ASHER ăsh’ ər (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, LXX ̓Ασήρ, G818, happy, fortunate, blessed; KJV, Luke 2:36; Rev 7:6, ASER). 1. The eighth son of Jacob, Asher was Jacob’s second son by Zilpah, the handmaid whom Laban had given his daughter Leah, and whom she gave to Jacob because of her own barrenness. Asher was born in Padan-aram in Mesopotamia and was the full brother of Gad (Gen 30:9-13; 35:26). At his birth Leah exclaimed, “Happy am I! For the women will call me happy”; “so she called his name Asher.” When Asher went down to Egypt he had four sons, Imnah, Ishvah, Beriah, and Ishvi, and a daughter, Serah (Gen 46:17; 1 Chron 7:30).

The name Asher has been confirmed as an authentic northwestern Sem. personal name in an Egyp. papyrus of c. 1750 b.c., but in the papyrus it is the name of a female slave. It is now considered highly improbable by most scholars that inscrs. of Seti I (1303-1290 b.c.) and Ramses II (1290-1224) mention Asher as a vanquished tribe in Canaan. The place name ’isr as it appears in the Egyp. texts would represent ’ṭr not ’šr as would be the case if the Israelite tribe of Asher were intended. This conclusion also eliminates the Seti I reference in his inscr. as a factor in calculating the date of the Exodus.

2. The tribe of which Asher, the son of Jacob, was the progenitor multiplied so that at the time of the Exodus from Egypt it numbered 41,500 fighting men (Num 1:41). Before the invasion of Canaan this number had increased to 53,400. In blessing the tribes of Israel, Moses said, “Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be the favorite of his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil” (Deut 33:24). Consisting of five main families (Num 26:44-47), Asher shared the blessings, trials, and responsibilities of the wilderness journeyings (1:13; 2:27; 7:72; 13:13).

In the course of the Israelite journey through the desert, flanked by the tribes of Dan and Naphtali, the position of Asher was to the N of the Tent of Meeting (2:25-30). After Israel left Mt. Sinai, Asher served as rear guard together with Dan and Naphtali (10:25-28). From the ranks of Asher, Sethur served as a scout to explore the land of Canaan (13:13).

In the division of the territory of Canaan among the tribes of Israel, Asher was assigned by Joshua the fertile strip of coastland N of Mt. Carmel to the N of Sidon, and eastward to the western slopes of the Galilaean hills (Josh 19:24-31, 34). To the S the Carmel range served as the common border with Manasseh, the Galilean hills separating Asher on its SE border from Zebulun, and on its NE side from Naphtali. Accurate detailed determination of the tribe’s area is impossible, but a description of the boundaries is given in Joshua 19:24-31 (cf. Judg 1:31, 32; Josh 17:10, 11). It is impossible at the present stage to identify most of the places mentioned. The Gershomite Levites were assigned four cities in the territory of Asher (1 Chron 6:62, 74, 75). Ahihud had the responsibility of allotting the land of Asher to the people of the tribe “for inheritance” (Num 34:27). Asher was an esp. well-watered and fertile land that included some of the finest olive groves and orchards in the country. Moses’ statement in Deuteronomy 33:24 concerning Asher, “...let him dip his foot in oil,” is a reference to the tribe’s prosperity as a result of the olive groves. This area is still renowned for its olive industry.

Asher does not occupy a prominent place in Israel’s history. No significant leader is known to have come from the tribe, and Asher could not control her coastal cities. Asher apparently never overcame Phoen. dominance (Judg 1:31, 32). It did not join in the battle against Sisera, the captain of Jabin, who ruled the neighboring territory to the E (4:2). Later the tribe did come to the aid of Gideon against the Midianites (6:35; 7:23). At David’s coronation at Hebron, 40,000 of Asher’s fighting men were present (1 Chron 12:36), but the name of the tribe is missing from other lists of his reign (27:16-22). Solomon ceded some of Asher’s cities to the Tyrian Hiram (1 Kings 9:11-14).

Apparently, the only Asherite of any significance was the prophetess Anna who praised God at the presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:36). Many scholars are of the opinion that Asher was the least “Israelite” of all the tribes, not only because the tribe was geographically remote, but also because it failed to dominate the Canaanites culturally as well as politically in an effective manner.

3. Asher may also have reference to a town (Josh 17:7). It has been suggested that it was located at the modern village of Teyasir c. eleven m. NE of Shechem on the road to Bethshean. But some scholars say this statement also refers to the territory of the tribe.

Bibliography W. F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel (1942), 61, 121, 132; W. C. Hayes, A Papyrus of the Late Middle Kingdom in the Brooklyn Museum (1955); K. A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and Old Testament (1966), 70.