Illustration created for this project.
Gad
A son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's servant, and founder of the tribe of Gad. Jacob's blessing plays on his name — 'a troop shall press upon him, but he shall press upon their heel' — and Moses likens the tribe to a lioness. Gad asked for the good grazing land east of the Jordan and was granted it on condition its fighting men crossed over armed ahead of their brothers until Canaan was won, a promise they kept. Exposed on the frontier, the tribe bore the brunt of Ammonite and Aramean raids.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 2
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Family & lineage
Tribe & people
BibleOf the tribe of Gad.
Genesis 35:23
Mbzt — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe Mesha Stele, erected by King Mesha of Moab around 840 BCE, states that 'the men of Gad had dwelt in the land of Ataroth from of old.' This is a specific, named ninth-century inscription that references the tribe of Gad by name, attesting the tribal group though not the individual ancestor.
The Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone), line 10, discovered 1868 by F. A. Klein; Louvre inv. AO 5066 (with C. Clermont-Ganneau's squeeze). One of the strongest external attestations of an Israelite tribe named by name.
Name & titles
ScholarlyThe name Gad means 'fortune' or 'good luck,' and it was also the name of a West-Semitic deity of fortune (echoed in Isaiah's reference to those who 'set a table for Fortune'). Genesis links it to Leah's exclamation at his birth, 'Good fortune!'
Hebrew onomastics (gad, 'fortune'); the deity Gad appears in Isa 65:11 and in later Semitic inscriptions. Birth wordplay in the Masoretic text of Gen 30:11.
Where in scripture
GenesisThe sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 35:23 — Among the sons of Jacob
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In art
