Eri
“Watchful”
Summary
Eri was the fifth son of the patriarch Gad and the ancestor of the Erites, one of the family divisions within the tribe of Gad. He is mentioned among those who accompanied Jacob's family to Egypt.
☩Family Lineage
Eri was born to Gad, one of Jacob's sons by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid. He is listed fifth among Gad's seven sons: 'And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli' (Gen 46:16). These were among the seventy souls who descended into Egypt with Jacob, forming the nucleus of what would become the twelve tribes of Israel.
☩The Erites
In the census of Israel's tribes recorded in Numbers 26, Eri's descendants are called 'the family of the Erites' (Num 26:16). This family structure determined inheritance rights, encampment positions, and military organization within the tribe of Gad during the wilderness wanderings and the subsequent conquest of Canaan.