Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HAVVOTH-JAIR

(Heb. ḥawwōṯ yāʾîr)

A number of villages in the region of Bashan, E of the Sea of Galilee. The Manassehite Jair captured a number of tent villages (Num. 32:41) and called them Havvoth-jair (“villages of Jair”). These villages were located in the region of Argob which was a part of Bashan (Deut. 3:4, 14). All the territory of Bashan with its 60 cities (Deut. 3:4) was then allotted to the half tribe of Manasseh (Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:30). This seems to be confirmed by 1 Chr. 2:22-23, which reports that Geshur and Aram took Havvoth-jair (23 cities) and Kenath (37 cities), 60 towns all located in Bashan.

Later the Gileadite judge Jair gave to his 30 sons towns in Gilead known as Havvoth-jair (Judg. 10:3-5); apparently he is a different Jair from the one in Num. 32:41. In Solomon’s administration the region of Argob numbered 60 walled cities (1 Kgs. 4:13). These discrepancies may represent different traditions and sources, scribal errors, or even indicate an increase in settlements due to a population explosion during the Iron I and II periods.

Bibliography. R. G. Boling, “Some Conflated Readings in Joshua-Judges,” VT 16 (1966): 293-98.

Zeljko Gregor

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HAVVOTH-JAIR

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)