew Henry note that the pillars carried no part of the building and stood for their meaning. Albert Barnes reads the two names as one sentence, God will establish in strength. Ishodad of Merv took them for priesthood and kingship.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Jachin - Jachin signifies he; That is, God shall establish, his temple, and church, and people: and Boaz signifies, in it, or rather, in him (to answer the he in the former name) is strength.
When we come to wait upon God, and find our hearts wandering and unfixed, then by faith let us fetch in help from heaven: Jachin -- God will fix this roving mind. It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. We find ourselves weak and unable for holy duties, but this is our encouragement: Boaz -- in him is our strength, who works in us both to will and to do.
), whether under the cover of the porch or in the open air is not certain; it was between the temple and the court of the priests. These pillars were neither to hang gates upon nor to rest any building upon, but purely for ornament and significancy.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The Septuagint in the parallel passage (margin reference), translate Jachin and Boaz by Κατόρθωσις Katorthōsis and Ἰσχύς Ischus - “Direction” and “Strength.” The literal meaning of the names is given in the margin. The meaning was probably “God will establish in strength” (i. e. firmly) the temple and the religion connected with it.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Boaz--These names were symbolical, and indicated the strength and stability--not so much of the material temple, for they were destroyed along with it (Jer 52:17), as of the spiritual kingdom of God, which was embodied in the temple.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
two pillars of brass of eighteen cubits high--They were made of the brass (bronze) which was taken from the king of Zobah (1Ch 18:8). In 2Ch 3:15 they are said to have been thirty-five cubits high. There, however, their joint lengths are given; whereas here the length of the pillars is given separately.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The right pillar - Jachin - That is, He shall establish. The left pillar - Boaz, that is, in strength. These were no doubt emblematical; for notwithstanding their names, they seem to have supported no part of the building.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּ֙קֶם֙ | vaiyakem | and he set up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָֽעַמֻּדִ֔ים | haamudim | the pillars | H5982 → | 111 times |
| לְאֻלָ֖ם | leulam | of [the] porch of | H197 → | 34 times |
| הַֽהֵיכָ֑ל | haheikhal | the temple | H1964 → | 80 times |
| וַיָּ֜קֶם | vaiyakem | and he set up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָעַמּ֣וּד | haamud | the pillar | H5982 → | 111 times |
| הַיְמָנִ֗י | haymani | <the> south | H3233 → | |
| וַיִּקְרָ֤א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שְׁמוֹ֙ | shemo | name its | H8034 → | 864 times |
| יָכִ֔ין | yakhin | Jakin | H3199 → | |
| וַיָּ֙קֶם֙ | vaiyakem | and he set up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָעַמּ֣וּד | haamud | the pillar | H5982 → | 111 times |
| הַשְּׂמָאלִ֔י | hasemali | <the> north | H8042 → | |
| וַיִּקְרָ֥א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שְׁמ֖וֹ | shemo | name its | H8034 → | 864 times |
| בֹּֽעַז׃ | boaz | Boaz | H1162 → |
וַיָּ֙קֶם֙and he set up
vaiyakemH6965 →628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָֽעַמֻּדִ֔יםthe pillars
haamudimH5982 →111 times
לְאֻלָ֖םof [the] porch of
leulamH197 →34 times
הַֽהֵיכָ֑לthe temple
haheikhalH1964 →80 times
וַיָּ֜קֶםand he set up
vaiyakemH6965 →628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָעַמּ֣וּדthe pillar
haamudH5982 →111 times
הַיְמָנִ֗י<the> south
haymaniH3233 →
וַיִּקְרָ֤אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שְׁמוֹ֙name its
shemoH8034 →864 times
יָכִ֔יןJakin
yakhinH3199 →
וַיָּ֙קֶם֙and he set up
vaiyakemH6965 →628 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָעַמּ֣וּדthe pillar
haamudH5982 →111 times
הַשְּׂמָאלִ֔י<the> north
hasemaliH8042 →
וַיִּקְרָ֥אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שְׁמ֖וֹname its
shemoH8034 →864 times
בֹּֽעַז׃Boaz
boazH1162 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 9:7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness…
it leads to
- Luke 1:32–33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- Daniel 2:44
In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms…
- Daniel 7:14
And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is…
- Psalms 45:4–6
In your splendor ride forth in victory on behalf of truth and humility and justice; may your right hand show your awesome deeds.
- 2 Samuel 7:16
Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”
- Luke 1:32–33
Through
Ruth 4:21Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed,
it leads to
- Matthew 1:5
Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
- Luke 3:32
the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
- Matthew 1:5
Through
1 Kings 6:3The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, extending across the width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits in front of the temple.
it leads to
- John 10:23
and Jesus was walking in the temple courts in Solomon’s Colonnade.
- John 10:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); F. W. Farrar, The First Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Ishodad of Merv, BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 7:21; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.