- Yes, date unknown
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Name |
Asher |
Gender |
Male |
Died |
Yes, date unknown |
Notes |
- «b»http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asher_(Bible)
«/b»«i»Asher'«/i» («u»Hebrew «/u»: , «u»Modern «/u» «i»Ašer«/i» «u»Tiberian «/u» «i»«/i»), was, according to the «u»Book of Genesis «/u», the eighth son of «u»Jacob «/u» and «u»Zilpah «/u», and the founder of the «u»Israelite Tribe «/u» of «u»Asher «/u»; however some «u»Biblical scholars «/u» view this as postdiction, an «u»eponymous «/u» «u»metaphor «/u» providing an «u»aetiology «/u» of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite confederation. The text of the «u»Torah «/u» argues that the name of «i»Asher«/i» means «i»happy«/i»/«i»blessing«/i», implying a derivation from the «u»Hebrew «/u» term «i»osher«/i» (with the same meaning); the Torah actually presents this in two variations - «i»beoshri«/i» (meaning «i»in my good fortune«/i»), and «i»ishsheruni«/i», which «u»textual scholars «/u» attribute to different sources - one to the «u»Yahwist «/u» and the other to the «u»Elohist «/u». Many scholars suspect that the name of «i»Asher«/i» may have more to do with a deity originally worshipped by the tribe, either «u»Asherah «/u», or «u»Ashur «/u», the chief «u»Assyrian «/u» deity; the latter possibility is «u»cognate «/u» with Asher.
In the Biblical account, Asher's mother is only a «i»handmaid«/i», rather than a wife of Jacob, which scholars see as indicating that the authors saw the tribe of Asher as being not of entirely Israelite origin; scholars believe that Asher consisted of certain clans affiliated with portions of the Israelite tribal confederation, but which were never incorporated into the «u»body politic «/u». A number of scholars have proposed that the tribe of Asher actually originated as the «u»Weshesh «/u» group of «u»Sea Peoples «/u» - the name «i»Weshesh«/i» (or rather «i»Uashesh«/i»/«i»Ueshesh«/i» - for easy pronunciation, this is usually «u»transcribed into English «/u» as «i»Weshesh«/i») can be decomposed as «i»men of Uash«/i» in «u»Hebrew «/u», and hence possibly a corruption of «i»Asher«/i».
The Torah states that Asher had four sons and one daughter, who were born in Canaan and migrated with him to «u»Egypt [8]«/u», with their descendants remaining there until «u»the Exodus «/u»; this seems to be partly contradicted by Egyptian records, according to which a group named «i»Aseru«/i», a name from which Asher is probably derived, were, in the 14th century BC, living in a similar region to Asher's traditional territory, in Canaan. Asher's daughter is name by the Torah as «u»«i»Serach «/u»«/i» (the only granddaughter of Jacob named by the Torah[«u»«i»citation needed «/u»«/i»]), but her mother is not named; according to «u»classical rabbinical literature «/u», Serach's mother was named «i»Hadurah«/i», and was a descendant of «u»Eber «/u», but 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. In «u»classical rabbinical literature «/u», Hadurah's marriage to Asher was his second marriage as well, his first having been to «i»Adon«/i», who was a descendant of «u»Ishmael «/u»;«u» «/u»the «u»Book of Jubilees «/u» contradicts this, arguing instead that Asher's wife was named «i»Lyon«/i» (which probably means «i»dove«/i»).
According to classical rabbinical literature, Asher had informed his brothers about «u»Reuben «/u»'s «u»incest «/u» with «u»Bilhah «/u», and as a result Asher came to be on bad terms with his brothers, though once Reuben confessed, the brothers realised they had been unjust towards Asher; 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.
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Person ID |
I61509 |
Glenn Cook Family |
Last Modified |
3 Dec 2009 |
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