JAIR

(Jaʹir) [Heb., Ya·ʼirʹ, he enlightens, one giving light].

1. A descendant of Judah through his grandson Hezron. Hezron married out of his tribe to a woman of Manasseh. (1 Chron. 2:21, 22) Jair is reckoned as a descendant of Manasseh rather than Judah, likely because of his exploits in the territory of Manasseh, having captured a number of tent cities and naming them after himself, which name they kept for many generations.—Num. 32:41; Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:30; 1 Ki. 4:13; see HAVVOTH-JAIR.

2. The seventh judge of Israel. Since he was a Gileadite of high standing and each of his thirty sons is connected with one of the above-mentioned tent cities of Jair, he was likely a descendant of No. 1 above. Jair judged Israel for twenty-two years, after which he died and was buried in Kamon.—Judg. 10:3-5.

3. Father of Mordecai; tribe of Benjamin.—Esther 2:5.

4. [Heb., Ya·ʽurʹ or Ya·ʽirʹ, he arouses]. Father of the Elhanan who slew Goliath’s brother Lahmi. (1 Chron. 20:5) The corresponding passage at 2 Samuel 21:19 evidently contains a copyist’s error.—See LAHMI.