Jaareoregim
(forests of the weavers), ( 2 Samuel 21:19 ) a Bethlehemite, and the father of Elhanan who slew Goliath. In the parallel passage, ( 1 Chronicles 20:5 ) Jair is found instead of Jaare, and Oregim is omitted. (B.C. 1063.)
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William Smith
Smith’s Bible Dictionary
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Jair
(enlightener). A man who on his father’s side was descended from Judah, and on his mother’s from Manasseh. (B.C. 1451.) During, the conquest he took the whole of the tract of Argob (3:14) and in addition possessed himself of some nomad villages in Gilead, which he called after his own name Havoth-Jair. ( Numbers 32:41 ; 1 Chronicles 2:23 ) JAIR THE GILEADITE, who judged Israel for two-and-twenty years. ( Judges 10:3-5 ) (B.C. 1160.) He had thirty sons, and possessed thirty cities in the land of Gilead, which like those of their namesakes were called Havoth-jair. A Benjamite, son of Kish and father of Mordecai. ( Esther 2:5 ) (B.C. before 598.) The father of Elhanan, one of the heroes of David’s army. ( 1 Chronicles 20:6 )
Jairite
(descendant of Jair). The Ira THE JAIRITE was a priest (Authorized Version “chief ruler”) to David ( 2 Samuel 20:26 )
Jairus
(whom God enlightens). A ruler of a synagogue, probably in some town near the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. ( Matthew 9:18 ; Mark 5:22 ; Luke 8:41 ) (A.D. 28.) ( Esther 11:2 ) [ Jair , 3]
Judges
The judges were temporary and special deliverers, sent by God to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors; not supreme magistrates, succeeding to the authority of Moses and Joshua. Their power only extended over portions of the country, and some of them were contemporaneous. Their first work was that of deliverers and leaders in war; they then administered justice to the people, and their authority supplied the want of a regular government. Even while the administration of Samuel gave something like a settled government to the south, there was scope for the irregular exploits of Samson on the borders of the Philistines; and Samuel at last established his authority as judge and prophet, but still as the servant of Jehovah, only to see it so abused by his sons as to exhaust the patience of the people, who at length demanded a king, after the pattern of the surrounding nations. The following is a list of judges, whose history is given under their respective names:— First servitude, to Mesopotamia— 8 years. First judge: Othniel. 40 years. Second servitude, to Moab— 18 years. Second judge: Ehud; 80 years. Third judge: Shamgar.—- Third servitude, to Jabin and Sisera— 20 years. Fourth judge: Deborah and Barak. 40 years. Fourth servitude, to Midian— 7 years. Fifth judge: Gideon; 40 years. Sixth judge: Abimelech; 3 years. Seventh judge: Tola; 23 years. Eighth judge: Jair. 22 years. Fifth servitude, to Ammon— 18 years. Ninth judge: Jephthah; 6 years. Tenth judge: Ibzan; 7 years. Eleventh judge: Elon; 10 years. Twelfth judge: Abdon. 8 years. Sixth servitude, to the Philistines— 40 years. Thirteenth judge: Samson 20 years. Fourteenth judge: Eli; 40 years. Fifteenth judge: Samuel. More than likely some of these ruled simultaneously. On the chronology of the judges, see the following article.