Person Old and New Testament
Asher
Also known as Asher =ESV, NIV, Asherite, Ashurite, NIV; Aser =KJV
Asher was the eighth son of Jacob, born to Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, and became the founder of the tribe of Asher (Gen.30.13; 46:17; Deu.33:24; Jos.19:24-34; Luke 2.36). Mentioned in 45 verses across 13 books, first at Genesis 30:13.
Why it matters. Son of Jacob and Zilpah, founder of the tribe of Asher
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Asher
Asher was the eighth son of Israel (or 'Jacob') and the second son of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. He was born in Paddan-aram and was one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Asher's descendants formed the tribe of Asher, which was allocated territory in the northern part of Canaan, along the Mediterranean coast. The tribe of Asher was known for its fertile land and abundance of olive oil. In the blessings of Jacob and Moses, Asher was described as being blessed with rich food and providing royal delicacies. During the period of the judges, Asher was criticized for not joining the fight against Sisera. The tribe of Asher was among those taken into Assyrian captivity. In the New Testament, Anna, a prophetess, is mentioned as being from the tribe of Asher. In the book of Revelation, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher are sealed as servants of God.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 45 verses across 13 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Show all 45 verses
Genesis (4 verses)
Exodus (1 verse)
Numbers (11 verses)
Deuteronomy (2 verses)
Joshua (8 verses)
Judges (5 verses)
2 Samuel (1 verse)
1 Kings (1 verse)
1 Chronicles (6 verses)
2 Chronicles (1 verse)
Ezekiel (3 verses)
Luke (1 verse)
Revelation (1 verse)