Gad
1:
GAD (DEITY) [Heb gad (גַּד)]. A deity (or spirit) of fortune mentioned in Isa 65:11 as being worshipped, along with Meni (a god of fate or destiny), by apostate Jews, probably in postexilic Judah. The RSV translates Heb gad as “Fortune” and mĕnı̂ as “Destiny”: “you . . . who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny.” Most likely the setting of a table took place to venerate both deities, as also the filling of cups.
According to the evidence of Aramaic, Syriac, and Arabic, gad should be understood as “fortune,” “good luck.” It is used with this appellative meaning in the OT (Gen 30:11 [kĕtı̂b], though some commentators would see here the name of the deity) and in other ANE literature. When gad is used as an element in compound names, it is often difficult to determine whether it should be taken in the appellative sense or as the name of the god. The place name Baal-gad (Josh 11:17) could be interpreted as “Lord Gad” or as involving an epithet (gad) joined to the divine name Baal. Likewise “Migdal-gad” (Josh 15:37) could be “Tower of Gad” or “Tower of fortune.” However, such names as Gaddi (Num 13:11), Gadi (2 Kgs 15:14, 17) and Gaddiel (Num 13:10) are best understood as using gad as an appellative (see RE 5: 329, 332–33; TDOT 2: 383, also for the name Gad [Gen 49:19, 1 Sam 22:5] as possibly representing the appellative meaning).
Certain witness in the OT for a deity Gad comes from Isa 65:11, and from the name Azgad, Heb ˓azgād (Ezra 2:12 = Neh 7:17; Ezra 8:12; Neh 10:16—Eng 10:15), according to analogy with the Phoenician names ˓zb˓l, “Baal is mighty,” and ˓zmlk, “Malk is mighty.” Clear attestation for the divinity Gad also comes from Aramaic, Palmyrenian, and Arabic evidence. There is, however, no corresponding divine name in the pantheons of Assyria or Babylonia. It has been suggested, with some credibility, that the deity Gad, “Fortune,” evolved relatively late (perhaps in the 1st millennium b.c.) as a personification of the appellative (and abstract) gad, “fortune.” Support for this suggestion may come from the pointing in the Hebrew text, which provides gad in Isa 65:11 with the definite article (lit. “for the Gad”), perhaps indicating that the Masoretes retained an awareness of the “original” appellative meaning of gad (i.e., “for the [god of] good fortune”?).
Jewish tradition identified Gad with the planet Jupiter, regarded in Arabic astrology as the star of greater fortune. Yet there is insufficient evidence to establish that the apostates described in Isa 65:11 had such an understanding of Gad. Gad has also been identified with the deity Tyche (Gk tychē), “Fortune,” mentioned in Gk inscriptions, many of which come from the Hauran. This identification is probably correct: An Aram-Gk bilingual inscription from Palmyra apparently equates Gad and Tyche (however, see RE5: 334). A minority of scholars would connect Tyche with another divinity (e.g., Atargatis: RE5: 335), and the best-attested reading for the LXX at Isa 65:11 renders “Gad” with daimoni (or daimoniō), “demon,” and “Meni” with tychē (for one possible explanation for this reading, see Delitzsch 1969: 484; SDB 2: 322). However, in some manuscripts “Gad” is rendered with tychē, “Meni” with daimoni; the LXX at Gen 30:11 has for the Heb gad (used in the appellative sense) tychē; and for Isa 65:11 the Vg reads Qui ponitis Fortunae mensam, “(You) who place a table for Fortune.”
Gad is mentioned frequently in Syriac and later Jewish literature. A Syriac writer of the 5th century mentions that tables were still being set for Gad in his time. This practice of spreading a table laden with food before a deity or deities (usually equated with the Roman lectisternium) was common throughout the ancient world (in the OT, cf. Jer 7:18; in the NT, 1 Cor 10:21). There may be a partial parallel in the worship of Yahweh, the God of Israel, with the provision of the “shewbread” (Lev 24:5–9) set on a special table (Exod 25:23–30; 1 Kgs 7:48). The apostates of Isa 65:11 were looking to Gad, not Yahweh, as the source of well-being and prosperity.
Bibliography
Delitzsch, F. 1969. Isaiah. Trans. J. Martin. Vol. 7 in Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI.
Walter A. Maier III
GAD (PERSON) [Heb gād (גָּד)]. GADITE. Two persons bear this name in the Hebrew Bible.
1. The son of Jacob, and therefore eponymous ancestor of the tribe of Gad. His mother was Bilhah, Leah’s handmaiden (Gen 30:11). The etymology of the name “Gad” is not clear. Although some suggest a derivation from the root gdd, “to cut off,” most scholars follow the pun of Genesis 30: “Gad” = “(good) fortune.” The name Gad is known as a theophoric element in a number of W Semitic personal names. It is not the real name but an adjective, an appelative, “the Fortune,” and could be used for a number of gods.
There is not one system of 12 tribes in the OT, but two. The first is mainly a list of patronyms. It is mostly known as “system A” and includes Levi and the tribe of Joseph. The second system, called “B,” does not include Levi and has Ephraim and Manasseh in the place of Joseph. This second system is geographical, and it lists tribal areas. This system “B” is older than system “A.” (The main texts for system “A” are: Gen 29:31–30:24; 35:23–26; 46:8–25; 49:3–27; Exod 1:2–4; Deut 27:12–14; Ezek 48:31–35; 1 Chr 2:2. For system “B” : Num 1:5–15; 2:3–31; 7:12–83; 13:4–15; 26:5–51; Josh 13–19; 21:4–7, 9–39.) In the first system, Gad is usually the 7th son, in the second the 9th tribe. (The different order in Numbers 26 has to do with the placing of the standards in Numbers 2. In this way it was easy to prevent the tribe of Judah coming under the standard of Reuben.)
In trying to locate the exact tribal regions or even their boundaries one encounters several problems. The first is the uncertainty about the identifications of biblical place-names, especially in Transjordan. The second is that those who produce biblical maps tend to harmonize different texts. The third problem is a methodological one. The biblical data on the geographical and historical situations in Transjordan show a wide variation. To what extent can these differences be explained historically? That is to say, do the different texts record different situations in successive periods? Or to what extent do we have to reckon with purely literary procedures, without any basis in a historical reality?
There is a rather broad consensus that the oldest reliable source on the Transjordanian tribes of Gad and Reuben is the core of the city-list in Num 32:33–38. According to Wüst (1975) this core consists of the following 4 cities for Gad: Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, and Atroth-shophan. The city-names Jaazer, Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran are later additions that were taken from Joshua 13. The addition of Jogbehah is a harmonization with Judg 8:12. This means that according to the oldest biblical tradition there is a tribe Gad centered around Dibon (cf. the name-form Dibon-gad in Num 33:45). This is a territory N of the river Arnon, its heartland being a fertile plateau with excellent grazing, called “the Mishor” (Josh 13:9, 16; Deut 3:10; 4:43). The oldest text locates Gad therefore to the S of the tribe of Reuben that was centered in the N parts of the Mishor around Heshbon. As will be shown below, the tribe of Gad was forced out of this S position and resettled in towns more to the N.
Many have noticed that of the Transjordanian tribes only Reuben is mentioned in the very old Song of Deborah (Judges 5). Instead of Gad we find “Gilead.” It is too simplistic to assume that “Gilead” was just another name for the territory of Gad. To the author of the Song there were obviously two nuclei of Israelite settlement E of the Jordan: Gilead, N and S of the river Jabbok; and the Mishor, called by him after Reuben, S of Gilead but N of the Arnon. In Num 32:29, 30 “the land of Gilead” is used as the general name for the Israelite territories E of the Jordan. It is equivalent to “the land of Canaan.” In v 1 the tribal territory of Reuben is called “the land of Jaazer.” The absence of Gad can best be explained by assuming that Gad was only later considered as a separate tribe. In the early monarchy, Israelite Transjordan was known as “the land of Gad and Gilead” (1 Sam 13:7; cf. also 2 Sam 24:5).
Gad is mentioned in 2 other old texts: in the “Blessing of Jacob” and in the “Blessing of Moses” (Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33, respectively). Zobel has shown that the blessing of Gad belongs to a younger type. A comparison with an animal, for instance, is lacking. On the other hand the condition of the tribe differs in both blessings: In the older one (Genesis 49) the tribe is depicted as threatened; but in Deuteronomy 33 only praise is expressed for Gad—here the tribe is obviously in its prime. The rise of Gad was largely at the cost of the tribe of Reuben. This development becomes visible already in Num 32:34–38. The analysis of this text by Wüst (1975) has shown that the additions to the original document are all situated to the N of the territory of Reuben. These additions are: Jazer, Beth-nimrah, Beth-haran, and Jogbehah.
In the case of the tribe of Gad we have the rare opportunity to supplement biblical tradition with extrabiblical data. The famous stela of king Mesha of Moab (a modern English translation is given in HAIJ, 283) gives us valuable information on the historical situation in S Transjordan in the mid-9th century b.c.e. King Mesha introduces himself in line 1 as “the Dibonite,” which seems to imply that he was born there. Dibon therefore was already Moabite at the beginning of the 9th century. The homeland of the Moabites lay S of the river Arnon, and Dibon is situated just N of it. Then, in lines 7–8, Mesha informs us that “the men of Gad lived always in the region of Ataroth.” “Always” should be understood as “of old,” “in living memory,” i.e., at least during the last 3 generations. This brings us into the time of Saul and David, in excellent agreement with 1 Samuel 13. Next, king Mesha informs us that the town of Medeba was given back to Moab by its god Chemosh. This former Reubenite town was clearly lost by Israel at an earlier time. After that it was reconquered by king Omri of Israel. But after Omri’s death, Mesha had been able to conquer it again. From this we may conclude that the Moabite expansion probably went N along the King’s Highway and left the areas W of it—Ataroth—at first untouched. The following cities are counted by Mesha as having been conquered from Israel: Beth-baal-meon, Kiriathaim, Nebo, and Jahaz. All of these are well-known from the Bible. Mesha was the first king of Moab to make Dibon the royal residence. It was also here that the stela was erected. From this stela we see clearly how the border with Israel was pushed northwards.
Pressure came not only from the S, but also from the E. The already famous scroll 4QSama, found near the Dead Sea, has kept a few verses of 1 Samuel 11 that apparently were lost in the MT. This additional text is to be placed before 1 Sam 11:1 (translation F. M. Cross 1980):
[And Na]hash, king of the Ammonites, sorely oppressed the children of Gad and the children of Reuben, and he gouged out a[ll] their right eyes and struck ter[ror and dread] in Israel. There was not left one among the children of Israel bey[ond] [Jordan who]se right eye was no[t go]uged out by Naha[sh king] of the children of [A]mmon; except seven thousand men [fled from] the children of Ammon and entered [J]abesh-Gilead. About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-[Gilead] and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash [the Ammonite, “Make] with [us a covenant and we shall become your subjects.”] Nahash [the Amonite said t]o [th]em, [“After this fashion will] I make [a covenant with you] . . .
From the course of history we must conclude that the victories of Saul and David over the Ammonites were decisive: It was not until more than 2 centuries later that Ammon once again became a threat to Israel. David made himself king over Ammon and in 2 Sam 23:26 a hero from Gad and one from Ammon are mentioned side by side.
The list of the Solomonic districts—1 Kgs 4:7–19—describes the land of Israel at the end of the United Monarchy. At the end of the list the 12th district includes “the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon.” The use of “Gilead” is suspect because of the geographical order and because Gilead was already treated as the 6th district. (To read only “the land of Gad” with LXXB is probably too simple.) Sihon was the Amorite king of Heshbon (Num 21:21–30). In any case the list does testify to the existence of an Israelite district in S Transjordan at this time.
Deuteronomy, however, locates the tribe of Gad much farther to the N than do the older texts (Deut 3:12, 16; 4:43; 29:7). A number of younger texts associate with the tribe of Gad an itinerary through the Jordan valley southwards. It passes through Zaphon, Succoth, Beth-nimrah, Beth-haran, and Beth-jeshimoth. This route entered former Reubenite territory at Kiriathaim and joined the King’s Highway at Dibon. Again according to Wüst (1975), this itinerary was also known to the redactor of Joshua 13. This document originally listed Israelite cities in Transjordan; a subdivision over tribes was added later. In Joshua 13 the border is drawn between Gad (N) and Reuben (S) at the wadi el-Wâlah. From the Mesha stela we concluded the same borderline. Heshbon remained an Israelite city, probably until 722 b.c.e. Jer 49:1–3 also considers the wadi el-Wâlah as the border with Moab. Jeremiah still connects Heshbon with the tribe of Gad.
Remarkable, however, is Isa 15:2–4; 16:9. It does not seem to disturb the prophet Isaiah that almost all the Moabite towns he enumerates had been Israelite until a few decades before him.
In later, postexilic texts, the location of the tribe of Gad continues to be in the N. We find Gadite cities even mentioned near the river Yarmuk. A Gadite city is also mentioned in the list of Cities of Refuge (Joshua 20). The list of Levitical cities from Joshua 21 ascribes a number of N cities to Gad too, but at the same time also Heshbon, the former Reubenite center. Maybe this can be explained by assuming that Gadite clans withdrew to the N and to the Jordan valley after their original territory was lost.
Bibliography
Cross, F. M. 1980. The Ammonite Oppression of the Tribes of Gad and Reuben: Missing Verses from 1 Samuel 11 found in 4QSama. Pp. 105–19 in The Hebrew and Greek Texts of Samuel: Proceedings IOSCS—Vienna 1980. Jerusalem.
Dornemann, R. H. 1983. The Archaeology of the Transjordan in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Milwaukee.
Geus, C. H. J. de. 1976. The Tribes of Israel. Assen and Amsterdam.
Gottwald, N. K. 1979. The Tribes of Yahweh. Maryknoll, NY.
Halpern, B. 1983. The Emergence of Israel in Canaan. Chico, CA.
Lemche, N. P. 1985. Early Israel. VTSup 37. Leiden.
Lindars, B. 1979. The Israelite Tribes in Judges. Pp 95–112 in Congress Volume, Göttingen 1977. VTSup 30. Leiden.
Ottosson, M. 1969. Gilead. Tradition and History. ConBOT 3. Lund.
Van Seters, J. 1972. The Conquest of Sihon’s Kingdom: A Literary Examination. JBL 91: 182–87.
Weippert, H. 1973. Das geographische System der Stamme Israels. VT 23: 76–89.
Weippert, M. 1971. The Settlement of the Israelite Tribes in Palestine. London.
Wüst, M. 1975. Untersuchungen zu den siedlungsgeographischen Texten des Alten Testaments. Vol 1. Wiesbaden.
Zobel, H. J. 1965. Stammesspruch und Geschichte. BZAW 95. Berlin.
C. H. J. de Geus
2. An Israelite seer (1 Chr 29:29) and prophet (1 Sam 22:5). He was a contemporary of King David, and was significant primarily for his influence in David’s life and decisions. Having become the object of Saul’s anger, David fled and lodged in the cave of Adullam where his family and many socially distressed persons joined him. After some time Gad counseled David to leave the cave and settle in Judah; David acceded to his counsel (1 Sam 22:5). Later, after David took a census of his increasingly numerous people, Gad offered David a selection of 1 from among 3 punishments for the prideful act; David selected a pestilence in the land as the preferred punishment. While the pestilence raged, Gad instructed David to sacrifice on an altar to be erected on a chosen plot. David again followed the seer’s instruction: He purchased the plot, erected the altar, and sacrificed; the pestilence ceased (2 Samuel 24 = 1 Chr 21:1–27). He was later influential, indirectly and posthumously, in a decision by King Hezekiah: When the king cleansed the polluted temple and consecrated it, he ordered the Levitical musicians to serve strictly according to Gad’s commandment issued during David’s reign and applicable to the situation (2 Chr 29:25). A document entitled Chronicles, devoted to the memory of David’s rule, might, grandeur, and success, is attributed to him either as its author or editor (1 Chr 29:29–30).
Gerald J. Petter
Freedman, D. N. (1996, c1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (2:863). New York: Doubleday.
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GAD One of the twelve tribes of Jacob.
See also aaron; jacob; tribes of israel.
Jeffrey, D. L. (1992). A Dictionary of biblical tradition in English literature. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.
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Gad — fortune; luck. (1.) Jacob’s seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and the brother of Asher (Gen. 30:11–13; 46:16, 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, “A troop cometh: and she called,” etc., should rather be rendered, “In fortune [R.V., ‘Fortunate’]: and she called,” etc., or “Fortune cometh,” etc.
The tribe of Gad during the march through the wilderness had their place with Simeon and Reuben on the south side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:14). The tribes of Reuben and Gad continued all through their history to follow the pastoral pursuits of the patriarchs (Num. 32:1–5).
The portion allotted to the tribe of Gad was on the east of Jordan, and comprehended the half of Gilead, a region of great beauty and fertility (Deut. 3:12), bounded on the east by the Arabian desert, on the west by the Jordan (Josh. 13:27), and on the north by the river Jabbok. It thus included the whole of the Jordan valley as far north as to the Sea of Galilee, where it narrowed almost to a point.
This tribe was fierce and warlike; they were “strong men of might, men of war for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, their faces the faces of lions, and like roes upon the mountains for swiftness” (1 Chr. 12:8; 5:19–22). Barzillai (2 Sam. 17:27) and Elijah (1 Kings 17:1) were of this tribe. It was carried into captivity at the same time as the other tribes of the northern kingdom by Tiglath-pileser (1 Chr. 5:26), and in the time of Jeremiah (49:1) their cities were inhabited by the Ammonites.
(2.) A prophet who joined David in the “hold,” and at whose advice he quitted it for the forest of Hareth (1 Chr. 29:29; 2 Chr. 29:25; 1 Sam. 22:5). Many years after we find mention made of him in connection with the punishment inflicted for numbering the people (2 Sam. 24:11–19; 1 Chr. 21:9–19). He wrote a book called the “Acts of David” (1 Chr. 29:29), and assisted in the arrangements for the musical services of the “house of God” (2 Chr. 29:25). He bore the title of “the king’s seer” (2 Sam. 24:11, 13; 1 Chr. 21:9).
Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
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GAD (Person)
1. One of the 12 sons of Jacob (Gn 35:26; 1 Chr 2:2). He was the first of the two sons born to Jacob by Zilpah, Leah’s maid. Delighted with giving Jacob another son, Leah named the boy Gad, meaning “good fortune” (Gn 30:11). Later, Gad moved his family with Jacob to Egypt (Ex 1:4). When Jacob blessed his sons, he predicted that Gad would constantly be troubled by foreign invaders but would successfully withstand them and put them to flight (see Gn 49:19 and discussion below under Gad, Tribe of). Gad became the father of seven sons (Gn 46:16) and the founder of the Gadites (Dt 3:12, 16), one of the 12 tribes of Israel (Nm 2:14).
See also Gad, Tribe of.
2. Prophet and seer during the reign of David. He counseled David to leave Mizpeh of Moab and return to the land of Judah (1 Sm 22:5). Gad communicated David’s punishment for numbering the fighting men of Israel (2 Sm 24:11–14, 18–19; 1 Chr 21:9–19), assisted David and Nathan in setting up the order of worship in the sanctuary (2 Chr 29:25) and later wrote an account of David’s life (1 Chr 29:29).
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (505). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
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GAD (gad; “fortune”). The name of David’s “seer” (see below); and of Jacob’s seventh son, the firstborn of Zilpah, Leah’s maid, and whole brother to Asher (Gen. 30:9–11; 46:16, 18), perhaps about 1850 b.c.
Personal History. Of the life of the individual Gad son of Jacob, nothing is preserved.
The Tribe of Gad. At the time of the descent into Egypt seven sons are ascribed to him (Gen. 46:16), remarkable from the fact that a majority of their names have plural terminations, as if those of families rather than persons (Smith). At the first census Gad had 45,650 adult males, ranking eighth; and at the second census 40,500, ranking tenth.
They were attached to the second division of the Israelite host, following the standard of Reuben and camping on the S of the Tabernacle, their chief being Eliasaph the son of Deuel, or Reuel (Num. 1:14; 2:10–16).
In common with Reuben, Gad requested Moses to give them their portion on the E of the Jordan, because they had “an exceedingly large number of livestock.” Upon being assured that they would assist their brethren in the conquest of Canaan, Moses granted them their request. The country allotted to Gad appears, speaking roughly, to have lain chiefly about the center of the land E of the Jordan. To Reuben and Gad was given the territory of Sihon, between the Arnon and the Jabbok and as far E as Jazer, the border of the Ammonites, but the division is hard to define (see Num. 32:33; Josh. 13:15–21). “The land is high, well suitable for flocks…. There is water in abundance, and therefore the vegetation is rich” (Harper, Bible and Mod. Dis., p. 262).
The Gadites were a warlike tribe, and they bravely aided their brethren in the conquest of Canaan (Josh. 4:12; 22:1–4). Surrounded by the Ammonites, Midianites, and many other hostile tribes, they nobly defended their country. One of their greatest victories was that gained over the descendants of Ishmael, the tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab, from whom they took enormous booty (1 Chron. 5:18–22). The seat of Ish-bosheth’s sovereignty was established in this territory, for Abner brought him to Mahanaim, where he reigned (2 Sam. 2:8) and was assassinated. Many, however, of the Gadite chiefs had joined David while in the stronghold (1 Chron. 12:8); and when, years later, he was obliged to flee across the Jordan, he found welcome and help (2 Sam. 17:24, 27–29). In the division of the kingdom, Gad fell to the northern state, and many of the wars between Syria and Israel must have ravaged its territory (2 Kings 10:33). At last, Tiglath-pileser carried the Gadites and the neighboring tribes away as captives into Assyria (15:29; 1 Chron. 5:26).
bibliography: D. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1957), pp. 217–31.
GAD (gad; “good fortune”). The “Seer,” or “David’s seer” (2 Sam. 24:11; 1 Chron. 21:9; 29:29; 2 Chron. 29:25), was a prophet who appears to have joined David when in “the stronghold” and who advised David to leave it for the forest of Hereth (1 Sam. 22:5), before 1000 b.c. We do not hear of him again until he reappears in connection with the punishment inflicted for the numbering of the people (2 Sam. 24:11–19; 1 Chron. 21:9–19). But he was evidently attached to the royal establishment at Jerusalem, for he wrote a book of the acts of David (29:29) and also assisted in settling the arrangements for the musical service of the “house of the Lord” (2 Chron. 29:25).
GAD (gad; “good fortune”). A Canaanite god of fortune, often appearing in Heb. compounds as “Baal-gad” (Josh. 11:17; “Migdal-gad,” Josh. 15:37). See Gods, False.
Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). The new Unger's Bible dictionary. Revision of: Unger's Bible dictionary. 3rd ed. c1966. (Rev. and updated ed.). Chicago: Moody Press.
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GAD (‘good fortune’). 1. The seventh son of Jacob, his first by Leah’s maid Zilpah (Gn. 30:10–11). Gad himself already had seven sons when Jacob and his family entered Egypt (Gn. 46:16); Jacob promised Gad’s descendants a troubled life, but foretold that they would hit back (Gn. 49:19). They recur later in Moses’ blessing (Dt. 33:20–21).
2. An Israelite tribe descended from Gad, and the territory they occupied. The tribe in Moses’ time had seven clans (Nu. 26:15–18), was commanded and represented by one Eliasaph (Nu. 1:14; 2:14; 7:42; 10:20), and supplied a spy for exploration of Canaan (Nu. 13:15). When Israel reached the plains of Moab, Reuben, Gad and half-Manasseh sought permission to settle in Transjordan, which they desired as their share in the promised land, because *Gilead was so suitable for their considerable livestock. To this Moses agreed, on condition that they first help their fellow-Israelites to establish themselves in W Palestine (Nu. 32). The Gadites and Reubenites then hastily repaired cities (including Ataroth) and sheepfolds to safeguard their families and livestock (Nu. 32:34–38, cf. 26–27) while preparing to help their brethren, a promise of help duly kept (Jos. 22:1–8). Then came the incident of the altar of witness (Jos. 22:9–34). As tribal territory, Reuben and Gad received the Amorite kingdom of Sihon: Reuben had the land from *Aroer on the Arnon river, N to a line running from the Jordan’s mouth E to the region of Heshbon (Jos. 13:15–23). N of this line, Gad had all S Gilead, from the Jordan valley E as far as the S-to-N course of the upper Jabbok (the border with Ammon), and N generally as far as the E-to-W course of the lower Jabbok, but with two extensions beyond this: first, all the Jordan valley on the E side of Jordan river (formerly Sihon’s) between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee (or Chinneroth), and second, across the NE angle of the river Jabbok to include the district of *Mahanaim and a fertile tract flanking the E side of N Gilead N over Jebel Kafkafa to strategic Ramothgilead at modern Tell Ramith, 32 km NE of Jerash (cf. Jos. 13:24–28). Heshbon was assigned as a levitical city out of the territory of Gad (Jos. 21:38–39); hence perhaps read Jos. 13:16–17 as (Reuben’s) ‘border was from Aroer … and all the plain by Medeba, [unto] Heshbon … ‘ (emending only by the addition of one letter, locative-h). Dibon, etc., are then cities between these limits, and Heshbon would be the southernmost territory of Gad.
The Gadites doubtless shared the troubles of Transjordanian Israel generally in the judges’ period (e.g. Jdg. 10–12). In Saul’s day the wooded Gileadite hills of Gad offered a place-of refuge (1 Sa. 13:7), and Gadites among others joined the fugitive David and supported his becoming king (1 Ch. 12:1, 8–15, 37–38). Gadites likewise shared in, and were subject to, David’s administration (2 Sa. 23:36; 24:5; 1 Ch. 26:32). On his Moabite Stone, roughly 840/830 bc, King Mesha mentions that the Gadites had long dwelt in the land of Ataroth. Just after this, within Jehu of Israel’s reign, Hazael of Damascus smote all Gilead, Gad included (2 Ki. 10:32–33). In the 8th century bc Gadite settlement apparently extended NE into Bashan (1 Ch. 5:11–17), until Tiglath-pileser III carried the Transjordanians into exile (2 Ki. 15:29; 1 Ch. 5:25–26). Then the Ammonites again invaded Gad (Je. 49:1–6). Gad is assigned the southernmost zone in Ezekiel’s vision of the tribal portions (48:27–28). Geographical background, in D. Baly, Geography of the Bible2, 1974, pp. 210ff., 221ff., 227–232.
3. A prophet or seer, the contemporary of Saul and David; he advised David to leave Moab for Judah (1 Sa. 22:5). Later, God through Gad offered a choice of three possible punishments to David after his census, and then commanded that David build an altar on Araunah’s threshing-floor (2 Sa. 24:10ff.; 1 Ch. 21). Gad helped David and Nathan in organizing music for eventual use in the temple (2 Ch. 29:25), and wrote a history of David’s reign (1 Ch. 29:29).
4. A pagan deity worshipped by the Canaanites as the god of Fortune for whom they ‘prepare a table’ (Is. 65:11, rv, avmg.). *Gad, Valley of.) k.a.k.
Wood, D. R. W., Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary. Includes index. (electronic ed. of 3rd ed.) (389). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
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Gad (Heb., ‘luck’). 1 Canaanite god of fortune (Isa. 65:11). 2 Son of Jacob and Zilpah (Gen. 30:9-11); eponymous ancestor of the Israelite tribe of that name. Gad occupied territory between the Jabbok and Arnon rivers, which it shared with the tribe of Reuben. The Jabbok served as the boundary between Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Mesha, king of Moab, ca. 830 b.c., conquered Ataroth, which ‘the men of Gad inhabited from of old.’ Sometime afterward the territory of Gad was overrun by Hazael of Damascus (2 Kings 10:32-33). The region may have been restored to Israel by Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25), but it was lost again to the Assyrian conqueror Tiglath-pileser, who deported its population (1 Chron. 5:26). 3 A prophet-seer of David (2 Sam. 24:11).
In Poetry: In the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49:19), by means of an alliterative play on the name ‘Gad,’ the poet alludes to military tactics of the tribe. In the Blessing of Moses (Deut. 33:20-21) Gad is described as a lioness who tears both arm and head and is praised for having performed the righteous ordinances of Yahweh. In the Song of Deborah (Judg. 5:17) Gad, under the designation Gilead (cf. Judg. 12:7), is listed among those tribes that failed to participate in the war against Sisera and is chided for having remained across the Jordan. See also Mesha; Tribes, The. S.G.
Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (326). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
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Gad (Heb. gāḏ) (DEITY)
A Syrian deity worshipped along with Meni (Isa. 65:11), attested in several West Semitic languages. In English versions Gad is translated “fortune,” Meni as “destiny” or “fate.” It has been suggested that this deity is a late personification of the Hebrew term.
Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford
Gad (Heb. gāḏ) (PERSON)
1. The son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah’s handmaiden. The verbal root gdd means “to cut off,” but Leah’s welcoming of Gad’s birth in Gen. 30:11 indicates that name may mean “fortune”; other references suggest “troop” or “marauding band” (Gen. 49:19), “crouching lion” (Deut. 33:20), or “lion” and “gazelle” (1 Chr. 12:8). Gad took seven sons into Egypt (Gen. 46:16). During the wilderness wanderings the Gadites numbered between 45,650 (Num. 1:24–25) and 40,500 (26:18), making them tenth in size among the 12 tribes. The tribe of Gad settled in the Transjordanian highlands in eight settlements (Num. 32:24–36). Most of the sites have been identified, each showing new occupation at the beginning of the Israelite period. The Mesha inscription (mid-9th century b.c.e.) indicates that Gad expanded into the territory of Reuben.
2. David’s prophet (Heb. nāḇɩ̂˒) or seer (ḥōzeh). Gad is mentioned in accounts of David fleeing from Saul (1 Sam. 22:5) and taking a census (2 Sam. 24:11–14 = 1 Chr. 21:9–12). He commanded David to build an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (2 Sam. 24:18–19 = 1 Chr. 21:18–19), supervised the levitical music (2 Chr. 29:25), and was the author of a part of the history of David’s reign (1 Chr. 29:29). Several passages in Chronicles connect Gad closely with Nathan.
Bibliography. H. Baruch, The Emergence of Israel in Canaan. SBLMS 29 (Chico, 1983); J. M. Miller and J. H. Hayes, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah (Philadelphia, 1986).
Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford
Freedman, D. N., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. B. (2000). Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (475). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.
