MACHIR. 1. The eldest ‘son’ of Manasseh ( Joshua 17:1 ), the only son ( Numbers 26:29 ). Machir was also the ‘father of the Gilead.’ These names are ethnographic, and their use suggests that the Machirites were either coterminous with the tribe of Manasseh (wh. see) or were its most warlike part. Settled on the W. of Jordan, they invaded N. Gilead some time after the days of Deborah, and so became the ‘father of the Gilead.’ 2. Son of Ammiel of Lo-debar on the E. of Jordan. He clung to the house of Saul as long as possible, and afterwards victualled David’s men when that king was fleeing from Ahsalom ( 2 Samuel 9:5; 2 Samuel 17:27 ).
W. F. Cobb.