Jorai
Jorai was a clan chief of the half-tribe of Manasseh during the reign of King Jotham of Judah.
Biography
Jorai son of Abihail was a clan leader of the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh, those descendants of the tribe who settled in Bashan and Gilead, east of the Jordan River. He is named in 1 Chronicles 5:13–14 among the heads of the ancestral families who resided in that region during the reign of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel. The Chronicles passage recounts how these Transjordanian Manassites had grown in number and expanded their territory, but ultimately fell into idolatry, resulting in their exile at the hands of the Assyrians. Jorai's leadership placed him among the chiefs responsible for the spiritual and civic well-being of his clan.
Significance
Jorai's inclusion in the Chronicles genealogy of Manasseh's eastern clans carries sobering theological overtones. The passage that lists him also describes the eventual exile of these tribes because they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors (1 Chronicles 5:25–26). Clan leaders like Jorai bore particular responsibility for the covenant faithfulness of those under their care, making their failure to guard against idolatry a significant moral lapse. His story illustrates the principle that prosperity and territorial expansion, while gifts of God, carry the constant temptation toward spiritual complacency. Leadership, in Scripture, always implies heightened accountability before God.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Chr
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]