Who was Asriel in the Bible?

Asriel was a son of Manasseh, the grandson of Joseph, and the founder of the Asrielite clan within the tribe of Manasseh. He is mentioned in the context of tribal genealogies and land inheritance (Numbers 26:31; Joshua 17:2).

What is the significance of Asriel in the Bible?

Asriel's primary significance is as the patriarchal head of the Asrielite clan, one of the family groups within the tribe of Manasseh. His descendants were counted in the census and received a portion of the Promised Land when it was allocated to the tribes of Israel.

What key events involve Asriel in the Bible?

The key events involving Asriel are genealogical and territorial. He is listed in the second wilderness census taken by Moses (Numbers 26:31) and later, his clan is named among those receiving an inheritance in the land of Canaan, west of the Jordan River (Joshua 17:2).

Asriel

Old TestamentEgypt & WildernessMaleSon

Asriel was a son of Manasseh and the founder of the Asrielite clan (Num 26:31; Josh 17:2).

Asriel

Biography

Asriel was a son of Gilead and a great-grandson of Manasseh, one of Joseph's two sons. He is listed among the clans of Manasseh in the second Mosaic census recorded in Numbers 26:31, where his descendants are designated the Asrielites. He is also identified in Joshua 17:2 as one of the male descendants of Manasseh who received a territorial allotment in Canaan. Asriel's name appears in the context of Joshua's distribution of the land among the clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan, affirming his family's legitimate inheritance in the promised land. His genealogical position places him squarely within the wilderness generation, the descendants of those who came out of Egypt and eventually entered Canaan under Joshua's leadership.

Significance

Asriel's recognition in both the census of Numbers 26 and the land allotments of Joshua 17 reflects the careful continuity of God's covenantal promises from Sinai to Canaan. The same families enumerated in the wilderness were the families who received their inheritance in the land, demonstrating that God's word of promise is not diminished by time or trial. The Asrielites' portion in Manasseh's allotment is a small but concrete fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, in which God promised land to Abraham's descendants. Asriel thus represents the faithful transition from promise to fulfillment, his clan becoming one of the building blocks of Israel's settled life in the land God had pledged to their fathers.

Verse Appearances (2)

Numbers

Numbers 26:31

Josh

Josh 17:2

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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