Machir

Biblical Record

Machir was the son of Manasseh, the firstborn son of Joseph. 1 Chronicles 7:14 records that his mother was Manasseh's concubine, an Aramean woman. Genesis 50:23 records that during Joseph's lifetime the children of Machir "were brought up upon Joseph's knees." Machir was therefore born in Egypt and lived there.

In later passages, the name Machir is used chiefly to refer to his descendants.

• In the genealogy of the tribe of Manasseh, Numbers 26:29 lists Machir as the ancestor of "the family of the Machirites" and the father of Gilead.
• Numbers 27:1 introduces the daughters of Zelophehad by tracing their lineage back to Machir.
• According to Numbers 32:39–40, the children of Machir went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites, and Moses gave that land to Machir. Deuteronomy 3:15 contains the same account.
• Joshua 13:31 and 17:1 call Machir the firstborn of Manasseh. Joshua 17:1 states that because he was a man of war, he received Gilead and Bashan.
• In the Song of Deborah in Judges 5:14, "Machir" is named alongside the tribes of Israel as one of the groups that went out to battle.
• 1 Chronicles 2:21–23 records that Hezron of the tribe of Judah married the daughter of Machir. 1 Chronicles 7:15–16 mentions Machir's wife, Maachah.

Significance Within Scripture

Machir illustrates how a branch of a tribe emerged from the house of Joseph. In particular, the half-tribe of Manasseh that settled east of the Jordan is generally associated with the descendants of Machir. Machir is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

• Individual or clan: Machir himself lived in Egypt in the time of Joseph. For this reason, the statements in Numbers and Deuteronomy that Moses gave land "unto Machir," as well as the "Machir" of Judges 5:14, are usually read as referring to the clan descended from him. Interpreters differ on whether Machir in Judges 5:14 refers to the whole tribe of Manasseh or to only part of it.
• "Upon Joseph's knees": Some interpret this expression in Genesis 50:23 as reflecting a kind of adoption custom by which Joseph received his great-grandchildren as his own descendants. In support, they point to the similar expression used in Genesis 48:12 when Jacob received Ephraim and Manasseh. Others read it simply as meaning that Joseph cared for his great-grandchildren.
• Others of the same name: 2 Samuel 9:4–5 and 17:27 mention Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar. He kept Saul's grandson Mephibosheth in his house and brought provisions to David when David fled during the rebellion of Absalom. He is a different person from Machir the son of Manasseh.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted solely to Machir the son of Manasseh are rare. He is usually introduced as a name in the genealogy when the allotment of land to the tribe of Manasseh or the story of the daughters of Zelophehad is discussed. Machir of Lo-debar is sometimes mentioned in sermons on the story of Mephibosheth.