JACHIN AND BOAZ

Jachinites occurs. 2. Eponym of a priestly family (1 Ch 91", Neh ll'»).

JACHIN AND BOAZ. — These are the names borne by two brazen, or more probably bronze, pillars belonging to Solomon's Temple. They evidently represented the highest artistic achierement of their author, Hiram of Tyre, ' the haU-Tyrian copper-worker, whom Solomon fetched from Tyre to do foundry work for him,' whose name, however, was more probably Huram-abi C2 Ch 2'^ Heb. text). The description of them now found in 1 K 7'*-^ is exceedingly confused and corrupt, but with the help of the better preserved Gr. text, and of other OT. references (viz. 7"- «, 2 Ch 3«-" 412. ", and Jer 52^1-^ =2 K 25"), recent scholars have restored the text of the primary passage somewhat as follows: —

"And he cast the two pillars of bronze for the porch of the temple: 18 cubits was the height of the one pillar, and a Une of 12 cubits could compass it about, and its thickness was 4 fingei^breadthsCf or it waa)hollow[with this cf . Jer 62^1]. And the second pillar was similar. And he made two chapi-ters [i e. capitals] of cast bronze for the tops of the pillars, etc. [as in RV]. And he made two sets of network to cover the chapitera which were upon the tops of the pillars, a network for the one chapiter and a network for the second chapiter. And he made the pomegranates; and two rows of pomegranates in bronze were upon the one network, and the pomegranates were 200, round aboutupon the one chapiter, and so he did for the second chapiter. And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple,' etc. [as in v.a RVL

The original description, thus freed from later glosses such as the dlfflcult 'Uly work' of v.", consists of three parts; the pillars, their capitals, and the ornamentation of the latter. The pillars themselves were hollow, with a thickness of metal equal to three inches of our measure ; their height, on the basis of the larger cubit of 20i inches (see Hastings' DB iv. 907"), was about 31 feet, while their diameter works out at about 6i feet. The capitals appear from 1 K 7" to have been globular or spheroidal in form, each about 8f feet in height, giving a tot^l height for the complete pillars of roughly 40 feet. The orna-mentation of the capitals was twofold; first they were covered with a specially cast network of bronze. Over this were hung festoon-wise two wreaths of bronze pomegranates, each row containing 100 pomegranates, of which it is probable that tour were fixed to the net-work, while the remaining 96 hung free (see Jer 52'').

As regards their position relative to the Temple, it may be regarded as certain that they were structurally independent of the Temple porch, and stood free in front of it — probably on plinths or bases — Jachin on the south and Boaz on the north (1 K 7^1), one on either side of the steps leading up to the entrance to the porch (cf. Ezk 40"). Such free-standing pillars were a feature of Phoenician and other temples of Western Asia, the statements of Greek writers on this point being confirmed by representations on contemporary coins. A glass dish, discovered in Rome in 1882,' even shows a representation of Solomon's Temple with the twin pillars flanking the porch, as above described (reproduced in Benzinger's Heb. Arch. [1907], 218).

'The names 'Jachin' and 'Boaz' present an enigma which still awaits solution. The meanings suggested in the margins of EV — Jachin, 'he shall establish,' Boaz, 'in it is strength' — give no help, and are besides very problematical. The various forms of the names presented by the Greek texts — for which see BBi ii. 2304 f. and esp. Barnes in JThSt v. [1904], 447-551 — point to a possible original nomenclature as Baal and Jachun — the latter a Phoenician verbal form of the same signification (' he will be ') as the Heb. Jahweh.

The original significance and purpose of the pillars, finally, are almost as obscure as their names. The fact that they were the work of a Phoenician artist, however, makes it probable that their presence is to be explained on the analogy of the similar pillars of Phoenician temples. These, though viewed in more primitive

420

JACOB

times as the abode of the Deity (see Pillar), had, as civilization and religion advanced, come to be regarded as mere symbols of His presence. To a Phoenician temple-builder, Jachin and Boaz would appear as the natural adjuncts of such a building, and are therefore, perhaps, best explained as conventional symbols of the God for whose worship the Temple of Solomon was designed.

For another, and entirely improbable, view of their original purposCj namely, that they were huge candelabra or cressets in which * the suet of the sacrifices ' was burned, see W. R. Smith's RS\ 488; and for the latest attempts to explain the pillais in terms of the Babylonian ' astral mythology,' see A. Jeremias, Das alte Test, im Lichle d. alt. Orients^ [1906], 494, etc.; Benzinger, op. cit., 2nd ed. fl907], 323, 331. A. R. S. Kennedy.

JACINTH.— See Jevvels and Precious Stones, p. 467".

JACKAL. — Although the word 'jackal' does not occur in the AV, there is no doubt that this animal is several times mentioned in OT: it occurs several times in RV where AV has 'fox.' (1) shu'dl is used in Heb. for both animals, but most of the references are most suitably tr. ' jackal.' The only OT passage in which the fox is probably intended is Neh 4'. (2) tannlm (pi.), AV 'Wagons,' is in RV usually tr. 'jackals.' See Is 34", Jer 9" 10^ etc. Post considers 'wolves' would iDe better. (3) 'iyylm, tr. AV 'wild beasts of the island' (Is 13« 34", Jer 50=»), is in RV tr. 'wolves,' but Post thinks these 'howling creatures' (as word implies) were more probably jackals. (4) 'Shim, ' doleful creatures' (Is 13^'), may also have been jackals. The jackal (.Canis aureus) is exceedingly common in Palestine; its mournful cries are heard every night. During the day jackals hide in deserted ruins, etc. (Is 13^^ 34" 35'), but as soon as the sun sets they Issue forth. They may at such times be frequently seen gliding backwards and forwards across the roads seeking for morsels of food. Their staple food is carrion of all sorts (Ps 631"). At the present day the Bedouin threaten an enemy with death by saying they will 'throw his body to the jackals.' Though harmless to grown men when soUtary , a whole pack may be dangerous. The writer knows of a case where a European was pursued for miles over the PhiUstine plain by a pack of jackals. It is because they go in packs that we take the shu'alim of Jg 16' to be jackals rather than foxes. Both animals have a weakness for grapes (Ca 2'') . Cf . art. Fox. E. W. G. Masterman.

JACOB. — 1. Son of Isaac and Rebekah. His name is probably an elliptical form of an original Jakob'el, 'God follows' (i.e. 'rewards'), which has been found both on Babylonian tablets and on the pylons of the temple of Karnak. By the time of Jacob this earlier history of the word was overlooked or forgotten, and the name was understood as meaning 'one who takes by the heel, and thus tries to trip up or supplant' (Gn 25» 27>«, Hos 12'). His history is recounted in Gn 25"-50", the materials being unequally contributed from three sources. For the details of analysis see Dill- mann, Com., and Driver, LOT\ p. 16. P supplies but a brief outUne; J and E are closely interwoven, though a degree of original independence Is shown by an occasional divergence in tradition, which adds to the credibiUty of the joint narrative.

Jacob was born in answer to prayer (25=0, near Beersheba; and the later rivalry between Israel and Edom was thought of as prefigured in the strife of the twins in the womb (25^'-, 2 Es S" 6'-'", Ro 9"-"). The differences between the two brothers, each contrasting with the other in character and habit, were marked from the beginning. Jacob grew up a "quiet man' (Gn 25" RVm), a shepherd and herdsman. Whilst still at home, he succeeded in overreaching Esau in two ways. He took advantage of Esau's hunger and heed-lessness to secure the birthright, which gave him pre-cedence even during the father's Utetime (43"), and