Havoth Jair
“Villages (or tent-settlements) of Jair (the enlightener)”
Summary
Havoth-jair ("villages of Jair") was a group of settlements in the trans-Jordan region of Bashan and Gilead, captured and named by Jair of Manasseh during the conquest.
☩Origin and Location
The name Havoth-jair means "villages" or "tent villages of Jair." The Hebrew word chavvah describes a small collection of huts or dwellings, similar to an Arab village. These settlements were located east of the Jordan in the region of Bashan and Gilead. Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured these villages and named them after himself during the initial settlement of the trans-Jordan territories.
☩Number and Extent
The number of villages varied over time: 1 Chronicles 2:22 mentions twenty-three, while Judges 10:4 counts thirty. These were part of the larger sixty cities of Argob in Bashan. This variation suggests the settlements grew over time, especially when the later Judge Jair (a different person from the original Jair) expanded and developed the region. The Havoth-jair were also called Bashan-havoth-jair and formed part of Ben-geber's administrative district under Solomon.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Havoth-Jair," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Havothjair," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Havothjair," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).