Jachin and Boaz Meaning: The Two Pillars of Solomon’s Temple and Freemasonry

Quick answer: Jachin and Boaz are the names of the two bronze pillars described at the entrance to Solomon’s Temple in the Hebrew Bible. Jachin is traditionally interpreted as “He shall establish”, while Boaz is associated with strength. Freemasonry adopted the two pillars as important symbols drawn from the Temple tradition.

The biblical pillars

The First Book of Kings describes the bronze work of Hiram of Tyre, including two great pillars with ornate capitals decorated with lily-work and pomegranates. It ends: "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" (1 Kings 7:21). The pillars are described again in 2 Chronicles 3:15–17.

What do the names Jachin and Boaz mean?

The King James Bible's margin glosses the names in Chronicles: Jachin, "He shall establish", and Boaz, "In it is strength". Read together, they are often understood as an expression of establishment and strength, a fitting association for the entrance to a temple.

The pillars in Freemasonry

Masonic ritual and tracing boards place the two pillars at the entrance to the Temple through which the candidate symbolically passes, and their names are part of the lessons of the early degrees. Masonic art often crowns them with globes, representing the earth and the heavens; that detail is Masonic tradition rather than part of the biblical description.

Elsewhere in Western symbolism

The two pillars travelled well beyond Freemasonry. In the Rider–Waite tarot, first published in 1909, the High Priestess sits between two pillars marked B and J, a clear reference to Boaz and Jachin.

Jachin and Boaz in jewellery

A Jachin and Boaz design references the Temple of Solomon, the biblical names of strength and establishment, and one of Freemasonry's central images. You can see the AURYN Two Pillars charm, or read our guide to Freemasonry symbols.

Frequently asked questions

What are Jachin and Boaz?

Jachin and Boaz are the names given in the Hebrew Bible to the two bronze pillars standing at the porch of Solomon’s Temple.

What do the names Jachin and Boaz mean?

Jachin is traditionally glossed as “He shall establish”, while Boaz is associated with strength. The exact nuance of the Hebrew names is discussed in biblical scholarship, so the familiar English renderings are best treated as traditional interpretations rather than a single exhaustive translation.

Are Jachin and Boaz biblical or Masonic symbols?

Their origin is biblical. Freemasonry later adopted the pillars as major symbols through its extensive use of Solomon’s Temple imagery.

Why are Jachin and Boaz important in Freemasonry?

They represent the symbolic entrance to Solomon’s Temple and appear in Masonic ritual, tracing boards and lodge imagery associated with the early degrees.