"Philippines proposes Asean trading board"
“Asher is one of the most indistinct and elusive of the tribes of Israel. Asher appears to have had at no time a close connection with the body of Israel. The tribe was thus settled on the north-western slopes and valleys of the Galilee—pasture, wooded hills, and orchards—noted especially for the abundance and richness of its olive-oil. On account of its remoteness from the centers of national life, and its facility of communication with the markets, as well as the ease with which it could support itself, the tribe speedily became dissociated from the rest of Israel, so that it did not participate in fighting, yet it held aloof. It joined in the pursuit of the Medianites and a great host of Asherites offered their support to David when he succeeded to the kingdom of Saul, and that some men of the tribe ‘humbled themselves’ in the reformation of Hezekiah (II Chron. xxx. 11). In the light of this outstanding fact, it is not easy to understand how it could have become so loyal at any later date as to send 40,000 men to join the standard of David. Asher is from a root meaning ‘prosperous’ ‘happy’” ~ Jewish Encylopedia
