Havoth-Jair

Havvoth-jair — "the towns of Jair" — is a cluster of villages east of the Jordan, named for Jair son of Manasseh after his conquest of the region. It appears across the Pentateuch, the historical books, and the Chronicler's genealogy, sometimes under the form "the towns of Jair," and once as "Bashan-Havvoth-jair."

The Naming

The naming is recorded in the Numbers conquest summary: "And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its towns, and called them Havvoth-jair" (Num 32:41). Deuteronomy expands the picture, locating the towns in the region of Argob and giving the alternate compound name: "Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called them, even Bashan, after his own name, Havvoth-jair, to this day" (Deut 3:14).

In the Tribal Allotment

When the Trans-Jordan inheritance is set out, the towns of Jair fall in the half-tribe of Manasseh's territory: "And their border was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities" (Josh 13:30).

Jair the Judge

A later Jair, in the period of the judges, leaves a similar mark on the same territory: "And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead" (Jdg 10:4).

Solomon's Administrative District

Under Solomon's administrative division, the towns of Jair are placed in the district of Ben-geber: "Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (to him [pertained] the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; [even] to him [pertained] the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and bronze bars)" (1 Ki 4:13).

The Chronicler's Record

The Chronicler records that the towns were later lost back: "And Geshur and Aram took the towns of Jair from them, with Kenath, and its villages, even threescore cities. All these were the sons of Machir the father of Gilead" (1 Chr 2:23).