(Ashʹer) [Happy; Happiness].

1. The eighth son of Jacob and second of two sons through Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant. (Ge 35:26) Thus Asher’s only full brother was Gad. Asher’s four sons and one daughter are listed at 1 Chronicles 7:30, though his wife is not named. He was not prominent among the 12 sons of Jacob. However, in his father’s deathbed prophecy, Asher was promised a life blessed with an abundance of rich foods (Ge 49:20), and the history of his descendants demonstrates the fulfillment of this prediction.

2. The name applies as well to the tribe descended from Asher. A year after the Exodus from Egypt the tribe’s adult male descendants numbered 41,500 (Nu 1:41) and, about 39 years later, had increased to 53,400, making it the fifth most populous tribe. (Nu 26:47) In the camp of Israel, Asher occupied a position N of the tabernacle, with the tribes of Dan and Naphtali.​—Nu 2:25-30.

Prior to entry into Canaan, Moses’ prophetic blessing again predicted a prosperous portion for Asher. The tribe was figuratively to ‘dip its foot in oil.’ (De 33:24, 25; compare Job 29:6.) Their allotment of territory stretched along the Mediterranean coastal plains from below the town of Dor, S of Mount Carmel, on up to the N boundary of Palestine at Sidon. (Jos 17:7-11; 19:24-31) This included some of the most fertile land in all Israel, where olive trees would provide abundant oil, while other fruits would provide dainties fit to grace a royal table. (Ge 49:20; De 33:24) The territories of Zebulun and Naphtali lay along Asher’s  E boundary, with Manasseh and Issachar to the S and SE.

Asher is named in Joshua 17:7 as being on the boundary of the tribe of Manasseh. Asher is also referred to in this same account at verse 10, where it clearly refers to the tribal territory of Asher.