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.

Gad was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after Gad, the seventh son of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant (Gen.30.11; 35.26). The tribe of Gad played a significant role throughout Israel's history. During the Exodus, the tribe of Gad was counted among the Israelites (Num.1.14, 24-25) and was positioned on the south side of the tabernacle, along with the tribes of Reuben and Simeon (Num 2:14). The tribe of Gad, along with Reuben and half of Manasseh, settled in the region east of the Jordan River (Numbers 32; Jos 13:24-28). They were known for their military prowess and bravery (1Ch.12.8, 14). The Gadites were among the first to help David when he was hiding from Saul (1Ch 12:8-15). They also supported David during the census and the purchase of the threshing floor for the temple (2Sa 24:5; 1Ch 21:2). The Gadites were blessed by Moses for their faithfulness and strength (Deu 33:20-21). The tribe of Gad was allotted cities and pasturelands in the region of Gilead (Jos 13:24-28; 1Ch.6.63, 80). They, along with the other tribes east of the Jordan, built an altar as a witness to their unity with the rest of Israel (Joshua 22). The Gadites were among the first tribes to be taken into captivity by the Assyrians (1Ch 5:26). In Ezekiel's vision of the restored Israel, the tribe of Gad is allotted a portion of land in the far north (Ezk.48.27-28, 34). In the book of Revelation, Gad is mentioned as one of the tribes with 12,000 sealed servants of God (Rev 7:5).

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.