kill himself when Paul informed him they were all there. These events, together with Paul’s instructions, caused this jailer to exercise faith, and he and his household became baptized believers.—Acts 16:25-36.

JAIR

(Jaʹir) [Heb., Ya·ʼirʹ, he enlightens, one giving light].

1. A descendant of Judah through his grandson Hezron. Hezron married out of his tribe to a woman of Manasseh. (1 Chron. 2:21, 22) Jair is reckoned as a descendant of Manasseh rather than Judah, likely because of his exploits in the territory of Manasseh, having captured a number of tent cities and naming them after himself, which name they kept for many generations.—Num. 32:41; Deut. 3:14; Josh. 13:30; 1 Ki. 4:13; see HAVVOTH-JAIR.

2. The seventh judge of Israel. Since he was a Gileadite of high standing and each of his thirty sons is connected with one of the above-mentioned tent cities of Jair, he was likely a descendant of No. 1 above. Jair judged Israel for twenty-two years, after which he died and was buried in Kamon.—Judg. 10:3-5.

3. Father of Mordecai; tribe of Benjamin.—Esther 2:5.

4. [Heb., Ya·ʽurʹ or Ya·ʽirʹ, he arouses]. Father of the Elhanan who slew Goliath’s brother Lahmi. (1 Chron. 20:5) The corresponding passage at 2 Samuel 21:19 evidently contains a copyist’s error.—See LAHMI.

JAIRITE

(Jaʹir·ite).

The designation of Ira the “priest of David.” (2 Sam. 20:26) Perhaps Ira was a descendant of the Manassite Jair or a priest from the Levite city of Jattir.—See IRA No. 1.

JAIRUS

(Jaʹi·rus) [Greek form of Jair: he will enlighten or awaken].

A presiding officer of the synagogue (probably in Capernaum) whose only daughter Jesus resurrected.—Matt. 9:18; Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41, 42.

When, in late 31 or early 32 C.E., Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter became so ill that she was expected to die, her father sought out Jesus, fell at his feet and implored him to come and cure her before it was too late. While leading Jesus to his home, Jairus surely must have been greatly encouraged by witnessing Jesus heal a woman subject for twelve years to a flow of blood. But how disheartening to receive word from messengers that his own little daughter had already died! Nonetheless, Jesus urged Jairus not to fear, but to exercise faith. Passing amidst the noisy mourners who scorned and ridiculed Jesus’ remark that the child was only sleeping, Jairus, his wife and three apostles accompanied Jesus inside, where Jesus restored the girl to life. As might be expected, Jairus and his wife were “beside themselves with great ecstasy.”—Mark 5:21-43; Matt. 9:18-26; Luke 8:41-56.

JAKEH

(Jaʹkeh) [pious].

Father of Agur, the writer of what is recorded in Proverbs 30.—Vs. 1.

JAKIM

(Jaʹkim) [he (God) lifts up].

1. A descendant of Benjamin through Shimei, included in a list of heads of fathers’ houses residing in Jerusalem.—1 Chron. 8:1, 19-21, 28.

2. The priest whose paternal house was selected by lot for the twelfth of the twenty-four divisions of priestly temple service under David’s reign.—1 Chron. 24:3, 5, 12.

JALAM

(Jaʹlam) (young man].

A son of Esau by his wife Oholibamah. Jalam was born in Canaan but was soon taken to Edom (Seir), where he eventually became a sheik.—Gen. 36:5, 6, 8, 14, 18; 1 Chron. 1:35.

JALON

(Jaʹlon).

A descendant of Judah; one of the “sons of Ezrah.”—1 Chron. 4:17.

JAMBRES

(Jamʹbres) [possibly, he who opposes or rebels].

A resister of Moses, presumably one of the Egyptian magicians in the court of Pharaoh.—2 Tim. 3:8; Ex. 7:11; see JANNES.

JAMES

[A reduced English form of Jacob, meaning, taking hold of the heel; supplanter].

1. Father of the apostle Judas (not Judas Iscariot).—Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13.

2. Son of Zebedee; brother of John and one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 10:2) His mother, it seems, was Salome, as may be noted by comparing two accounts of the same event. One mentions “the mother of the sons of Zebedee,” the other calls her “Salome.” (Matt. 27:55, 56; Mark 15:40, 41; see SALOME No. 1.) A further comparison of John 19:25 perhaps points to Salome as the fleshly sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. If so, James was a first cousin of Jesus.

James and his brother were working with their father in the fishing business in 30 C.E. when Jesus called them, together with associate fishermen Peter and Andrew, to be his disciples and “fishers of men.” In answering Jesus’ call, James and John left a fishing business that was large enough to employ hired men, as well as being a partnership with Peter and Andrew.—Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:19, 20; Luke 5:7-10.

The next year, 31 C.E., when Jesus designated twelve of his disciples to be apostles, James was one of the group selected.—Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16.

Often Peter, James and John were mentioned as being together in close company with Christ. For example, these three were the only ones present with Christ in the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:1, 2), were the only apostles invited into the house to witness the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:51), and were the ones closest to Jesus in Gethsemane while he was praying that last night. (Mark 14:32-34) Peter, James and John, together with Andrew, were the ones that asked Jesus when the foretold destruction of Jerusalem’s temple would be and what would be the sign of his presence and the conclusion of the system of things. (Mark 13:3, 4) James is always mentioned along with his brother John, and in the majority of instances he is mentioned first. This may indicate he was the older of the two.—Matt. 4:21; 10:2; 17:1; Mark 1:19, 29; 3:17; 5:37; 9:2; 10:35, 41; 13:3; 14:33; Luke 5:10; 6:14; 8:51; 9:28, 54; Acts 1:13.

To James and his brother, Jesus gave the surname Boanerges, a Semitic term meaning “Sons of Thunder.” (Mark 3:17) This may have been because of the energetic, fiery and enthusiastic nature of these men. On one occasion, for example, when certain Samaritans were inhospitable toward Jesus, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to annihilate them. Although reproved by Jesus for suggesting such revenge, yet this attitude was indicative of their righteous indignation and also of their faith. (Luke 9:51-55) They also entertained ambitions of having the most prominent positions in the Kingdom, at the right and left hands of Jesus, and they apparently got their mother (possibly Jesus’ aunt) to request such favors of him. After explaining that such decisions were made by the Father, Jesus took the occasion to point out that “whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.”—Matt. 20:20-28.

James evidently died in 44 C.E. Herod Agrippa I had him executed with the sword. He was the first of the twelve apostles to die as a martyr.—Acts 12:1-3.

3. Another apostle of Jesus Christ and son of Alphaeus. (Matt. 10:2, 3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) It is generally believed and quite probable that Alphaeus was the same person as Clopas, in which event James’ mother was Mary, the same Mary that was “the mother of James the Less and Joses.” (John 19:25; Mark 15:40; Matt. 27:56) He may have been called James the Less either because