Eri
Eri was a son of Gad and the head of the Erite clan.
Biography
Eri was one of the sons of Gad, the seventh son of Jacob and the full brother of Asher through their mother Zilpah (Genesis 46:16; Numbers 26:16). Eri accompanied his father Gad and the rest of Jacob's extended family to Egypt during the famine, part of the migration that would eventually lead to Israel's enslavement and later exodus. He became the progenitor of the Erite clan within the tribe of Gad, a clan that was still recognized and counted in the second census of Israel taken by Moses in the wilderness of Moab (Numbers 26:16). Like his brothers, Eri's primary biblical role is that of a clan ancestor, his legacy carried forward through the tribal identity of his descendants.
Significance
Eri's significance lies primarily in his foundational role as a clan progenitor within the tribe of Gad. As one of Jacob's grandsons through Gad, Eri was part of the second generation of Israel's twelve-tribe confederation, a generation whose family identity shaped the social and military structure of the nation for centuries. The Erites, bearing Eri's name, were numbered among the fighting men of Gad prepared for the conquest of Canaan. Eri thus represents the layer of patriarchal heritage that translated the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob into a living, organized nation, one clan at a time, ready to receive its covenantal inheritance in the Promised Land.
Verse Appearances (2)
Genesis
Numbers
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]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]