1. One of the four sons of Issachar named among the 66 descendants of Jacob who accompanied him in the migration to Egypt to join Joseph (Gn 46:13); and the ancestor of the first of four families of the tribe of Issachar, as identified in the census of Israel undertaken by Moses and Eleazar (Nm 26:23). Tola’s sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel (1 Chr 7:2). The Israelite clan of the Tolaites took its name from him (Nm 26:23), and during the time of David the warriors of his family numbered 22,600 men (1 Chr 7:1–2).→ View encyclopedia entry
2. One of the judges of Israel, the son of Puah and the grandson of Dodo (Jgs 10:1), of Issachar’s tribe. Shamir, his home and burial place, was in the hill country of Ephraim. There he judged Israel for 23 years.
Although he “delivered” Israel after the debacle of Abimelech’s abortive attempt to establish a monarchy at Shechem, his accomplishment is covered in just two verses (Jgs 10:1–2). Like other “minor judges,” mentioned only briefly (e.g., 12:8–15), he actually functioned in the judicial role—some more prominent “judges” (e.g., Gideon and Jephthah) were first, and perhaps solely, military heroes.