Gad
Gad was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Gad, the son of Jacob, and known for their military prowess and settlement east of the Jordan River.
The name Gad means “a band; a troop”
MaleJacob's sonTribe of GadPatriarchs eraOld & New Testaments11 books56 verses
Summary
A man who founded the tribe of Gad living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Genesis 30:11; referred to as Gad or Gadite (גָּד), Gadite (גָּדִי), or Gad (Γάδ); son of Israel and Zilpah; a brother of Asher; half-brother of: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph and Benjamin; father of Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arod and Areli.
Events
Dates are approximate
- Birth of Gadc. 1753 BC
- Joseph sold to Egyptc. 1728 BC
- 7 years of faminec. 1708 BC
- Joseph's brothers return to Egyptc. 1706 BC
Glossary entries
Family members
Alternative names
Mentions
Includes 1 verse that refer to Gad without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.
- Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
- And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
- The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
- Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
- Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
- …from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
- From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
- …those registered to the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.
- Next will be the tribe of Gad. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel,
- On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the Gadites, drew near.
- …and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.
- …and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Machi.
- These were the descendants of Gad by their clans: The Zephonite clan from Zephon, the Haggite clan from Haggi, the Shunite clan from Shuni,
- These were the clans of Gad, and their registration numbered 40,500.
- Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock.
- So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,
- But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
- The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands.
- And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
- The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do.
- So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.
- And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
- For the tribes of the Reubenites and Gadites, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, have already received their inheritance.
- And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
- Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head.
- Deuteronomy 33:21Referred to, not namedHe chose the best land for himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s justice and His ordinances for Israel.”
- The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.
- This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Gad:
- This was the inheritance of the clans of the Gadites, including the cities and villages.
- The Levites, however, have no portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
- And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
- And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
- And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim,
- So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses.
- And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
- Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”
- The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
- They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them,
- Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel:
- For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
- When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied.
- Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”
- Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead.
- The Israelites were satisfied with the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived.
- So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
- Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, remained at Gilgal, and all his troops were quaking in fear.
- They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer.
- Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
- The descendants of Gad lived next to the Reubenites in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah:
- The Merarites, according to their clans, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
- And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,
- Concerning the Ammonites, this is what the LORD says: “Has Israel no sons? Is he without heir? Why then has Milcom taken possession of Gad? Why have his people settled in their cities?
- And Gad will have one portion bordering the territory of Zebulun from east to west.
- The southern border of Gad will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the Brook of Egypt and out to the Great Sea.
- And on the west side, which will be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali.
- From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,