Designation of two of David's guard, Ira and Gareb (2Sa_23:38; 1Ch_11:40; 1Ch_2:53). Jattir was in the mountains of Judah, one of David's "haunts," where he had "friends" to whom he sent of the Amalekite spoils (1Sa_30:26-27; 1Sa_30:31).
Fausset's Bible Dictionary
By Andrew Robert Fausset, co-Author of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's 1888.
ith?rı̄t (יתרי, yithrı̄, ?excellence,? ?pre?minence?): A family in Israel, whose home was Kiriath-jearim (1Ch_2:53). Among the 37 heroes of David, two are mentioned who belonged to this family, Ira and Gareb (2Sa_23:38; 1Ch_11:40).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Ithrite
or, rather, JETHERITE (Heb. Yithri', יַתְרַי, Sept. Ι᾿εθρῖος and Ι᾿εθερί, but Αἰθαλείμ in 1Ch_2:53; Vulg. Jethrites and Jethrceus or Jethreus), the posterity of some JETHER mentioned as resident in Kirjath- jearim (A.V. the Ithrites [1Ch_2:53]); probably the descendants of Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses (who settled in this region, Jdg_1:16), and so called as being thus the posterity of JETHRO, the father-in-law of Moses. SEE KENITE.
Two of David's famous warriors, Ira and Gareb, belonged to this clan (2Sa_23:38; 1Ch_11:40). SEE DAVID. Ira has been supposed to be identical with; Ira the Jairite,' David's priest (2Sa_20:26). According to another supposition, Jether may be only another form for ITHRA (2Sa_17:25), the brother-in-law of David, and it is possible that the Ithrites, as a family, sprang from him. According to still another supposition, the two Ithrite heroes of David's guard may have come from JATTIR, in the mountains of Judah, one of the places which were the haunt of David and his men in their freebooting wanderings, and where he had friends (1Sa_30:27; comp. 31).
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.