Tribe of Asher
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 Tribes of Israel |
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The Tribe of Asher (Hebrew: אָשֵׁר, Standard Ašer Tiberian ʼĀšēr ; "happy") was one of the Tribes of Israel. At its height, Asher dwelled in western Galilee, a region with comparatively low temperature, and much rainfall, making it some of the most fertile land in Canaan, with rich pasture, wooded hills, and orchards; as such Asher was particularly prosperous, and known for its olive oil[1]. The Blessing of Moses appears to prophecy this, though textual scholars view this as a clear case of postdiction[2][3].
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[edit] Territory
Despite the connection to this general geographic region, it is difficult to determine from the Torah the exact boundaries of the tribe, to the extent that it is even uncertain whether Asher even had continuous territory[4]. Sites which according to the bible were allocated to Asher, and whose locations have since been identified, appear to be a scattered distribution of settlements rather than a compact and well-defined tribal region.[4] Despite appearing to have had good contact with the markets of Phoenicia, Asher appears, throughout its history, to have been fairly disconnected from the other tribes of Israel; additionally it seems to have taken little part in the antagonism portrayed in the Bible between the Canaanites and the other tribes, for example in the war involving Barak and Sisera.[4] Critical scholars generally conclude that Asher consisted of certain clans that were affiliated with portions of the Israelite tribal confederation, but were never incorporated into the body politic.[4]
The Ashurites are mentioned in the Old Testament among those over whom Ish-bosheth was made king (2 Samuel 2:9).
[edit] Origins
According to the Torah, the tribe was founded by an individual, Asher the eighth son of Jacob, from whom it took its name.
Critical scholars view this as an eponymous metaphor.[3] Asher is one of the two descendants of Zilpah, a handmaid of Jacob, the other being Gad; critical scholars claim that the authors intended this to mean Asher and Gad were not of entirely of Israelite origin.[4]
[edit] Archaeological evidence
A group named Aseru, living in a similar region to Asher in the 14th century BC, are mentioned in Egyptian monuments of the period. Identification with the tribe of Asher is plausible according to views that place the Exodus at the end of the Hyksos period but conflicts with views that date it to the 13th century.
This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
[edit] References
- ^ This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.
- ^ Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote The Bible
- ^ a b Peake's commentary on the Bible
- ^ a b c d e Jewish Encyclopedia
