Jaareoregim is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Jaareoregim was the father of Elhanan, a Bethlehemite who numbered among David’s mighty warriors. He appears only once in the King James Bible, in a single verse that records one of the battles between Israel and the Philistines during David’s reign. Though Jaareoregim himself performs no recorded action in Scripture, he is named as the father of a man who fought in one of the most striking encounters of that era.
The setting is a renewed conflict with the Philistines at Gob. After years in which David had established his kingdom and subdued surrounding enemies, the Philistines rose again, and Israel met them in battle. It was in this engagement that Elhanan, son of Jaareoregim, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite—the same Goliath whose defeat by David had become legendary in Israel. The text notes that the fallen Philistine’s spear was like a weaver’s beam, the same description given to Goliath’s own weapon, underscoring the formidable nature of the enemy Elhanan faced.
What Scripture says of Jaareoregim is limited to this single identification: he was the father of Elhanan. He is not described as a warrior, a leader, or a man of notable deeds. Yet his name is preserved in the sacred record because his son stood among the mighty men who served David and defended Israel. In this way, Jaareoregim is remembered chiefly through his son’s valor on a day of battle against a giant’s kin.
The Name
The name Jaareoregim is difficult to interpret with confidence. It appears to be a compound Hebrew name, and some have suggested a connection to the word for “weavers,” possibly related to the “weaver’s beam” mentioned in the same verse—perhaps a scribal corruption or an unusual form. The meaning is not clearly recoverable from the text, and scholars have not reached firm agreement on its derivation. Rather than assign a meaning that Scripture does not establish, it is best to say plainly that the name’s significance remains uncertain.
A Closing Thought
Jaareoregim never speaks, never fights, and never steps into the spotlight of the biblical story. He is remembered only as the father of a faithful warrior. Yet that is no small thing. Much of the kingdom of God is built through ordinary people whose names are barely known, whose faithfulness shapes the next generation to stand where they could not. If your life is hidden and unheralded, take heart: God sees the quiet ones who raise up the brave.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 2 Samuel 21:19 — And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.