Charles Ellicott Commentary Judges 10:4

"And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead." — Judges 10:4 (ASV)

Had thirty sons. — This was an indication of his rank and position, which assumed an ostentatious polygamy. (Compare to Judges 8:30.)

That rode on thirty ass colts. — Compare to Judges 5:10; see commentary on Judges 12:14. This implied that Jair was able to raise his numerous household in wealth.

The horse was little used in Palestine—for which, indeed, it is not well suited—until the days of Solomon (1 Kings 4:26). Its introduction was always discouraged by the prophets (Deuteronomy 17:16; Joshua 11:6–9; Psalms 33:17, and other passages).

There is a curious play on words involving Jair (yair), “ass-colts” (ayârîm), and “cities,” which should be arîm, but is purposely altered for the sake of paronomasia. (See commentary on Judges 15:16.)

Such plays on words in serious narratives point to a very early form of literature—though they probably originated from some popular proverb. The Septuagint, like Josephus, writing for Gentiles who did not understand the value attached to asses in Palestine, almost always euphemize the word into “colts,” or “foals” (pôlous), which in this case happily allows them to maintain the play on words with “cities” (poleis).

Thirty cities, which are called Havoth-jair. — Havoth means villages (Septuagint, epauleis), and since they are here called “cities,” and thirty are named, we must suppose that this Jair (if he was a different person from the one previously mentioned) had increased the number of villages originally taken from Og from twenty-three to thirty (Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14; 1 Chronicles 2:22).

In the latter passage (1 Chronicles 2:22), the Jair mentioned is spoken of as a son of Segub, and a great-grandson of Manasseh.

To this day. —Judges 1:26.