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Issachar or Yissachar
(יִשָּׂש
ׁכָר "Reward; recompense",
Standard Hebrew Yissaḫar, Tiberian Hebrew
YiśśÃ¢ḵār) was the fifth son
of Jacob and his first wife Leah.  According to
Book of Genesis|Genesis, Issachar was conceived on
the night that Leah tried to use
Mandrake_(plant)|mandrakes brought to her by her
oldest son Reuben (Bible)|Reuben to remedy her
infertility.  Because Leah took her child's birth
to mean that she was divinely favored, she gave
him the name Issachar.

As the ancestor of the Tribes of Israel|tribe of
Israel bearing his name, Issachar and his people
settled in the Jezreel Valley and the low hills
east of Mount Tabor.  Jacob's blessing, given in
Egypt and recorded in Genesis 49, describes
Issachar as "a strong ass" who "became a
slavery|slave at forced labor", perhaps indicating
that the tribe of Issachar was one subject to the
Canaanites of that region.

Issachar fathered four sons who joined him in the
migration of Jacob's family to Egypt, where he
died and was buried.  Among his descendants were
the Book of Judges|judge Tola and two kingdom of
Israel|kings of Israel, Baasha and his son Elah.