Bible Strands
Genesis 46:17
The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the genealogy of Asher’s descendants during Jacob’s family migration to Egypt. This list follows the account of Gad and precedes the summary of Zilpah’s sixteen sons.
The words — The phrase וּ/בְנֵ֣י אָשֵׁ֗ר (u./ve.Nei 'a.Sher) literally renders “and/ [the] sons of Asher.” The term אֲחֹתָ֑/ם ('a.cho.Ta/m) explicitly identifies Serah as their sister.
The thread — This lineage connects to Asher’s naming in Genesis 30:13 and his later tribal blessing in Genesis 49:20. The text also cross-references Asher as one of Zilpah’s sons in Genesis 35:26.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition of Asher’s family structure and their inclusion in the covenant lineage. It requires the reader to track how individual names contribute to the larger genealogical record.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
Cross-references
- Genesis 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
- Genesis 49:20 Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.
- Genesis 35:26 And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
- Numbers 1:13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;
- Numbers 1:40 From the sons of Asher, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
- Numbers 26:44 These were the descendants of Asher by their clans: The Imnite clan from Imnah, the Ishvite clan from Ishvi, and the Beriite clan from Beriah.
- Deuteronomy 33:24 And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.
- 1 Chronicles 2:2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
- 1 Chronicles 7:30 The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.