Jachin

The pillar Jachin stood at the porch entrance on the right hand or South side of King Solomon's Temple 1. Derived from Hebrew roots signifying "Jehovah" and "to establish," its name translates literally as "it shall be established" 12. Combined with its companion pillar Boaz ("in strength"), the pair symbolizes the stability, perpetuity, and divine establishment of the institution and of God's promises 12.

In Masonic lectures, Jachin is historically associated with the pillar of cloud that preceded the Israelites by day through the wilderness, representing the superintending guidance, providence, and protection of Deity 12. William Preston formally introduced this explicit reference to the wilderness pillars into his lecture system, where it remains a fixture of Craft instruction 1.

Carl Claudy interprets Jachin as the pillar of establishment, wisdom, choice, or control, set opposite Boaz as the pillar of strength or power 2. In the Fellowcraft degree, passing between the two pillars illustrates that power and control are necessary complements to one another: power without wisdom or control is destructive, while control without power remains futile 2.

Architecturally, free-standing pillars were a established feature of Phoenician and Western Asian temples, evolving from early physical representations into conventional symbols of the sacred presence of God 1.