The name Ashbel (Hebrew: ’Ashbel) is a name of uncertain meaning, possibly related to a word meaning “judged by God” or “God has bound.” He is an ancestral figure in the Bible, specifically named as the third son of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob (Israel).
His significance lies in his role as one of the seventy members of Jacob’s family who migrated to Egypt, forming the basis of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
1. The Migration to Egypt
Ashbel is introduced in the crucial genealogical list in the Book of Genesis, which records all the members of Jacob’s household who journeyed from Canaan to Egypt to join Joseph during the famine.
He is listed among the sons of Benjamin in Genesis 46:21:
“And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.” (KJV, emphasis added).
The inclusion of his name here confirms his place as one of the patriarchs who formed the nucleus of the future nation of Israel.
2. The Ancestor of the Tribe
Ashbel’s lineage is reaffirmed and updated during the second census taken by Moses in the wilderness, which occurred forty years after the exodus from Egypt. This census established the official tribal structure and its divisions.
The descendants of Ashbel formed one of the major clans of the Tribe of Benjamin, known as the Ashbelites.
Numbers 26:38 records the lineage:
“The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Belah, the family of the Belaites: of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites: of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites:” (KJV, emphasis added).
The structure of the tribe of Benjamin, however, has several genealogical variations across different books of the Bible, suggesting some ancient changes in names or inter-tribal adoption. For instance, 1 Chronicles 8:1 records Benjamin’s sons with the name Ashbel being used as the son of Benjamin:
“Now Benjamin begat Belah his firstborn, Ashbel the second, and Aharah the third,” (KJV, emphasis added).
Despite the variations in the precise order of birth or naming of his brothers, the lineage tracing back to Ashbel is consistently affirmed, establishing him as a true progenitor of one of the families of Benjamin.
The Theological Significance
As a link in the tribal chain, Ashbel serves a foundational purpose in the narrative of salvation history:
- Covenant Preservation: His existence in the biblical record is a witness to the faithfulness of God in meticulously preserving the family lines of Jacob. The detailed genealogies ensure that the covenant promises, particularly concerning the land allotment and the future royal line, could be accurately fulfilled.
- Tribal Identity: The Ashbelites were a military and social division of the Tribe of Benjamin, which produced famous figures like King Saul and, in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul (who identified himself as “of the tribe of Benjamin,” Romans 11:1). Ashbel is thus an essential, named ancestor of this famous tribe.
In conclusion, Ashbel was the son of Benjamin and grandson of Jacob, whose name is preserved in the sacred genealogies as the eponymous ancestor of the Ashbelite clan, a permanent part of the foundational structure of the people of Israel.