3:17 He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right side and the other on the left.26 He named the one on the right Jachin,27 and the one on the left Boaz.28
tn Or “one on the south and the other on the north.”
27
tn The name “Jachin” appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”
28
tn The meaning of the name “Boaz” is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB 126–27s.v.בֹּעַז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as בְּעֹז (bé’oz, “in strength”) and to understand it as completing the verbal form on the first pillar. Taking the words together and reading from right to left, one can translate the sentence, “he establishes [it] in strength.”