Bible Dictionary
Tola
Tola was the eldest son of Issachar and ancestor of the Tolaites. A later Tola, son of Puah, judged Israel for twenty-three years and was buried at Shamir.
Definition
Tola designates two biblical persons. The first was the eldest of Issachar’s four sons and ancestor of the Tolaites. The second, son of Puah, was a judge of Israel who served twenty-three years and was buried at Shamir.
Biblical Usage
The judge Tola succeeded Abimelech and preceded Jair in the period of the Judges.
Historical Background
The name means “worm” or “scarlet stuff.” Tola’s descendants included 22,600 mighty men of valor in David’s reign.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A scarlet worm. (1.) Eldest son of Issachar (Gen. 46:13). (2.) A judge of the tribe of Issachar who “judged” Israel twenty-three years (Judg. 10:1, 2), when he died, and was buried in Shamir. He was succeeded by Jair.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>to'-la (tola`, "worm" or "scarlet stuff"):</p><p>(1) One of the four sons of Issachar (Ge 46:13; 1Ch 7:1), mentioned among those who journeyed to Egypt with Jacob (Ge 46:8 f), and in the census taken by Moses and Eleazar, as father of the Tolaites (Nu 26:23) whose descendants in the reign of David included 22,600 "mighty men of valor" (1Ch 7:2).</p><p>(2) One of the Judges, the son of Puah, a man of Isaachar. He dwelt in the hill country of Ephraim in the village of Shamir, where after judging Israel 23 years he was buried (Jud 10:1,2). In the order of succession he is placed between Abimelech and Jair. It is interesting to note that both Tola and Puah are names of colors, and that they occur together both in the case of the judge and in that of the sons of Isaachar. They may therefore be looked upon as popular typical or ancestral names of the Issachar tribe, although current critical theories seek an explanation in a confusion of texts.</p><p>Ella Davis Isaacs</p>