The Two Pillars
The two bronze pillars at the porch of King Solomon's Temple, Boaz and Jachin, which stand for strength and establishment.
Also called: Boaz and Jachin · Jachin and Boaz
What it means
Their names come straight from the Bible: Solomon set up the pillars in the porch of the Temple and called the right one Jachin and the left one Boaz (1 Kings 7:21; 2 Chronicles 3:17). The names are usually glossed as "establishment" and "strength".
Masonic illustrations put globes on top of them, celestial and terrestrial, which the monitors use to teach the universality of Masonry. The Bible describes the capitals with network and pomegranates; the globes are the Masonic reading.
Pillars are standard in Lodge rooms, on Fellowcraft charts, and on a great deal of Lodge art.
In context: The Three Degrees of Blue Lodge Masonry
Frequently asked questions
What does the Two Pillars mean in Freemasonry?
The two bronze pillars at the porch of King Solomon's Temple, Boaz and Jachin, which stand for strength and establishment.
Who can wear the Two Pillars?
This is a lesson rather than a badge. It turns up on Lodge charts, prints and gifts, and owning or displaying one says nothing about rank. On a lapel most people will read it as Masonic.
Sources
Drawn from the published monitors and from what the bodies concerned publish about themselves. Nothing here comes from, or goes beyond, any obligated material.
- Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason's Monitor; or, Illustrations of Masonry (1797)
- William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry (1772)
- 1 Kings 7:13–22; 2 Chronicles 3:15–17