Jaare-Oregim

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

 2 Samuel 21:19. Father of Elhanan, a Bethlehemite, who slew Goliath (KJV "the brother of Goliath," to accord with  1 Chronicles 20:5 and not to contradict 1 Samuel 17 where David kills Goliath). But the true reading is  1 Chronicles 20:5; "Elhanan, the son of Jair, slew Lahmi ( Eth Lahmi being altered into Βethlehemi ), the brother of Goliath ( Eth Goliath being substituted for Ahiy Goliath ). The change was the more readily made as Lahmi's spear is described exactly as Goliath's ( 1 Samuel 17:7). (See Elhanan .) Oregim, "weavers," is a transcriber's accidental interpolation after "Jair," taken from the latter part of the verse. The ancient versions agree with the present Hebrew text, which shows the error is of very ancient date.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Jaare-Oregim . According to   2 Samuel 21:19 , the name of the father of Elhanan, one of David’s heroes; but according to   1 Chronicles 20:5 his name was plain Jair. Obviously oregim (‘weavers’) has crept in from the next line. See Elhanan.

W. F. Cobb.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Ja'are-or'egim. (Forests Of The Weavers).  2 Samuel 21:19. A Bethlehemite, and the father of Elhanan, who slew Goliath. In the parallel passage,  1 Chronicles 20:5, Jair is found instead of Jaare, and Oregim is omitted. (B.C. 1063).

Holman Bible Dictionary

 1 Chronicles 20:5  2 Samuel 23:24Kiriath-Jearim

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 2 Samuel 21:19 1 Chronicles 20:5

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Hebrew Yaarey' Oregim', אֹרְגַים יִעֲרֵי ; Sept. Ἀριωργίμ , Vulg. Saltus Polymitariuss), according to the present text of  2 Samuel 21:19, a Bethlehemite, and the father of Elhanan, who slew Goliath (the words "the brother of" are added in the A.Vers.). In the parallel passage ( 1 Chronicles 20:5), besides other differences. JAIR is found instead of Ja Ä re, and Oregin is omitted. Oregin is not elsewhere found as a proper name, nor is it a common word; and occurring as it does without doubt at the end of the verse (Auth.Vers. "weavers"), in a sentence exactly parallel to that in  1 Samuel 17:7, it is not probable that it should also occur in the middle of the same. The conclusion of Kennicott (Dissertation, p. 80) appears to be a just one-that in the latter place it has been interpolated from the former, and that Jair or Ja Ä r is the correct reading instead of Jaare. (See Elhanan).

Still the agreement of the ancient versions with the present Hebrew text affords a certain corroboration to that text, and should not be overlooked. (See Jair).

The Peshito, followed by the Arabic, substitutes for Ja Ä re-Oregim the name "Malaph The Weaver," to the meaning of which we have no clew. The Targum, on the other hand, doubtless anxious to avoid any apparent contradiction of the narrative in 1 Samuel 17, substitutes David for Elhanan, Jesse for Ja Ä re, and is led by the word Oregin to relate or possibly to "invent a statement as to Jesse's calling" And David, son of Jesse, weaver of the veils of the house of the sanctuary. who was of Bethlehem, slew Goliath the Gittite." By Jerome Ja Ä re is literally translated "damask-weavers' grove" (compare Quaestionis Hebraica on both passages). In Josephus's account (Ant. 7, 12, 2) the Israelit-ish champion is said to have been "Nephan, the kinsman of David" ( Νεφάνος Ὁ Συγγενὴς Αὐτοῦ ); the word kinsman perhaps referring to the Jewish tradition of the identity of Jair and Jesse, or simply arising from the mention of Bethlehem. In the received Hebrew text Jaare is written with a small or suspended R, showing that in the opinion of the Masoretes that letter is uncertain. — Smith. The Jewish Midrashim generally identify David with Elhanan, and interpret Jaare-Oregim fancifully; e.g.

(1) as David's own name, "because he was great among the forest [of the] Oregim or Weavers [of the Law]; i.e. the Sanhedrim, who brought the Halachah (legal decisions) before him that he might weave it," as it were (Jalkut on  2 Samuel 21:19 sq.); or

(2) it is David's name as the son of a mother who " — wove veils for the sanctuary;" or

(3) as an epithet of Jesse. (See Oregim).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

jā´a - rē̇ - ôr´ē̇ - jim , - ôr´e - gim ( יעריה ארגים , ya‛ărē'ōreghı̄m ): In   2 Samuel 21:19 , given as the name of a Bethlehemite, father of Elhanan, who is said to have slain Goliath the Gittite (compare 1 Sam 17). The name is not likely to be a man's name; the second part means "weavers" and occurs also as the last word of the verse in the Massoretic Text, so it is probably a scribal error here due to repetition. The first part is taken to be (1) an error for יעיר , yā‛ı̄r (see Jair ), which is to be read in the parallel section in  1 Chronicles 20:5; (2) in  2 Samuel 23:24 Elhanan is the son of Dodo, also a Bethlehemite, and Klostermann would read here Dodai as the name of Elhanan's father.