Ara is a figure known only through the genealogical record of the tribe of Asher in the Books of Chronicles. His inclusion confirms his status as a key patriarch in one of the families that continued the tribe’s lineage.
🧬 The Lineage of Asher
Ara belonged to the tribe of Asher, one of the sons of Jacob. The tribe of Asher primarily settled in the fertile coastal region of northern Israel.
Ara is specifically identified as one of the sons of Jether (or Ithran in some lists) in the detailed enumeration of the family heads of Asher:
“The sons of Jether; Jephunneh, and Pispa, and Ara.” (1 Chronicles 7:38, KJV)
Jether, the father of Ara, was himself a descendant of Zophah, who was a chief man of the tribe of Asher. This lineage places Ara among the leading families of the tribe.
📜 The Significance of the Record
The sole purpose of recording names like Ara was to maintain the integrity and identity of the Israelite tribes. These genealogies were crucial, especially during and after the Babylonian exile, to:
- Establish Tribal Rights: Confirming which families belonged to which tribe.
- Determine Inheritance: Ensuring that families could reclaim their ancestral land when they returned to Canaan.
- Validate Purity: Proving the lineage of those who would serve as priests and Levites.
Ara, therefore, represents the historical reality of the tribe of Asher, whose family lines were carefully documented and preserved through generations of stability and upheaval.