Asher

Etymology

From the Hebrew root 'ashar' (אָשַׁר), meaning to be happy, blessed, or to go straight. Related to 'ashrei' (אַשְׁרֵי), the word that opens Psalm 1: 'Blessed is the one...' The name is a declaration of happiness.

Who they were

Asher was Jacob's eighth son, born to Zilpah, Leah's servant. At his birth, Leah exclaimed 'Happy am I! For the women will call me happy' — and named him Asher, meaning happiness. His tribe settled in the fertile coastal plain of western Galilee, a region famous for its olive oil and rich agriculture. Moses' blessing over the tribe of Asher is one of the most generous in Deuteronomy 33: 'Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favoured 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.' The prophetess Anna in the New Testament came from the tribe of Asher — a detail Luke includes deliberately, connecting old promise to new fulfilment. The name has surged in modern popularity, perhaps because its meaning is so uncomplicated and joyful: blessed, happy, fortunate.

Family

Father

Jacob

Mother

Zilpah (Leah's handmaid)

Siblings

Gad (full brother),Reuben,Simeon,Levi,Judah,Dan,Naphtali,Issachar,Zebulun,Joseph,Benjamin,Dinah

Character qualities

• Source of joy
• Abundance
• Quiet prosperity

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Ascher · Aser

Related names