Hurai

Hurai of the valleys of Gaash was one of David's thirty mighty men, the elite warriors celebrated in the list of David's heroes in 1 Chronicles 11. His name, meaning linen-worker (some render it as related to freedom or whiteness), and his identification as coming from the valleys of Gaash—the region of hills in Ephraim associated with Joshua's burial place—places him in the territory of the central hill country of Israel.

The parallel passage in 2 Samuel 23:30 spells the name as Hiddai, suggesting a scribal variant in the transmission of the list. As with most of the thirty, Hurai's inclusion in the catalog of mighty men documents his military prowess and personal loyalty to David during the years of his reign, without providing individual narrative accounts of his specific exploits. The list of David's heroes reflects the composition of a professional warrior elite that formed the backbone of the Davidic military establishment.