Hebrew word · H3296

יַעֲרֵי אֹרְגִים

ya'rei

Jaare-oregim

Taken literally, 'forests of weavers', which makes no sense as a name. Yaarei is close to Yair/Yaor ('Jair'). Oregim is the plural participle 'weavers'.

Appears 2 times in 1 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament.

What it means

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.21.19;

father of: Elhanan (H0445)

Also named: ya.ur (יָעִיר "Jair" H3265)

§ Jaare-oregim = "forests of weaver"

a man of Bethlehem, father of Elhanan the giant slayer and one of David's mighty warriors; also called 'Jair'

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Samuel 21:19

Range of meaning

Taken literally, 'forests of weavers', which makes no sense as a name. Yaarei is close to Yair/Yaor ('Jair'). Oregim is the plural participle 'weavers'.

Against the English

KJV, ESV, WEB and YLT keep 'Jaare-oregim'. BSB, NIV and NLT use 'Jair' from Chronicles.

How it drifted

This is not drift. It is a copying problem: 'oregim' at the end of the verse seems to have slipped into the line above.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint: 'Ariōrgim', which keeps both parts and shows the error is early. 1 Chr 20:5: 'Ya'ir' (written ya'ur). The Targum turns 'oregim' into 'weavers of the sanctuary curtains' and applies it to David's family.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 21:19 יַעְרֵ֨י אֹרְגִ֜ים Jaare-, Oregim

    Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

    Here: First part of the father's name. It looks like 'forests of', but 1 Chr 20:5 has 'Jair', which suggests the original name was Jair/Jaor.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.