Interesting Facts

• Ashbel was among the first five sons born to Benjamin and Mechalia (Ijasaka).
• His birth occurred in the land of Canaan.
• Ashbel is listed as one of the sons of Benjamin who went with Jacob into Egypt.
• He is included in the enumeration of Jacob’s descendants who settled in the land of Goshen in Egypt.
• Ashbel is mentioned as the third son of Benjamin in the order presented in some genealogical accounts.

Genealogy

• Ashbel’s father was Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel.
• His mother was Mechalia (Ijasaka), the daughter of Aram.
• He had four brothers born before the family’s descent into Egypt: Bela, Becher, Gera, and Naaman [22a, 66].
• Ashbel also had additional brothers born in Egypt: Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
• His paternal grandparents were Jacob and Rachel.
• Ashbel was part of the lineage of Jacob that migrated to Egypt during the time of the famine.

Historical Context

Ashbel was born in Canaan before the famine that necessitated Jacob and his family’s relocation to Egypt under the provisions made by Joseph. His formative years would have been within the familial setting of Jacob’s household, characterized by the traditions and early development of the Israelite people. The migration to Egypt was a significant event in Ashbel’s lifetime, transitioning him from the promised land to a foreign environment where the family settled in Goshen. During the prosperous period under Joseph’s governance in Egypt, Ashbel and his brothers would have lived securely and multiplied as part of the growing Israelite community. This era of peace and abundance lasted for forty years under Joseph’s stewardship before the subsequent hardships that befell the Israelites. Thus, Ashbel’s life spanned from the early tribal existence in Canaan to the settled, secure, and flourishing, albeit temporary, life in Egypt during Joseph’s prominence.

Narrative

The narrative pertaining to Ashbel in the provided sources is primarily situated within genealogical listings. He is consistently mentioned as one of the sons of Benjamin who were born in Canaan and later migrated to Egypt with Jacob and the rest of the family. Unlike his uncle Joseph or his brother Simeon, Ashbel does not have any specific actions, dialogues, or personal story recounted in these texts. His significance within the broader narrative lies in his place as one of the founding members of the tribe of Benjamin, contributing to the lineage and growth of Jacob’s descendants in Egypt. The sources emphasize the multiplication of Jacob’s family in Goshen, and Ashbel, as a son of Benjamin, is an integral part of this demographic expansion. While the primary focus of the narrative arcs is on the betrayal and reunion of Joseph with his brothers, and Jacob’s final blessings and death, Ashbel’s existence is a part of the larger historical and familial tapestry of the early Israelites in Egypt.