1. 1 Chronicles 7:30–40 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Summary

1 Chronicles 7:30–40 (ESV)

30 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.

The Chronicler rounds off these portions of his genealogy by recording the sons of Asher, the son born to Jacob through Leah’s maid Zilpah (Genesis 30:12–13). His name comes from a root meaning to be happy, an idea reflected in Moses’ blessing of the tribes (Deuteronomy 33:24).

The account of Asher is similar to those of Issachar and Benjamin at the beginning of 1 Chronicles 7:1–40, particularly in the connection of the genealogies to military leadership in 1 Chronicles 7:40, a feature that prepares the way for Asher’s participation in David’s army in 1 Chronicles 12:1–40.1

The names in this list through Malchiel agree exactly with the brief genealogy of Genesis 46:17. Numbers 26:44–47, however, lacks Ishvah but continues the genealogy, with expansion, as it appears in Genesis.2 The five children of Asher, the sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah and the daughter Serah (1 Chronicles 7:30), are also mentioned in the parallel texts in Genesis 46:17 and Numbers 26:44–46 (although Ishvah was left out of the list). Additionally, the children of Beriah, Heber, and Malchiel (1 Chronicles 7:31) are mentioned in those parallel texts. The further descendants mentioned in 1 Chronicles 7:32–39, however, are not attested elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. As was the case with Issachar, only one clan (Beriah) is followed through.3

The conclusion to the Asherite genealogy in 1 Chronicles 7:40 with the mention of the number of men ready for battle (260,000) indicates again that the writer probably took the data from a military census list.4 Much later, when Jesus was presented in the temple as an infant, one of the two people who immediately praised God was Anna, who belonged to the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36–38).

The Chronicler’s purpose in this genealogy was at least twofold:

  • His exclusive concern with the line of Beriah may have reflected the limitations of his sources, but the Chronicler may also have chosen this strategy because of questions among his readers regarding the descendants of this family.

  • A more obvious purpose was to inform the post-exilic community of Asher’s military contributions in the past. The descendants of Asher listed here included heads of families, choice men, brave warriors, and outstanding leaders. After the exile, Israel needed the military power of Asher. This tribe, therefore, should not be forgotten.5