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Judges 10:4

ESV And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
NIV He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.
NASB And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities in the land of Gilead that are called Havvoth-jair to this day.
CSB He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. They had thirty towns in Gilead, which are still called Jair's Villages today.
NLT His thirty sons rode around on thirty donkeys, and they owned thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are still called the Towns of Jair.
KJV And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

What does Judges 10:4 mean?

The most striking detail provided about the judge known as Jair the Gileadite is that he had thirty sons. Each rode on a donkey and ruled over a city of his own. Some scholars suggest these were not literal biological sons, but younger men described that way because of the leadership role Jair played in their lives. In any case, all thirty men answered closely to Jair, since their towns were part of a network known as "Havvoth-Jair" or "The Settlements of Jair."

Jair was apparently a wealthy man, and perhaps blessed abundantly by God with many offspring. His time may have been marked by peacefulness and order since his sons all rode on donkeys—animals unsuited to war (Matthew 21:1–5)—instead of being described as participating in conflict or battle.
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