אָשֵׁר
Asher
BDB lists 4 entries for ‘Asher’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H836 appears in the Book of Exodus — 1 distinct verse. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Exodus
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
אשר (ʼÂshêr) is a Hebrew name most often rendered “Asher.” Scripture first uses it in Genesis 30:13. It turns up in 41 verses across 10 books, a moderately common footprint. It concentrates in Numbers, which alone accounts for 27% of its uses. For the data behind this summary, explore 41-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H836 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 41
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 41 distinct verses.
- 10 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 10 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #837
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 837 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 41 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Numbers 11 verses 27%
- Joshua 8 verses 20%
- 1 Chronicles 6 verses 15%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 41 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 18 verses · 44%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 16 verses · 39%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 7 verses · 17%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Asher 38×
- American Standard Version: Asher 39×
- Berean Standard Bible: Asher 35×, Asher’s 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Asher 41×, And 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H836 across 43 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H836 across 43 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H836 across 40 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 3 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H836 across 46 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 3 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. son of Jacob and Zilpah Gn 30:13; 35:26; 46:17 Ex 1:4 Nu 26:46 1 Ch 2:2. e.g. Genesis 30:13
- 2. the tribe Gn 49:20 Nu 1:13 Dt 27:13; 33:24(×2) Jos 17:10, 11; 19:34 Ju 1:31; 5:17; 6:35; 7:23 1 K 4:16 1 Ch 12:36 2 Ch 30:11 Ez 48:2, 3, 34; בְּנֵי אָשֵׁר Nu 1:40; 2:27; 7:72; 10:26; 26:44, 47; 34:27 Jos 19:24, 31 1 Ch 7:30, 40; מַטֵּה אָשֵׁר Nu 1:41; 2:27; 13:13 Jos 21:6, 30 1 Ch 6:47, 59. e.g. Genesis 49:20
- 3. n.pr.loc. city E. of Shechem Jos 17:7. e.g. Joshua 17:7
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
n.pr.m. Asher (happy one, Felix, cf. Ph. אשרשלח, which however may contain (god) Asshur or Osiris, cf. BaeRel 161).
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from אשר (ʼâshar) (H833) — to go straight.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אֲשֶׁר
- ; v. Ges. H. Dict. s. v., as to opinions on etymol.) [being,] who, which. Ber. 11ᵇ א׳ בחר וכ׳ who hast chosen us; a. v. fr. (in prayer formulas).—In Talm. mostly prefix-שֶׁ.
אָשַׁר
- , v. אשש) to exist, be strong, happy; v. יָשַׁר.
- (b. h.)
- 1. to exalt, praise, declare happy. Pesik. R. s. 45 התחיל מְאַשְּׁרֵם he commenced by declaring them happy; v. אַשְׁרֵי.
- 2. to substantiate; to verify, attest to. Num. R. s. 14 לאַשֵּׁר את הדין to give strength to the legal decision Y. Gitt. IX, 50ᶜ bot. (אישרניהי) אִישַּׁרְנוּהוּ we have verified it in the presence of &c.—Part. pass. מְאוּשָּׁר 1) firm, strong. Gen. R. s. 15, beg. the bux-tree is called תְּאַשּׁוּר because it is מא׳ וכ׳ the strongest of all (cmp. אֵשֶׁל). Y. Succ. III, 54ᵃ top; Y. Meg. I, 72ᵃ top המא׳ שבכלן וכ׳ the strongest (expression) of all, is Hallelujah.—2) substantial, good, rich. Gen. R. s. 90, end (ref. to את כל אֲשֶׁר Gen. XLI, 56) המְאוּשָּׁרִין שבהם the best stores of all. Gen. R. s. 28.—Snh. 22ᵃ is called Ashurith שמְאוּשֶּׁרֶת בכתב because its characters are substantial (Ar. שמאושר); Y. Meg. I, 71ᵇ bot.; Y. Sot. VII, 21ᶜ top. e.g. Genesis 41:56
- to be set up, be erected. Sifra K’dosh. beg. (play on אֲשֵׁרִים) על שם שהם מִתְאַשְּׁרִים מאחרים because they are put up by others.
אֲשַׁר
- [Ithpe. אִיתְּשַׁר to be strengthened. Targ. Y. Deut. X, 2 יַיתְשַׁר, prob. to be read יִתְיַשַּׁר, v. ישר.]
- 1. to make strong. Keth. 10ᵇ; Gitt. 70ᵃ (dates) מְאַשְּׁרָן give strength.
- 2. to confirm, verify; also to credit, (consider true). Keth. 21ᵃ אַשַּׁרְנוּהִי וכ׳ we verified it &c., v. preced.—Gitt. 30ᵇ (prov.) חברך מית א׳ וכ׳ if you are told, ‘your friend is dead’, believe it; ‘your friend has grown rich’ לא תְאַשַּׁר don’t trust.
אֶשֶׁר
- (b. h.), only in plur. constr. אַשְׁרֵי the happiness of!, happy is he, are they &c. Pes. 117ᵃ; a. fr.—Midr. Till. to Ps. LXXXIV אַשְׁרַאי happy am I.—Yoma VIII, 9 אַשְׁרֵיכֶם happy are ye. Ib. 87ᵃ אַשְׁרֵיהֶם לצדיקים happy are the righteous; a. fr.
שֵׁר
- Tower of Sher (or Shed), Straton’s Tower (v. Hildesh. Beitr. p. 4 sq.). Sifré Deut. 51 מדבר שרשך דור, read: מגדל שר שן דור; Yalk. ib. 874 מגדל שרשן דירו (corr. acc.); Y. Shebi. VI, 36ᶜ top מגדל שיד.
שַׂר
- prince, chief.; שר (של מעלה) guardian angel, genius. Zeb. 116ᵇ שר ונגיד a prince or a nobleman. Yeb. 16ᵇ שר העולם the genius of the universe; Ḥull. 60ᵃ. Ex. R. s. 22 נטל הקב"ה שר שלהם וכ׳ the Lord took first their (the Egyptians’) guardian angel and drowned him. Pes. 118ᵃ שר הברד, v. יוּרְקָמִי. Ib. אני שר של אש I (Gabriel) am the angel of fire. B. Bath. 74ᵇ שר של ים the angel of the sea. Mekh. B’shall., Shir., s. 2 כיון שראו שָׂרָהּ של מלכות נופל (not נופלת) when they saw the genius of the (Egyptian) empire fallen; Yalk. Ex. 243; a. v. fr.—Pl. שָׂרִים. Ib. אין … משָׂרֵיהֶן תחלה the Lord will not punish governments, unless he have punished their guardian angels first. Gen. R. s. 78, beg. מיכאל … שהם ש׳ של מעלה Michael and Gabriel who are the princes on high. Yalk. l. c. קרא … לכל שָׂרֵי האומות the Lord summoned all the tutelary angels of the nations. Cant. R. to VIII, 14 ש׳ של מעלה the princes on high (angels); ש׳ של מטה the earthly (human) governors. Ib. (play on הרי בשמים, ib.) המתינו לי … על הריהם שהם שָׂרֵיהֶם שנתונים אצלי בַּשָּׁמַיִם (not שנתונות) wait until I shall have sat in judgment over their mounts, that is, their chiefs that are placed with me in heaven; a. fr.—Gen. R. s. 98 גני ש׳, v. גִּינֵּיסַר.—Fem. שָׂרָה. Tosef. Ber. I, 12 (ref. to Gen. XVII, 15) בתחלה הרי היא ש׳ על עמה ועכשיו הרי היא ש׳ על אומות העולם ed. Zuck. (Var. שָׂרַי על עמה … על כל באי העולם, v. ed. Zuck. note) at first she was a princess of her own people, and now she is a princess for the nations of the world (for all that enter into the world); Ber. 13ᵃ שרי לאומתה … ש׳ לכל העולם. e.g. Genesis 17:15
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 23 distinct written forms H836 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| אָשֵׁ֖ר | Noun, Proper | Joshua 19:24 | 6 |
| אָשֵׁ֑ר | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 33:24 | 5 |
| אָשֵׁ֔ר | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 6:74 | 5 |
| אָשֵׁ֗ר | Noun, Proper | Ezekiel 48:3 | 5 |
| אָ֠שֵׁר | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 7:40 | 2 |
| וְ/אָשֵֽׁר | Noun, Proper | Exodus 1:4 | 2 |
| וּ/בְ/אָשֵׁר֙ | Noun, Proper | Joshua 17:10 | 2 |
| אָשֵׁ֜ר | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 6:62 | 1 |
| אָשֵׁ֥ר | Noun, Proper | Ezekiel 48:2 | 1 |
| אָשֵֽׁר | Noun, Proper | Genesis 30:13 | 1 |
| אָשֵׁר֙ | Noun, Proper | Ezekiel 48:34 | 1 |
| אָשֵׁר֮ | Noun, Proper | Numbers 26:44 | 1 |
| בְּ/אָשֵׁ֖ר | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 4:16 | 1 |
| בְּ/אָשֵׁ֤ר | Noun, Proper | Judges 6:35 | 1 |
| וְ/אָשֵׁ֑ר | Noun, Proper | Genesis 35:26 | 1 |
| וְ/אָשֵׁ֔ר | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 27:13 | 1 |
| וּ/בְ/אָשֵׁ֗ר | Noun, Proper | Joshua 17:11 | 1 |
| וּ/לְ/אָשֵׁ֣ר | Noun, Proper | Deuteronomy 33:24 | 1 |
| וּ/מֵ/אָשֵׁ֗ר | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 12:36 | 1 |
| לְ/אָשֵׁ֕ר | Noun, Proper | Numbers 1:13 | 1 |
| מֵ/אָשֵׁ֖ר | Noun, Proper | Genesis 49:20 | 1 |
| מֵ/אָשֵׁ֥ר | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 30:11 | 1 |
| מֵֽ/אָשֵׁ֔ר | Noun, Proper | Joshua 17:7 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H836, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- אשר ʼesher H835 blessed
- אשר ʼôsher H837 happiness
- אשר ʼâshur H838 step
- אשרנא ʼushsharnâʼ H846 wall
- תאשור tᵉʼashshûwr H8391 box tree
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- אשור ʼAshshûwr H804 Assyria
- אשראל ʼĂsarʼêl H840 Asareel
- אשרה ʼăshêrâh H842 Asherah
- Ασηρ Asḗr G768 Asher
- אשרי ʼÂshêrîy H843 Asherites
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 12 — not the complete family. 5 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Asher). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
Happy, Jacob's eigth son; his mother was Zilpah, Leah's handmaid (Gen. 30:13). Of the tribe founded by him nothing is recorded beyond its holding a place in the list of the tribes (35:26; 46:17; Ex. 1:4, etc.) It increased in numbers twenty-nine percent, during the thirty-eight years' wanderings. The place of this tribe during the march through the desert was between Dan and Naphtali (Num. 2:27). The boundaries of the inheritance given to it, which contained some of the richest soil in Palestine, and the names of its towns, are recorded in Josh. 19:24-31; Judg. 1:31, 32. Asher and Simeon were the only tribes west of the Jordan which furnished no hero or judge for the nation. Anna the prophetess was of this tribe (Luke 2:36).
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
a place which formed one boundary of the tribe of Manasseh on the south. (Joshua 17:7) Mr. Porter suggests that Teyasir may be the Asher of Manasseh. Handbook, p.348.
Apocrypha and New Testament, A'ser (blessed), the eighth son of Jacob, by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid. (Genesis 30:13) (B.C. 1753.) The general position of his tribe was on the seashore from Carmel northward with Manasseh on the south, Zebulun and Issachar on the southeast, and Naphtali on the north-east. (Joshua 19:24-31; 17:10,11) and Judg 1:31,32 They possessed the maritime portion of the rich plain of Esdraelon;, probably for a distance of 8 or 10 miles from the shore. This territory contained some of the richest soil in all Palestine.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
happiness
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 40 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 41 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 30:13
- Exodus 1:4
- Numbers 1:13
- Deuteronomy 27:13
- Joshua 17:7
- Judges 1:31
- 1 Kings 4:16
- 1 Chronicles 2:2
- 2 Chronicles 30:11
- Ezekiel 48:2
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
