Arah אָרַח

Who is Arah in the Bible?

Arah was a son of Shual, also called Ulla, and belonged to the tribe of Asher according to the genealogical records in 1 Chronicles 7:39. He appears in the lineage of Asher as part of the tribal ancestry records that trace the descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. Some scholars identify this Arah with a figure mentioned in Ezra 2:5 and Nehemiah 7:10 who was among those who returned from exile, and possibly with another Arah referenced in Nehemiah 6:18 whose granddaughter married Tobiah the Ammonite, an opponent of Nehemiah's rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem. While little is known of Arah's personal significance, his inclusion in the genealogies demonstrates the biblical emphasis on preserving tribal and family lineages as a record of God's covenant people.