Jattir

Jattir is a town in the hill-country of Judah, allotted to the priests as one of the Levitical cities and remembered as a place to which David sent spoil from his Amalekite campaign. The four notices place it in the same southern Judahite landscape and present it under three roles: a Judahite town, a priestly city, and a recipient of David's gifts.

A Town in Judah's Hill Country

Jattir first appears in the Judahite town-list of Joshua 15, grouped with Shamir and Socoh in the upland region: "And in the hill-country, Shamir, and Jattir, and Socoh" (Jos 15:48). The setting "in the hill-country" fixes its place in the southern uplands of Judah's allotment.

A Levitical City of the Sons of Aaron

The town is then transferred to the priests in the Levitical-city distribution. Joshua names it among Aaron's portion: "and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs" (Jos 21:14). The Chronicler's parallel preserves the same placement, listing it in the priestly grant alongside the city of refuge: "And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge, Hebron; Libnah also with its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs" (1Ch 6:57). The two notices establish Jattir as one of the towns set apart for the sons of Aaron.

Among David's Allies

After David's recovery of the spoil at Ziklag, Jattir is named in the roster of southern towns to which he sent shares from the plunder: "To those who were in Bethuel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were in Jattir" (1Sa 30:27). The gift places Jattir among the communities David counted on for support during his time in the Negev.