Asher (1)
The Birth and Name of Asher
Asher was born to Jacob through Zilpah, the servant of his wife Leah, making him the second son of Zilpah after Gad (Genesis 35:26). At his birth, Leah exclaimed, "Happy am I! For women will call me happy," and she named him Asher, meaning "happy" or "blessed" (Genesis 30:13). This declaration of happiness set the tone for the tribe's future character: prosperity, contentment, and material blessing. Asher had four sons and one daughter before Jacob's family relocated to Egypt (Genesis 46:17).
Patriarchal Blessings
Both Jacob and Moses pronounced blessings on Asher that emphasized abundance and prosperity. Jacob declared, "Asher's food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies" (Genesis 49:20), pointing to the fertile agricultural land the tribe would eventually inhabit. Moses' blessing was even more expansive: "Most blessed of sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:24-25). The image of dipping one's foot in oil speaks to extraordinary abundance of olive production.
Tribal Territory Along the Coast
Asher's tribal allotment stretched along the Mediterranean coast in northwestern Palestine, from the plain of Acre northward toward Sidon, bordering Naphtali to the east, Zebulun to the southeast, and Manasseh to the south (Joshua 19:24-31). This coastal territory was exceptionally fertile and strategically positioned along major trade routes. However, the tribe failed to drive out the Canaanite inhabitants of several key cities, including Acco, Sidon, and others (Judges 1:31-32). Rather than displacing the Phoenicians, the people of Asher apparently settled among them and became partners in their commercial enterprises.
Asher in Israel's History
The tribe of Asher numbered 41,500 fighting men at the first census at Sinai (Numbers 1:41) and grew to 53,400 at the second census (Numbers 26:47). In the wilderness march, Asher camped on the north side of the tabernacle with the standard of Dan, alongside Dan and Naphtali (Numbers 2:27). Among the twelve spies, Asher was represented by Sethur son of Michael (Numbers 13:13).
The Song of Deborah criticizes Asher for its failure to join the fight against Sisera: "Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, settling down by his landings" (Judges 5:17). This rebuke suggests that the tribe prioritized commercial interests over national solidarity. The tribe raised no major hero or deliverer and was of so little political consequence in David's time that it is absent from the list of chief rulers in 1 Chronicles 27:16-22.
Later History and Notable Figures
Despite its general obscurity, the tribe was not entirely disengaged from Israel's spiritual life. When King Hezekiah of Judah sent messengers inviting the northern tribes to come to Jerusalem for Passover after the fall of the northern kingdom, "some men of Asher humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem" (2 Chronicles 30:11). In the New Testament, the prophetess Anna, who recognized the infant Jesus in the temple, was from the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36-38), demonstrating that faithful remnants of even the most marginal tribes maintained their identity and devotion to God across the centuries.
Biblical Context
Asher's birth is recorded in Genesis 30:13, with Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49:20 and Moses' blessing in Deuteronomy 33:24-25. The tribal allotment appears in Joshua 19:24-31, and the failure to dispossess the Canaanites in Judges 1:31-32. The rebuke in Deborah's song is in Judges 5:17. The tribe's response to Hezekiah appears in 2 Chronicles 30:11. Anna the prophetess of the tribe of Asher appears in Luke 2:36-38.
Theological Significance
Asher's story illustrates both the blessings and the dangers of material prosperity. The tribe received exactly what was promised: rich land, abundant food, and commercial opportunity. Yet that very prosperity seemed to erode their commitment to the larger purposes of God's people. Their preference for comfort over conflict stands as a cautionary note about allowing wealth to become an obstacle to faithfulness. The appearance of Anna the prophetess from Asher in the New Testament reminds readers that God preserves faithful individuals even within complacent communities.
Historical Background
The territory of Asher corresponds to the western Galilee region and coastal plain of modern Israel and Lebanon. Egyptian records from the campaigns of Seti I (14th century BC) mention a region called 'Aseru' in western Galilee, which some scholars connect with the tribe or a pre-Israelite clan of the same name. The Tell el-Amarna Letters reference 'sons of the servant of Asherah,' which has led some scholars to propose a connection between the tribal name and the Canaanite goddess Asherah, though this remains debated. The Phoenician cities along Asher's coast, particularly Tyre and Sidon, were among the most powerful commercial centers of the ancient world.