Machir (biblical region)
Machir (
Analysis
The passage appears to reflect an early time in the history of Israel, before Israel was organized as a nation, when it was instead a group of loosely associated tribes. In the later standardized lists of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, Machir does not appear, but rather the Tribe of Manasseh appears in its place.[1] Machir "may have been an independent clan that was eventually absorbed within Manasseh."[1] Other hypotheses include the idea that Manasseh was originally a clan within Machir which became more prominent than the rest of the tribe, or that Manasseh may have been another group who displaced the Machirites.[2]
According to traditions in the Pentateuch, which view the tribes as descending from the sons of Jacob, Machir was the son of Manasseh, but was legally adopted by Jacob.[2] This places the origins of the "Machirite group" in Egypt.[2] After the time in Egypt, the Bible records that Moses gave the region of Gilead to Machir as part of the eastern half of the inheritance of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3).[2]
The region is understood in tradition to be identical to the portion of the land of Gilead given to Machir the son of Manasseh by Moses (Numbers 32:40, Deuteronomy 3:15).
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8028-2877-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8028-2400-4.