(23) And he took . . . of Gilead.--Rather, And Geshur and Aram took the Havoth-jair from them--Kenath and her daughters, sixty cities: all these (were) sons of Machir, chief of Gilead.

Geshur, and Aram.--That is, the Aramean state of Geshur, north-west of Bashan, near Hermon and the Jordan, which was an independent kingdom in the age of David (2Samuel 3:3). The Geshurites "took the tent-villages of Jair from them"--i.e., from the sons of Jair, or the Jairites, at what date is unknown. Comp. Deuteronomy 3:14-15, above cited.

With Kenath.--The Hebrew particle before "Kenath" may be either the sign of the object of the verb, or the preposition "with." In the latter case, the statement of the verse will be that the twenty-three villages of Jair, together with the (thirty-seven) places called Kenath and her daughters, amounting in all to sixty towns, were taken by the Geshurites. See Numbers 32:41-42, where it is said that Jair occupied the Havoth-jair, and "Nobah went and took Kenath and her daughters, and called it Nobah after his own name." Kenath is the modern Kanwat, on the western slope of Jebel Hauran.

It is difficult to reconcile all the different statements about the Havoth-jair. Judges 10:3-4, for example, speaks of Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty -two years, and "had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts," and, moreover, possessed "thirty cities, which are called Havoth-jair unto this day." Joshua 13:30 seems to make the Havoth-jair sixty towns. Comp. 1Kings 4:13; also 1Chronicles 2:21, where Hezron is sixty when he marries the Gileadite daughter of Machir.

Of course the number of places included in the "camps of Jair" may have varied at different epochs.

All these belonged to the sons of Machir.--Or, all these were sons of Machir--i.e., the clans and families that came of the union of Hezron with the daughter of 'Machir. (See Note on 1Chronicles 2:21; and Joshua 19:34.)

Verse 23. - Geshur was a small district between Argob and Bashan; and Aram, commonly translated Syria, i.e. the ancient Syria, viz. the territory of Damascus. Kenath, rechristened by its subduer Nobah (Numbers 32:42), and retaining this name at the time of Gideon, and Zeba and Sahnunnah subsequently vindicated the life of its old name, and regained it, replaced in the present day by Kenawat. And the towns thereof; Hebrew literally, her daughters; i.e. the small, subordinate groups of people (Numbers 21:25, "All the villages thereof," literally, daughters). All these belonged to the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead, might perhaps be open to the translation, "All these were the possessions of Machir, the possessor of Gilead."

2:1-55 Genealogies. - We are now come to the register of the children of Israel, that distinguished people, who were to dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations. But now, in Christ, all are welcome to his salvation who come to him; all have equal privileges according to their faith in him, their love and devotedness to him. All that is truly valuable consists in the favour, peace, and image of God, and a life spent to his glory, in promoting the welfare of our fellow-creatures.And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them,.... Cities or countries which the Geshurites and Aramaeans, or Syrians, before inhabited; and which he took from them, together with other towns, which, being taken by him, were called after his name; the Targum is, the Geshurites and Aramaeans took the villages of Jair from them; that is, from the sons of Jair in later times; see Joshua 12:5.

with Kenath, and the towns thereof; which Jair took by Nobah his general, and called it after his name, Numbers 32:42, even sixty cities; see Deuteronomy 3:4.

all these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead: being given him by Moses, Numbers 32:40.