While the Bible doesn’t contain a great amount of information about Asher as a person, there is a lot written about his family. In a contest to see who could give Jacob more heirs, Asher was the second son born to Jacob from Leah’s servant, Zilpah. Thrilled with his arrival, Leah named the child Asher, meaning “happiness.”
Jacob and the story of his sons, including Asher, have a grand story weaved through the book of Genesis. Joseph is arguably the most famous of the brothers. His story, including prophetic dreams and the jealousy of his brothers, meshes into a great story of God’s redemption and forgiveness.
Moses mentioned Asher before his death. He went to Mount Nebo, where he was to die instead of entering the promised land. In Deuteronomy 32:51, the Lord tells him, “This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.” Even though Moses wouldn’t be arriving at the Land of Canaan, the Israelites would. He blessed the twelve tribes before his death, including the sons of Asher.
About Asher, he said: “Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days. (Deuteronomy 33:24-25)
In the book of Joshua, the Israelites finally stepped foot into the promised land. With God by their side, they conquered the land promised to them. After many years of war and victory, Joshua grew older in years. In Joshua 13:1, the Lord says, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.” God told Joshua he would continue conquering the land, and then the land needed to be divided among the tribes of Israel. Asher was a tribe that received one of those lots.
The fifth lot went to the tribe of Asher, clan by clan . . . There were twenty-two towns and their villages. These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher, according to its clans. (Joshua 19:24; Joshua 19:30-31)
Asher is mentioned again in the book of Ezekiel. The tribes of Israel split after Solomon’s death. They were divided into northern and southern kingdoms. The regions to the north formed Israel, and the southern territories created Judah. The tribe of Asher’s land went to the northern portion.
Asher will have one portion; it will border the territory of Dan from east to west. (Ezekiel 48:2)
Asher wasn’t born into the healthiest of families. His parents lived in a tangled web of deception and jealousy. His father, Jacob, had fallen in love with a young woman named Rachel. Rachel’s father, Laban, promised Jacob her hand if he worked for the family for seven years. Jacob worked for seven years, but on his wedding night was tricked into sleeping with Rachel’s younger sister, Leah. Laban’s only excuse was that the younger sister was usually married off first. He promised Rachel’s hand if Jacob agreed to work another seven years for the family. Jacob agreed and was married to Rachel, and he loved her more than Leah.
God saw Leah was unloved by Jacob and enabled her to conceive children. Rachel, on the other hand, remained barren. In desperation, she gave Jacob her servant, Bilhah, to sleep with. Bilhah bore two sons, and Rachel felt like she won the son-bearing race against her sister. When Leah noticed she stopped having children, she gave Jacob her servant, Zilpah, as a wife. Zilpah bore Jacob two sons, the second being Asher.
When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife . . . Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher. (Genesis 30:9; 12-13)
Readers unfamiliar with Asher may know his remarkable brother, Joseph. Joseph was the youngest son born to Rachel and Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph’s favor was no secret, especially with the gift of an elaborate coat. His brothers grew jealous and sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites, lying to their father and making up a story of his death. Joseph became Pharaoh's right-hand man through a series of God-ordained events. A seven-year famine hit the land. Joseph’s brothers, including Asher, traveled to Egypt to buy corn. They are reunited with Joseph, who eventually reveals himself. He ensures his brothers he will take care of them and saves the very ones who betrayed him.
Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute. (Genesis 45:9-11)
The family, including the sons and daughter of Asher, filled wagons sent by Pharaoh to make the journey to Egypt. They were given the best land, and Joseph provided them with enough food to outlast the famine. After all that occurred, Joseph forgave his brothers and spent the rest of his days with them.
When Jacob was ill and dying, he asked his sons to come near and prophesied over them. In Genesis 49:20, Jacob stated, “Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.” Asher’s tribe was to be a rich tribe, supplying not only the needs of the people but overflowing with delicacies. It wouldn’t need to rely on other nations for its crops. Instead, it would produce an abundance from its fruitful soil. The Tribe of Asher’s rich delicacies included the best wheat, wine, and an abundance of oil.
The Tribe of Asher is mentioned again in Deuteronomy when the Israelites are at Mount Ebal. Smith’s Bible Dictionary defines Mount Ebal as “a mount in the promised land, on which the Israelites were to “put” the curse which should fall upon them if they disobeyed the commandments of Jehovah.” Deuteronomy 27:13 mentions several tribes with this job, including the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.” The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary calls the task a “necessary but painful duty.”
God is always working. He used a family story that began with a deceitful marriage to produce one of the most known stories in the Bible, Joseph, and his rise to power in Egypt. Situations can seem grim. Life doesn’t work out the way we expected. We end up pushing through hard circumstances, like Jacob and the extra seven years he spent tolling for Rachel. Or we try to make things happen our way, like the two sisters who gave their servants as concubines to their husband in desperation for more children. Whatever the situation, God can continue to weave miraculously in our stories, and they can turn out better than we ever would have expected.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Charles Foster
Jenna Brooke Carlson is an elementary dual language teacher in the Chicago suburbs. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Word Weavers, she enjoys spending time with other writers and perfecting her craft. Her debut novel, Falling Flat, spreads the message that healing can occur, even after tragedy. Along with writing, she’s pursuing her dreams of creating a community of brave young women, who she can encourage to live out their dreams amid challenges and imperfection. Her days are busy, but she’s determined she can conquer anything with a fuzzy blanket and a hot cup of tea. To find out more about Jenna, visit her website at jennabrookecarlson.com.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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