Wesley Corpus

Gilead - Of a man so called: a man of noted valour, and the great champion in those parts. Sons of Machir - Partly to his own sons, and partly to his son - in - law Jair, who by reason of that dear affection which was betwixt them, and his forsaking his own tribe and kindred to fight for them and to dwell with them, is here reckoned as his own son. Tekoa - A known place whose father he is called, because he was either the progenitor of the people inhabiting there: or, their prince and ruler: or, the builder of the city. The sons - An expression often used in prophane authors too, where there is but one son. Jarha - Probably he was not only a proselyte, but an eminent man: else an Israelite would not have given him his only daughter. Beth - zur - A place in Judah. Madmannah - This, and divers other following names are the names of places in Judah. Bethlehem - That is, the inhabitants of Bethlehem. Scribes - Either civil, who were public notaries, that wrote and signed legal instruments: or ecclesiastical. And these were either Levites, or Simeonites, or rather Kenites, and are here mentioned not as if they were of the tribe of Judah, but because they dwelt among them, and probably were allied to them by marriages, and so in a manner incorporated with them.