Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits height, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits. He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. 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.
Parallel Translations
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Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits height, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
He made chains in the inner sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
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.
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Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
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.
Show all 3 translations
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Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
And he made chains in the Sanctuary, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made a hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.
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.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (5)
- 1 Kings 7:20 (v16) There were capitals above also on the two pillars, close by the belly which was beside the network. There were two hundred pomegranates in…
- 1 Kings 6:21 (v16) So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold. He drew chains of gold across before the inner sanctuary, and he overlaid it with gold.
- 1 Kings 7:15-24 (v15) For he fashioned the two pillars of bronze, eighteen cubits high apiece; and a line of twelve cubits encircled either of them. He made two…
- 1 Kings 7:21 (v17) 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,…
- Jeremiah 52:20-23 (v15) They took the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for Yahweh’s…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Every one was eighteen cubits long, but the half…
Every one was eighteen cubits long, but the half cubit could not be seen, for it was hid in the roundness of the chapiter, and therefore he giveth to every one but 17 and an half.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv15–16 2Ch 3:15 Also he made before the house two…
2Ch 3:15 Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that [was] on the top of each of them [was] five cubits.
Ver. 15. Also he made before the house two pillars.] These were cast by Hiram, as great ordnance are now-a-days, round and hollow. See on 1Ki 7:15.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Before the house, i.e. before the holy house, or…
Before the house, i.e. before the holy house, or before the temple as this is explained, 1Ch 3:17, lest it should be understood of the most holy house, of which he had spoken before.
Thirty and five cubits high, to wit, both of them; of which See Poole "1Ki 7:15".
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v17 Jachin - That is, He shall establish. Boaz -…
Jachin - That is, He shall establish. Boaz - That is, In it is strength.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v17 Verse 17. He reared up the pillars] "The name…
Verse 17. He reared up the pillars] "The name of that on the right hand was Jachin, because the kingdom of the house of David was established; and the name of the left was Boaz, from the name of Boaz the patriarch of the family of Judah, from whom all the kings of the house of Judah have descended." - Targum. See on 1Kg 7:21; and see the parallel places for other matters contained in this chapter.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v15 2Ch 3:15-16. He also made before the house —…
2Ch 3:15-16. He also made before the house — That is, before the holy house, or temple, as it is explained 2Ch 3:17; two pillars of thirty and five cubits high — Namely, both taken together, being each near eighteen cubits, 1Ki 7:15. He made chains as in the oracle — Like unto those which he made in the oracle, of which see 1Ki 6:21. And made a hundred pomegranates — In each row, or two hundred in all, as it is said 1Ki 7:20. These pillars, according to the signification of their names, Jachin and Boaz, mean establishment and strength. See the margin.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Of thirty and five cubits - See 1Ki 7:15…
Of thirty and five cubits - See 1Ki 7:15 note. Some suppose that there has been a corruption of the number in the present passage.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Five. 3 Kings vii. 15., we read each was…
Five. 3 Kings vii. 15., we read each was eighteen cubits. It is probable that each was 17½ and the other half was for the crown, (Calmet) or cornice. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15–17 (= 1Ki_7:15-22). The Pillars Jachin and Boaz
15–17 (= 1Ki_7:15-22). The Pillars Jachin and Boaz
15. before the house two pillars] Cp. 1Ki_7:21, he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple, and Jer_52:17 (translate, the pillars … that belonged to the house). These pillars were immediately in front of the porch, but (it seems) detached from it. They were cast in brass (2Ch_4:11-17), were hollow (Jer_52:21), and were crowned with “chapiters” (capitals) in shape like bowls (1Ki_7:41). The dimensions of the pillars (without the chapiters) are variously given thus:—
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2Ch_3:15
(Heb.)
length
35 cubits.
2Ch_3:15
(LXX.)
height (ὕψος)
35 cubits.
Jer_52:21
(Heb.)
height (ὕψος)
18 cubits.
Jer_52:21
(LXX.)
height (ὕψος)
35 cubits.
1Ki_7:15
(Heb. and LXX.)
height (ὕψος)
18 cubits.
Jer_52:21
(Heb. and LXX.)
circumference
12 cubits.
1Ki_7:15
(Heb.)
circumference
12 cubits.
1Ki_7:15
(LXX.)
circumference
14 cubits.
The purpose for which the pillars were erected is not certainly known. The fact that names were given them (2Ch_3:17) suggests that they were symbols, perhaps of the presence of Jehovah; cp. Isa_19:19, where a pillar, maçççbâh, is regarded (equally with an altar) as “a sign and witness unto the Lord.” Such a pillar might sometimes be used as an altar; cp. 1Ch_11:22 (note) and Gen_28:18; and the “bowls” of the chapiters of Solomon’s two pillars may have been meant to contain something to be burnt in sacrifice. See Robertson Smith, Religion of the Semites, p. 191, note 1, and Additional Note L, where there is an illustration of a coin shewing two detached pillars standing in front of the temple of Aphrodite at Paphos. The two pillars in the temple of Heracles at Tyre, of which Herodotus (2:44) speaks, were perhaps simply votive offerings.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–17 (d) THE TWO BRONZE PILLARS IN THE PORCH
(d) THE TWO BRONZE PILLARS IN THE PORCH
(2Ch_3:15-17). Comp. 1Ki_7:15-22.
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(15) Before the house.—Before the holy place, in the porch.
Two pillars of thirty and five cubits high.—Two pillars thirty and five cubits in length. 1Ki_7:15 says “eighteen cubits,” so also 2Ki_25:17; Jer_52:21; and no doubt correctly. Of the versions, the LXX. and Vulg. have “thirty-five;” the Syriac and Arabic, “eighteen.”
The chapiter—i.e., the capital. French, chapitre. Literally, the ornament. 1Ki_7:16 has “the crown; “so 2Ch_4:12.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Thirty and five cubits. The height of these pillars…
Thirty and five cubits. The height of these pillars is attested in three places to have been 18 cubits (1Ki_7:15; 2Ki_25:17; Jer_52:21) Some therefore think that the height given in our text describes rather the distance of the one pillar from the other, which would be just 35 cubits, if they stood at the extreme points of the line of the porch front; since the wings on each side (5 cubits for the lowest chamber, and 2.5 cubits for the thickness of the walls) would make up this amount. It isfurther noticed with this explanation that their height (18 cubits) with the chapiters (5 cubits) added, would bring them to the same height as the porch, and that their ornamentation agrees with that of the porch. (1Ki_7:19) All this may be the ease. Yet considering other indications of uncertainty about our text, and the fact that the characters yod kheth (18) are easily superseded by lamed he (35), it is perhaps likelier that we have here simply a clerical error. The parallel place tells us that these pillars and the chapiters were cast of brass; that "a line (1Ki_7:15; Jer 52) of twelve cubits not seven did compass either of them about;" that the ornamentation of each chapiter was "a net of checker-work, and a wreath of chain-work;" that upon the five cubits of chapiter there was another "four cubits of lily-work," etc. If this last feature apply to the two pillars, and not (as some think) to the porch only, the pillars would reach a height of 27 cubits, and if it be supposed that they stood on some stone or other superstructure, it may still be that our "thirty-five cubits" has its meaning. Meantime the passage in Jeremiah (Jer 52) tells us that the pillars were hollow, and that the thickness of the metal was "four fingers.
Vers. 15-17.
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Our strength and beauty.
The dimensions of these pillars are still unsettled and uncertain. But there can be no question as to their main characteristics, and very little doubt as to their spiritual significance. Their obvious size and their names speak of strength; the decorations which they bore speak of beauty. Standing where they stood, in or at the porch of the house of the Lord, they were standing monuments of the two closely related truths
I THAT WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE IN GOD HIMSELF STRENGTH AND BEAUTY.
1. Strength. Our temptation is to trust in the strong barrier of sea or mountain range; in the powerful army and navy with all their equipments; in the vigorous and sagacious policy of our statesmanship; in the amplitude of pecuniary resources, etc. But the strength of a country, as also of a man, is in God. If his favour is turned away, all our material advantages will fail us. Rabshakeh"s multitudes of armed Assyrians disappear at the stroke of the God of Israel; the rich man, with his full barns and his cherished plans, leaves his wealth behind him when God says, "Thy soul is required of thee." But to the faithful Hezekiah the favour of Jehovah proves an ample shield against the threatening enemy. And they are blessed who "walk in the light of God"s countenance;" for he is "the glory of their strength: and in his favour shall their horn be exalted". (Psa_89:15, Psa_89:17) The wise nation and the wise man will not look complacently around them to find the secret and source of their strength; they will look up toward him that dwelleth in the heavens, and say, "Jachin; Boaz;" "he will establish;" "in him is strength.
2. Beauty. We are inclined to boast of the beauty of the landscape; or of the persons of our sons and daughters; or of our palaces and castles and cathedrals; or of our "pleasant pictures," and fair gems and jewels. But our delight should be, first and most, in him whose Divine character is perfect; who unites in himself, with completest symmetry, all possible attributes; who is as merciful as he is pure; who is as pitiful as he is righteous; who is as gentle as he is strong; whom we can not only adore and honour, but delight in and love. We go to the house of the Lord that we may behold "the beauty of the Lord"; (Psa_27:4) and especially that we may dwell upon the beauties and the glories of the character of that Son of man who was "holy, harmless, undefiled," in whose mouth no guile was found, but in whose life every grace that can adorn humanity was seen by those that knew him.
II THAT WE SHOULD SEEK FROM GOD OUR STRENGTH AND BEAUTY. The Israelites went up to the house of the Lord that by obedient sacrifice, by reverent worship, by believing prayer, they might secure the favour of the Most High. If we would gain from God the strength we need, and that spiritual excellency which is the true beauty of the nation and the individual, we must go to God to seek it. We must present ourselves before him from whom all strength and glory come. We must seek him
(1) in confession, and in Christ who is our Propitiation;
(2) in reverent worship;
(3) in earnest and believing prayer for his upholding power and for his shaping hand.
Then will he make us strong to overcome and to accomplish; beautiful to attract and to win. C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v15 Solomon also made ... He made ... he also…
Solomon also made ... He made ... he also made ... He set up
The readers should understand that Solomon probably commanded other people to do the actual work. AT: "Solomon's workers also made ... They made ... they also made ... They set up" (See: Metonymy)
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thirty-five cubits ... five cubits
"35 cubits ... 5 cubits." A cubit is 46 centimeters. AT: "16.1 meters ... 2.3 meters" (See: Numbers and Biblical Distance)
the capitals
decorations on top of the pillars
one hundred pomegranates
"100 pomegranates" (See: Numbers)
on the right hand ... on the left
"on the right side ... on the left side" or "on the south side ... on the north side"
he named
"Solomon named"
Jakin
Possibly a name to describe God as "The One who establishes." (See: How to Translate Names)
Boaz
This name means "in strength" and is possibly used here to describe God because it means, "In Him is strength." (See: How to Translate Names)
translationWords
column
pomegranate
temple
right hand
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv15, 17 3:15-16 The two pillars set in the porch of…
3:15-16 The two pillars set in the porch of the Temple were made of bronze and were ornately decorated (cp. 1 Kgs 7:15-22).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.