The meaning of Ashhur in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

ash'-ur (ashchur, the King James Version Ashur): The "father of Tekoa" (I Chronicles 2:24; I Chronicles 4:5), probably the founder of the village. The original meaning of the name is the "man of Horus," Ashurites (ha-'ashuri). This name occurs in the list of Ish-bosheth's subjects (II Samuel 2:9). The Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 AD) versions read ha-geshuri, "the Geshurites," designating the small kingdom to the South or Southeast of Damascus. This reading, though adopted by Ewald, Thenius and Wellhausen, is untenable, for during the reign of Ish-bosheth Geshur was ruled by its own king Talmai, whose daughter was married to David (II Samuel 3:3; II Samuel 13:37). Furthermore Geshur was too far away from the rest of Ishbosheth's territory. A more consistent reading is ha-'asheri, as given in the Targum of Jonathan and accepted by Kohler, Klost, Kirkpatrick and Budde, "those of the house of Asher" (compare Judges 1:32). The term would, then, denote the country to the West of Jordan above Jezreel.

Samuel Cohon

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