Illustration created for this project.
Gad
A son of Jacob and founder of the tribe of Gad.
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
GenesisFamily
In art
