Who are the…
Hagrites

also known as: Hagarenes, Hagarites, Hagerites

These ancient people are associated with the Ishmaelites, but distinguished from them. They lived a nomadic or semi-nomadic life-style, centered on animal-herding in land east of the Israelites, east of Gilead. Their territory may have been in the drier fringes or steppe lands bordering the Israelite territories of Gad, Reuben, and half-Manasseh, extending toward the Euphrates River (1 Chronicles 5:9–10). They were likely competing with the Israelite tribes for fertile grazing lands in Gilead’s better regions.

They were likely of Ishmaelite or broader Arabian descent, possibly linked to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael (Abraham’s first son, Genesis 16).

They may be a subgroup of Ishmaelites or a distinct nomadic group in the region. Their association with other groups like the Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab (1 Chronicles 5:19) reinforces that they were nomadic, non-Israelite, and likely part of a broader confederation of desert tribes.

As neighbors to Ammonites and Moabites, the Hagrites shared cultural and possibly economic ties with these groups, occasionally aligning against Israel (Psalm 83:6–7).

War

In the reign of King Saul a great war was waged between the trans-Jordanic Israelite tribes and the Hagrites, who were overcome in battle. The two and a half tribes (Reubenites, Gadites, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh) supplied 44,760 soldiers and captured their territory, livestock, and possessions as a result of winning the war.

This Israelite land gain was maintained until the Assyrian conquest of Israel (2 Kings 15:29).

Psalm 83

In Psalms 83:6, the Hagrites are included in a list of 10 people groups that form a coalition to attack Israel, aiming to erase its existence. Psalm 83 is primarily a prayer for deliverance from enemies, but because the war described has not yet occurred historically, it is designated as a prophetic psalm describing future events. The name Hagrites in Psalms is possibly referring to hostile descendants of Hagrites from Transjordan area of ancient Gilead, or northern Arabia or Egypt.

The other 9 areas mentioned in this psalm are…

  1. Amalek (descendants of Esau, possibly located in the Sinai region)
  2. Ammon (northern Jordan)
  3. Assyria (ancient region that included parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey)
  4. Edom (now southern Jordan)
  5. Gebal (northern Lebanon)
  6. Ishmaelites (Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula)
  7. Moab (central Jordan)
  8. Philistia (Gaza Strip)
  9. Tyre (southern Lebanon)

Hagrites and the land of Gilead

The Hagrite are associated with the ancient land of Gilead. They are explicitly tied to it in 1 Chronicles 5:10, 19–22, where they are described as dwelling in the eastern regions of Gilead during the time of King Saul. Their mention in Psalm 83:6 as part of a future coalition of peoples opposing Israel, suggests their presence in the Transjordan region near ancient Gilead.

However, the Hagrites are distinct from Gileadites.

Archaeology

We currently not aware of direct archaeological evidence pinpointing the Hagrites, but this is not surprising, as nomadic groups leave fewer material traces. However, Iron Age inscriptions and records of nomadic tribes in Transjordan align with their described presence.

The Hagrites appearance in biblical genealogical and military accounts (1 Chronicles), reflects their role in early Israelite history, particularly during the pre-monarchic and early monarchic periods (circa 12th–10th centuries BC).

Jaziz, steward of King David’s flocks

also known as: Jazziz

Jaziz the Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were officials over the possessions which belonged to King David. —1 Chronicles 27:31

This trusted Hagrite had charge of David’s flocks, and an Ishmaelite was over his herds, because the animals were pastured in districts where these nomadic people were accustomed to feed their cattle.

Mibhar, one of King David’s Mighty Warriors

also known as: Mibhar ben Hagri

Mibhar is a son of a man named Hagri, making him a Hagrite (1 Chronicles 11:38). Nothing more is known about him, other than the fact that he was one of King David’s mighty hero warriors (the Gibborim הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים / Mighty Men), special, but apparently not special enough to merit other description.

Q & A

Article Version: October 22, 2025