Biblical References

Introduction

Tribe descended from Gad, the seventh son of Jacob. In the desert it was credited with 40,000 men able to bear arms (Num. i. 24 et seq., ii. 15, xxvi. 18). Rich in flocks, it occupied, with Reuben and half of Manasseh, the district east of the Jordan once belonging to the kings of Heshbon and Bashan and partly settled by Ammonites (Num. xxxii. 1, 29, 33; Deut. iii. 12, 18; Josh. xiii. 25).

Hence the "land of Gad" (I Sam. xiii. 7), on the Jabbok (= "brook of Gad"; II Sam. xxiv. 5; see Gilead). Among its cities were Ramoth, Jaezer, Aroer, Dibon (Num. xxxii. 34 et seq.; Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 8).

Gad was a warlike tribe, and took part in the conquest of the trans-Jordanic regions (Gen. xlix. 19; Deut. xxxiii. 20, 21; Num. xxxii. 6 et seq.). Among David's men at Adullam, Gad was well represented (I Chron. xii. 8; I Sam. xxii. 1, 2).

Though Gad at first remained loyal to Ish-bosheth, it later transferred its allegiance to David (II Sam. ii. 8 et seq., xvii. 24 et seq.). Jeroboam built the fortress Penuel to keep the men of Gad in check (I Kings xii. 25). Later, under Uzziah and Jotham, Gad was joined to the kingdom of Judah (I Chron. v. 16; comp. Schrader, "K. B." ii. 27). The Ammonitesseem to have ultimately reconquered the territory of Gad (Jer. xlix. 1). E. G. H.

In Rabbinical Literature:

Gad was born on the tenth of ?eshwan, and lived 125 years (Ex. R. i. 5; Yal?., Ex. 1). He was called "Gad" after the manna, which was like coriander (; Ex. R. l.c.). Because of his great strength he was not presented by Joseph to Pharaoh, lest the latter should appoint him one of his guards (Gen. R. xcv. 4).

Foreseeing that the children of Gad would devote themselves to the breeding of cattle, Jacob ordered that in carrying his bier Gad should walk on the southern side, whence came the beneficent rains and fructifying dew (Num. R. iii. 12).

The tribe of Gad occupied the southern side of the camp also (Num. R. l.c.). They were neighbours of Korah because, like him, they were quarrel-some.

Their standard was of red and black, with a camp painted on it (Num. R. ii. 6). According to some, the name of Gad was inscribed on the agate in the breastplate of the high priest ("Shalshelet ha-?abbalah," p. 13), according to others on the ligure (Samuel ?ar?a, "Me?or ?ayyim" to Ex. xxviii.), while others declare it to have been cut on the amethyst, which has the virtue of infusing martial courage (Ex. R. xxxviii.; Ba?ya ben Asher's commentary, ad loc.).

The tribe of Gad is blamed for having chosen the "other side" of the Jordan, the verse "Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt" (Eccl. v. 12) being applied to them (Gen. R. 1. 11). When they arrived at the Jordan and saw the fertility of the land, they said: "One handful of enjoyment on this side is better than two on the other" (Lev. R. iii. 1). However, because they crossed the river to help their brethren in the conquest of Palestine, just as Simeon did when he took his sword and warred against the men of Shechem, they were found worthy to follow the tribe of Simeon at the sacrifices on the occasion of the dedication of the Tabernacle (Num. R. xiii. 19). Moses was buried in the territory of Gad (So?ah 13b; Yal?u?, Wezot ha-Berakah, p. 961). According to some, Elijah was a descendant of Gad (Gen. R. lxxi.). The tribes of Gad and Reuben were the first that went into exile (Lam. R. i. 5).E. G. H. I. Br.

Critical View:

The inscription on the Moabite Stone, 1. 10, reports that "the man of Gad had dwelt since days of old in the land of Ataroth; then the King of Israel built for himself Ataroth." According to this, the Moabites distinguished between Gad and Israel, regarding the former as old inhabitants of the parts east of the Jordan.

The same notion that Gad is not of pure Israelitish stock underlies the Biblical genealogy of the tribe's eponym. He is the son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid, not a full brother to Reuben and the other northern tribes. The geographical notes on Gad are for the same reason diverse and divergent. The city of Dibon is designated in Num. xxxiii. 45 as belonging to Gad (with Ataroth and Aroer in Num. xxxii. 34 et seq.), but in Josh. xiii. 15 et seq. this same territory, north of the Arnon, belongs to Reuben.

The boundaries of Gad in Josh. xiii. 24-27 (P) are also different. These and other discrepancies show a wide latitude and indefiniteness in the use of "Gad" as a territorial designation. Gilead sometimes includes Gad (among other passages see Judges v. 17), though at times it denotes a country north of Gad, and again a country south of Jaazer (II Sam. xxiv. 5; Josh. xiii. 24 et seq.). These facts seem to indicate that "Gad" was originally the name of a nomadic tribe, and was then applied to the territory which this tribe passed over and settled in.

The gradual extension of the use of the name shows on the whole that the tribe coming from the south pushed on steadily northward (II Sam. xxiv. 5; comp. I Chron. v. 11, 16). The territory was never secure from invasion and attacks. To the south it was exposed to the Moabites, to the north to the Arameans from Damascus, and later to the Assyrians. Tiglath-pileser III. annexed this region about 733-732 B.C., and enslaved a part of the inhabitants (II Kings xv. 29; I Chron. v. 26). Ezekiel assigns to Gad the southern boundary in his territorial scheme (Ezek. xlviii. 27, 28). The suggestion has been made that the name of the tribe is derived from Gad, the god of luck.E. G. H.

A prophet, "the seer of David." The first appearance of Gad occurred when David took refuge from Saul in a stronghold in Mizpeh of Moab (I Sam. xxii. 5). Gad advised him to leave it for the forest of Hareth. He reappeared late in the life of David, after the latter's numbering of the people, giving him the choice of one of three punishments, one of which God was about to inflict upon the Jews (II Sam. xxiv. 11-14; I Chron. xxi. 9-13). Attached to the royal house, Gad was called "David's seer" (II Sam. xxiv. 11; I Chron. xxi. 9). He also wrote a book of the acts of David (ib. xxix. 29), and assisted in arranging the musical service of the house of God (II Chron. xxix. 25). M. Sel.

Name of the god of fortune, found in Isa. lxv. 11, along with Meni, the name of the god of destiny. The passage refers to meals or feasts held by Hebrews in Babylonia in honor of these deities. Nothing is known of any Babylonian divinity of the name of Gad, but Aramean and Arabic equivalents show that the same god was honored among the other leading Semitic peoples. The root-verb means "to cut" or "to divide." Thence comes the idea of portioning out, which is also present in the word "Meni," the name of the kindred deity.

"Gad" is perhaps found also in Gen. xxx. 11, where the ketib reading means "by the help of Gad!" the exclamation of Leah at the birth of Zilpah's son. Indeed, it is quite possible that this narrative arises from a tradition connecting the tribal eponym with the Deity Himself. How wide-spread the cult of Gad, or Fortune, was in the old Canaanitish times may be inferred from the names "Baalgad," a city at the foot of Mount Hermon, and "Migdal-gad," in the territory of Judah. Compare also the proper names "Gaddi" and "Gaddiel" in the tribes of Manasseh and Zebulun (Num. xiii. 10, 11).

At the same time it must not be supposed that Gad was always regarded as an independent deity. The name was doubtless originally an appellative, meaning "the power that allots." Hence any of the greater gods supposed to favour men might be thought of as the giver of good fortune and be worshiped under that appellative. It is possible that Jupiter may have been the "Gad" thus honored. Among the Arabs the planet Jupiter was called "the greater Fortune," while Venus was styled "the lesser Fortune." If the same usage prevailed in earlier Semitic days Meni should perhaps also be identified with Venus.

Gad, the god of fortune, is frequently invoked in Talmudic (magic) formulas of good will and wishes; for instance, in Shab. 67b ("Gad eno ella leshon 'abodat kokabim"; comp. Targ. Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xx. 10, 11). The name is often synonymous with "luck" (Yer. Ned. iv. 38d; Yer. Shab. xvi. 15d). Gad is the patron saint of a locality, a mountain (?ul. 40a), of an idol (Gen. R. lxiv.), a house, or the world (Gen. R. lxxi.). Hence "luck" may also be bad (Eccl. R. vii. 26). A couch or bed for this god of fortune is referred to in Ned. 56a.

2 Samuel 24:5

• NASB: They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right sid of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward Jazer.
• GWT: They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer.
• KJV: And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and unto Jazer.
• ASV: And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the midst of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer.
• BBE: And they went over Jordan, and starting from Aroer, from the town which is in the middle of the valey, they went in the direction of the Gadites, and on to Jazer.
• DBY: And they over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer.
• ERV: And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer.
• JPS: And they passed over the Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer.
• WBS: And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and towards Jazer.
• WEB: They passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and to Jazer.
• YLT: And they pass over the Jordan, and encamp in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the midst of the brook of Gad, and unto Jazer.

Biblical

• GEN 30:11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.
• GEN 35:26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.
• GEN 46:16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
• GEN 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
• EX 1:4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
• NUM 1:14 Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
• NUM 1:24 Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
• NUM 1:25 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
• NUM 2:14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
• NUM 7:42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered:
• NUM 10:20 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
• NUM 13:10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.
• NUM 13:11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.
• NUM 13:15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
• NUM 26:15 The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites:
• NUM 26:18 These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.
• NUM 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
• NUM 32:2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,
• NUM 32:6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?
• NUM 32:25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
• NUM 32:29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
• NUM 32:31 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
• NUM 32:33 And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.
• NUM 32:34 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
• NUM 34:14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:
• DEUT 3:12 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.
• DEUT 3:16 And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;
• DEUT 4:43 Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.
• DEUT 27:13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
• DEUT 29:8 And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
• DEUT 33:20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
• JOSH 1:12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,
• JOSH 4:12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:
• JOSH 12:6 Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.
• JOSH 13:8 With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of the LORD gave them;
• JOSH 13:24 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families.
• JOSH 13:28 This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.
• JOSH 18:7 But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.
• JOSH 20:8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
• JOSH 21:7 The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
• JOSH 21:38 And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
• JOSH 22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
• JOSH 22:9 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
• JOSH 22:10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
• JOSH 22:11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.
• JOSH 22:13 And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
• JOSH 22:15 And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,
• JOSH 22:21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
• JOSH 22:25 For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.
• JOSH 22:30 And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them.
• JOSH 22:31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.
• JOSH 22:32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again.
• JOSH 22:33 And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
• JOSH 22:34 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.
• 1SAM 13:7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
• 1SAM 22:5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
• 2SAM 23:36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
• 2SAM 24:5 And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:
• 2SAM 24:11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
• 2SAM 24:13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
• 2SAM 24:14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.
• 2SAM 24:18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
• 2SAM 24:19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
• 2KINGS 10:33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
• 2KINGS 15:14 For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
• 2KINGS 15:17 In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria.
• 1CHRON 2:2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
• 1CHRON 5:11 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salcah:
• 1CHRON 5:18 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
• 1CHRON 5:26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.
• 1CHRON 6:63 Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
• 1CHRON 6:80 And out of the tribe of Gad; Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
• 1CHRON 12:8 And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;
• 1CHRON 12:14 These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.
• 1CHRON 12:37 And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand.
• 1CHRON 21:9 And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,
• 1CHRON 21:11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee
• 1CHRON 21:13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.
• 1CHRON 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
• 1CHRON 21:19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.
• 1CHRON 26:32 And his brethren, men of valor, were two thousand and seven hundred chief fathers, whom king David made rulers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God, and affairs of the king.
• 1CHRON 29:29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,
• 2CHRON 29:25 And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.
• JER 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
• EZEK 48:27 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion.
• EZEK 48:28 And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea.
• EZEK 48:34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
• MK 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
• LK 8:26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
• LK 8:37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.
• REV 7:5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.