Asher

Asher is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the brother of Gad. He is one of the forefathers of the people of Israel. His mother is Zilpah, but he is counted as a child of Leah. Asher plays no specific role in the stories about Jacob’s children.

The name Asher means “lucky”. After Leah has borne four sons, she gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a concubine, in order to have more children through her. Zilpah has two sons by Jacob, Gad and Asher. At the birth of Asher, Leah says, “How happy I am! Now women will call me happy” (Genesis 30:13), and so she gives him the name “Asher”.

The name Asher may refer to the tribe of Asher, of which Asher is the forefather. But it is also a designation for the region where the descendants of Asher went to live. That region was in the north of Israel on the coast.

As one of the 12 sons of Jacob, Asher receives a blessing from Jacob when the latter is old. Jacob promises that the descendants of Asher will own a region that is rich in the finest foods (Genesis 49:20).