Asher is Zilpah’s second son. The tribe of Asher lived in a particularly fertile area along the sea (Judges 5.17). Asher’s name is associated with happiness in 30.12-13.

Asher’s food shall be rich: Asher’s food refers to the food from the good crops grown in Asher’s land. The fertility of this area is implied in Deut 33.24 by the reference to “oil.” Rich is expressed in the Hebrew as “fat.” The idea of rich food is “savory,” “tasty,” or “delicious” food. This may also refer to the quality of the crops. See Good News Translation.

He shall yield royal dainties: dainties are luxury items, things people can afford only if they are rich enough. The sense of this line is that the food raised in Asher’s territory will find its way to the tables of kings because of its fine quality. This is clearly praise for Asher, and all modern translations understand it in this way. See Good News Translation for a model translation.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .