Asher | |
|---|---|
אָשֵׁר | |
.jpg) Painting byFrancisco de Zurbarán (fromJacob and his twelve sons, c. 1640–45) | |
| Pronunciation | Asher |
| Born | 2Shevat or 20Shevat |
| Died | (aged 123) |
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Asher (Hebrew:אָשֵׁר’Āšēr), in theBook of Genesis, was the younger of the two sons ofJacob andZilpah, and Jacob's eighth son overall. He was the founder of theIsraeliteTribe of Asher.
The text of theTorah states that the name אָשֵׁרAsher means "happy" or "blessing", implying a derivation from theHebrew termosher in two variations:beoshri (meaningin my good fortune), andishsheruni. TheBible 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).[2] Indeed, the name אָשֵׁרAsher is a typical Semitic name, deriving from the Hebrew rootʔ-š-r "to be happy"[3] and the stative nominal stem.
Asher and his four sons and daughter settled inCanaan.[4] On his deathbed, Jacobblessed Asher by saying that "his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties" (Gen. 49:20).[5]
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).[6]
Asher was the eighth son of the patriarch Jacob and the traditional progenitor of the tribe Asher.
Asher is represented as the younger brother ofGad, 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).[7] Somebiblical 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 thebody politic.[8]
The Torah states that Asher had four sons and one daughter, who were born in Canaan and migrated with him toEgypt,[9] with their descendants remaining there untilthe Exodus;[10] this seems to be partly contradicted by Egyptian records (assuming a late Exodus date), according to which a group namedAseru, a name from which Asher is probably derived,[11] were, in the 14th century BC, living in a similar region to Asher's traditional territory, in Canaan.[8] Asher's daughter,Serah (also transliterated as Serach), is the only granddaughter of Jacob mentioned in theTorah (Gen. 46:17).[9]
Her mother is not named. According toclassical rabbinical literature, Serach's mother was namedHadurah and was a descendant ofEber. 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.[12] Inclassical rabbinical literature, Hadurah's marriage to Asher was his second marriage as well, his first having been toAdon, who was a descendant ofIshmael.[8] TheBook of Jubilees contradicts this, arguing instead that Asher's wife was namedIjon (which probably meansdove).[8]
Asher's sons were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, and Beriah.
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 theTestaments 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 aboutReuben'sincest withBilhah. 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.[8] 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.[8]
Asher was born on 20Shevat 2199 (1562 BCE) and, according to some accounts, died on 2 Shevat.
Asher married twice. His first wife wasAdon, a great-granddaughter ofIshmael; his second wasHadurah, a granddaughter ofEber and a widow. By her first marriage, Hadurah had a daughter namedSerah, whom Asher treated as if she were his own.[13] According to theBook 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,[14] and their women were so beautiful thatpriests and princes sought them in marriage.[15] The abundance of olive oil in the land possessed by Asher so enriched the tribe that none of them needed to hire a habitation.[16] The soil was so fertile that, in times of scarcity, especially in theSabbatical year, Asher provided all of Israel with olive oil.[17] The Asherites were also renowned for wisdom.[18]
ASamaritan tradition recorded in the late 19th century considered Neby Toba nearTubas to be the burial place of Asher.[19]
Media related toAsher at Wikimedia Commons