Asher

Asher ( ''’Āšēr''), in the Book of Genesis, was the younger of the two sons of Jacob and Zilpah, and Jacob's eighth son overall. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Asher.

Name

The text of the Torah states that the name אָשֵׁר ''Asher'' means "happy" or "blessing", implying a derivation from the Hebrew term ''osher'' in two variations: ''beoshri'' (meaning ''in my good fortune''), and ''ishsheruni''. The Bible states that at his birth, Leah exclaimed, "Happy am I! for the daughters will call me happy: so she called his name Asher", meaning "happy" (Genesis 30:13). Indeed, the name אָשֵׁר ''Asher'' is a typical Semitic name, deriving from the Hebrew root ''ʔ-š-r'' "to be happy" and the stative nominal stem.

Biblical narrative

Asher and his four sons and daughter settled in Canaan. On his deathbed, Jacob blessed Asher by saying that "his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties" (Gen. 49:20).

Moses said of Asher: "May Asher be blessed above other sons; may he be esteemed by his brothers; may he bathe his feet in olive oil." (Deuteronomy 33:24).

Asher was the eighth son of the patriarch Jacob and the traditional progenitor of the tribe Asher.

Asher is represented as the younger brother of Gad, these two being the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah (Genesis 35:26). The Biblical account shows Zilpah's status as a handmaid changed to an actual wife of Jacob (Genesis 30:9). Some biblical scholars regard this status as indicating that the authors saw the tribe of Asher as being not of entirely Israelite origin; they believe that Asher consisted of certain clans affiliated with portions of the Israelite tribal confederation, but which were never incorporated into the body politic.''Jewish Encyclopedia''

The Torah states that Asher had four sons and one daughter, who were born in Canaan and migrated with him to Egypt, with their descendants remaining there until the Exodus; this seems to be partly contradicted by Egyptian records (assuming a late Exodus date), according to which a group named ''Aseru'', a name from which Asher is probably derived, were, in the 14th century BC, living in a similar region to Asher's traditional territory, in Canaan. Asher's daughter, Serah (also transliterated as Serach), is the only granddaughter of Jacob mentioned in the Torah (Gen. 46:17).

Her mother is not named. According to classical rabbinical literature, Serach's mother was named ''Hadurah'' and was a descendant of Eber. Although Hadurah was a wife of Asher, it was her second marriage, and Serach's father was actually Hadurah's first husband, who had died. In classical rabbinical literature, Hadurah's marriage to Asher was his second marriage as well, his first having been to ''Adon'', who was a descendant of Ishmael. The Book of Jubilees contradicts this, arguing instead that Asher's wife was named ''Ijon'' (which probably means ''dove'').

Asher's sons were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, and Beriah.

In rabbinical literature

Asher was the very one whose endeavor it had always been to reconcile the brothers—especially when they disputed which of them was destined to be the ancestor of the priests ('' Sifre Deuteronomy'' 355). In Asher 5 of the '' Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs'', Asher is regarded as the example of a virtuous man who, with singlemindedness, strives only for the general good. According to classical rabbinical literature, Asher had informed his brothers about Reuben's incest with Bilhah. As a result, Asher was on bad terms with his brothers. Once Reuben confessed to incest, the brothers realised they had been unjust towards Asher. Asher's motivation is described by classical rabbinical sources as being entirely innocent of evil intent and always in search of harmony between his brothers.

Asher was born on 20 Shevat 2199 (1562 BCE) and, according to some accounts, died on 2 Shevat.

Asher married twice. His first wife was Adon, a great-granddaughter of Ishmael; his second was Hadurah, a granddaughter of Eber and a widow. By her first marriage, Hadurah had a daughter named Serah, whom Asher treated as if she were his own. According to the Book of Jubilees 34:20, Asher's wife was named Iyon (probably, "dove").

Asher's descendants, in more than one regard, deserved their name ("Asher" meaning "happiness"). The tribe of Asher was the one most blessed with male children, and their women were so beautiful that priests and princes sought them in marriage. The abundance of olive oil in the land possessed by Asher so enriched the tribe that none of them needed to hire a habitation. The soil was so fertile that, in times of scarcity, especially in the Sabbatical year, Asher provided all of Israel with olive oil. The Asherites were also renowned for wisdom.

Tomb

A Samaritan tradition recorded in the late 19th century considered Neby Toba near Tubas to be the burial place of Asher.Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p
219
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References

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Founders of biblical tribes
Children of Jacob
Book of Genesis people
Book of Jubilees
Tribe of Asher