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אָשֵׁר

𐤀𐤔𐤓

Asher

H836 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אָשַׁר to go straight, to lead, to be happy, to prosper

Definition

Proper name designating 'Asher,' one of the sons of Jacob/Israel; also refers to the tribe descended from him, the territory later allotted to that tribe, and in one instance, a location sharing the same name. The primary sense is as a personal and tribal identifier, rather than conveying a descriptive quality. The word is a theophoric proper name, and its actual lexical meaning functions exclusively as a designation.

Semantic Range

proper name of a person (Asher, son of Jacob), tribal designation (tribe of Asher), territorial designation (region allocated to Asher), name of a location (place called Asher); does not occur as a common noun in the Hebrew Bible

Root / Etymology

From the root אָשַׁר (אָשַׁר, 'sh-r'), meaning 'to go straight, to progress, to be fortunate, to be happy.' The name Asher is ultimately derived from the root but, as with many personal names, the meaning is not active in ordinary usage. The etymological link associates the name with ideas of blessedness or happiness, as suggested in Genesis 30:13, but the name itself in the biblical text functions strictly as a proper noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the patriarchal narratives, אָשֵׁר refers to the eighth son of Jacob by Zilpah and is etymologically linked with happiness in Genesis 30:13 ('Women will call me happy'). In later texts, particularly in tribal lists or in references to the allotment of land in the book of Joshua, the term refers to the tribe of Asher as a collective or to the region that became associated with the tribe's inheritance north of Mount Carmel. The meaning of the root (happiness, fortune) is recalled only in Genesis 30, and the name does not elsewhere function as a common noun or descriptor but as a unique proper name. English translations sometimes obscure this by rendering it with association to 'happy' or 'blessed,' but these are etymological memories rather than functional meanings. In post-exilic and Second Temple usage, the name retains exclusive identification with the historical tribe and its eponym.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָשַׁר,; happy; Asher, a son of Jacob, and the tribe descended from him, with its territory; also a place in Palestine; Asher

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אשר (ʾ-š-r) — to go straight, be right, be happy/blessed

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7789 שׁוּר Ashshur
H804 אַשּׁוּר Ashshur
H833 אָשַׁר Declare fortunate!
H834 אֲשֶׁר that-which
H835 אֶשֶׁר his happinesses

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H836-01 אָשֵֽׁר asher HNp Asher that-which 28
H836-08 וְ/אָשֵׁ֑ר veasher HC/Np and Asher and Asher 4
H836-07 וּ/בְ/אָשֵׁר֙ uveasher HC/R/Np and in Asher and in Asher 3
H836-04 מֵ/אָשֵׁ֖ר measher HR/Np from Asher from Asher 3
H836-02 בְּ/אָשֵׁ֤ר beasher HR/Np in Asher in Asher 2
H836-03 לְ/אָשֵׁ֕ר leasher HR/Np of Asher to Asher 1
H836-05 וּ/לְ/אָשֵׁ֣ר uleasher HC/R/Np And to Asher and to Asher 1
H836-06 וּ/מֵ/אָשֵׁ֗ר umeasher HC/R/Np and from Asher and from Asher 1

Occurrences in Scripture

43 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H836-01 Genesis 30:13 אָשֵֽׁר asher HNp Asher that-which
H836-08 Genesis 35:26 וְ/אָשֵׁ֑ר veasher HC/Np and Asher and Asher
H836-01 Genesis 46:17 אָשֵׁ֗ר asher HNp of Asher that-which
H836-04 Genesis 49:20 מֵ/אָשֵׁ֖ר measher HR/Np From Asher from Asher
H836-08 Exodus 1:4 וְ/אָשֵֽׁר veasher HC/Np and Asher. and Asher
H836-03 Numbers 1:13 לְ/אָשֵׁ֕ר leasher HR/Np of Asher to Asher
H836-01 Numbers 1:40 אָשֵׁ֔ר asher HNp of Asher that-which
H836-01 Numbers 1:41 אָשֵׁ֑ר asher HNp of Asher that-which
H836-01 Numbers 2:27 אָשֵׁ֑ר asher HNp Asher that-which
H836-01 Numbers 2:27 אָשֵׁ֔ר asher-2 HNp Asher that-which
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