Ashriel is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Ashriel was a son of Manasseh, the patriarch whose name was given to one of the tribes of Israel. He appears only once in the King James Bible, in the genealogical record of 1 Chronicles 7:14, where the text reads, “The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead.” In this single verse, Ashriel is named as a descendant of Manasseh, the firstborn son of Joseph. The setting is the great tribal registry of Israel, a record preserved to show how the families of the nation were ordered and how the inheritance of land would later be distributed among them.
The verse distinguishes Ashriel from Machir in a notable way. Ashriel is described as the son “whom she bare,” while Machir is said to be the son of Manasseh’s concubine, an Aramitess. The text does not name Ashriel’s mother, but the contrast suggests she held a recognized place, whereas Machir’s mother was a concubine. Despite this distinction, it was Machir who became the father of Gilead, a name that would carry great weight in Israel’s later history.
Scripture records nothing else about Ashriel. No deed, no word, and no further mention of his life is preserved. He appears in the sacred record simply as a name in a line, a man whose place in the family of Manasseh was remembered even though his own story is hidden. What Scripture says of him is only this: he was a son of Manasseh, born to a woman whose name is not given, and he stood among the sons of Joseph’s firstborn.
The Name
The name Ashriel appears to be a Hebrew name, and its meaning is not clearly recoverable from the text itself or from the ordinary resources available. Some have suggested a connection to the idea of “vow of God” or “God is my vow,” but such a reading is not well established, and the name may instead reflect an older or variant form related to Asriel, a name that appears elsewhere in the tribal lists. Because the meaning is uncertain, it is best to say plainly that the name’s significance is not clearly known. What can be said is that it belonged to a real man in the tribe of Manasseh, and it was preserved by the chronicler as part of Israel’s family record.
A Closing Thought
Most of us will never be remembered in a great record. Our lives pass quietly, and the world keeps little note of our names. Yet Ashriel stands in Scripture as a reminder that God keeps His own records. A man with no recorded deeds, no spoken words, and no named mother is still counted among the sons of Manasseh. If your life feels hidden and small, take heart: the Lord knows those who are His, and no one who belongs to His family is forgotten, even when the world has no memory of them.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 7:14 — The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead: