1 Raja-raja 7:21

7:21 He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right ¹  side and called it Jakin; ²  he erected the other pillar on the left ³  side and called it Boaz. ⁴ 

1 Raja-raja 18:24

18:24 Then you ⁵  will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” ⁶  All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” ⁷ 

¹ tn Or “south.”

² sn The name Jakin appears to be a verbal form and probably means, “he establishes.”

³ tn Or “north.”

⁴ sn The meaning of the name Boaz is uncertain. For various proposals, see BDB 126-27 s.v. בעז. One attractive option is to revocalize the name as בְּעֹז (be’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.”

⁵ tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.

⁶ tn Heb “the God.”

⁷ tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”