Jair

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Enlightener.

The son of Segub. He was brought up with his mother in Gilead, where he had possessions (1 Chr 2:22). He distinguished himself in an expedition against Bashan, and settled in the part of Argob on the borders of Gilead. The small towns taken by him there are called Havoth-jair, i.e., “Jair’s villages” (Num 32:41; Deut 3:14; Josh 13:30).

The eighth judge of Israel, which he ruled for twenty-two years. His opulence is described in Judg 10:3-5. He had thirty sons, each riding on “ass colts.” They had possession of thirty of the sixty cities (1 Kgs 4:13; 1 Chr 2:23) which formed the ancient Havoth-jair.

A Benjamite, the father of Mordecai, Esther’s uncle (Esth 2:5).

The father of Elhanan, who slew Lahmi, the brother of Goliath (1 Chr 20:5).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ja'-er:

(1) Jair (ya'ir, "he enlightens" or "one giving light"):

(a) Son, i.e. descendant of Manasseh (Num 32:41; Deut 3:14; Josh 13:30; 1 Kgs 4:13; 1 Chr 2:22). According to 1 Chr 2:21 f he was the son of ScRub, son of Hezron, a descendant of Judah, who married the daughter of Machir, son of Manasseh. He was thus descended both from Judah and Manasseh. At the time of the conquest he distinguished himself by taking the tent-villages HAVVOTH-JAIR (which see). The accounts of his exploit are difficult to harmonize (see ICC on above passages). Some would identify him with the Jair of Judg 10:3, holding that Manasseh's settlement in Northern Gilead and Bashan took place, not before Israel's passage of the Jordan, but after the settlement of the tribe on the West. For a criticism of this view see HGHL, 577, note

(b) One of the judges. He is said to have had 30 sons, who rode on 30 ass colts, and who had as many cities, known as Havvoth-jair (Judg 10:3; Judg 10:4). One tradition identifies (a) and (b). Others reconcile the two narratives by interpreting the word "son" in a non-literal sense.

(c) The father of Mordecai (Esth 2:5). In the Apocrypha (Additions to Esther 11:2) his name is given as "Jairus" (Iaeiros).

(2) Jair (Qere: ya`ir, "he arouses"; Kethibh: ya`ur; a different name from (1) above): The father of Elhanan, the giant-slayer (1 Chr 20:5). In the parallel passage (2 Sam 21:19) his name is given as "Jaare-oregim," but the text should be corrected to Jair, "oregim" ('oreghim) having crept in from the line below through a copyist's error.

James Crichton

Easton's Bible Dictionary

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See also