And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities in the land of Gilead that are called Havvoth-jair to this day.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- KJV And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
- BSB He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
- NKJV Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called “Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
- NLT His thirty sons rode around on thirty donkeys, and they owned thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are still called the Towns of Jair.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jair's thirty sons ride thirty donkeys and govern thirty towns called Havvoth Jair. His family's prominence reflects his standing.
Overview
The detail of thirty sons on thirty donkeys controlling thirty towns marks Jair as a man of wealth and influence in Gilead. The donkeys signify dignity and rank in that era. The note hints at a settled, prosperous leadership, while the emphasis on his sons' status subtly previews the dynastic temptations that recur in Judges.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Num 32:41Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its villages, and called them Havvoth Jair.
- Deut 3:14Jair 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.)
- Judg 12:14He had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, who rode on seventy donkey colts. He judged Israel eight years.
- Judg 5:10“Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets, and you who walk by the way.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 10:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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