Judges 10:1-5
Tola and Jair
Read the passage
1After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
2Tola judged Israel twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.
3Tola was followed by Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
4He 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.
5When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
After Abimelech, Tola rises to save Israel. He is a man of Issachar who lives at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. He judges for twenty-three years and is buried there when he dies.
Jair follows him and judges for twenty-two years. His household has a notable place in Gilead: thirty sons ride thirty donkeys and have thirty towns, known as Havvoth-jair. When Jair dies, he is buried in Kamon.
Five verses cover forty-five years of leadership. We are not told the battles Tola fought or given an assessment of every choice Jair made. Their names, years, households, and burial places keep this long period within Israel's story. The length of an account does not measure the length of the lives it records.
After the extended account of Abimelech's violence, these notices give us reason to slow down. Years of a people's life should not disappear from our attention because the writer records them briefly.
Questions
1 What does the passage say Tola rises to do?
AnswerHe rises to save Israel after Abimelech. He lives in Shamir and judges for twenty-three years.
2 How long does Jair judge, and where are the two men buried?
AnswerJair judges for twenty-two years. Tola is buried in Shamir, and Jair is buried in Kamon.
3 What does the account tell us about Jair’s household?
AnswerHe has thirty sons who ride thirty donkeys and have thirty towns in Gilead. The towns are called Havvoth-jair.
4 How could we learn about years of someone’s life that we know little about?
AnswerWe could ask an older relative about an ordinary season of work or family life and listen carefully. A life contains more than its most dramatic events.
What This Means for Us
Family memory often gathers around a few big events. Make room for the years between them. Ask someone about the work they did, the people who helped them, or a responsibility they carried for a long time. Listening patiently can help us appreciate a life without inventing details to make it more impressive.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to listen with patience and interest. Help us value the years and responsibilities in other people's lives that we have barely noticed. Amen.