Jair

A descendant of Manasseh (Numbers 32:41). At the time of the Conquest, he took several villages in the Argob region of Bashan and Gilead and called them after his own name, Havvoth-jair, meaning “Towns of Jair” (Deuteronomy 3:14; compare Joshua 13:30; 1 Kings 4:13; 1 Chronicles 2:23).

See also Havoth-jair, Havvoth-jair.

One of the judges of Israel. He judged Israel 22 years. His being a Gileadite means he may be a descendant of #1 above (Judges 10:3–5).

Father of Elhanan, who killed Lahmi, Goliath’s brother (1 Chronicles 20:5). In 2 Samuel 21:19 he is called Jaare-oregim.

Father of Mordecai (Esther 2:5). There is a jump in time from 597 BC, when they captured Jeconiah, king of Judah, to 486 BC, when Xerxes, king of Persia, began his reign. This is at the start of Esther. So, Jair was either the one taken captive with Jeconiah or his father, Shimei, was. In that case, Jair would have been born during the captivity.