Gad (gad). [Heb. Gad, "good fortune"; Gr. Gad.]

1. A son of Jacob by Zilpah, Leah's maidservant (Gen 30:10, 11). Jacob predicted that Gad's descendants would be hard pressed by hostile forces, but would stand against them (ch 49:19). Of Gad's 7 sons (ch 46:16), at least 6 were heads of tribal families (Num 26:15-18).

2. The tribe of Gad, the descendants of Gad, 1. Moses compared this valiant tribe to a lion (Deut 33:20, 21). The Gadites were assigned part of the territory east of Jordan taken from the Amorite kings of Heshbon and of Bashan. They were permitted to occupy it only after they had helped the other tribes to conquer their territories west of the Jordan (ch 32:20-32). The boundaries of their territory were somewhat fluid and are difficult to define. They seemed to overlap those of Reuben to the south and Manasseh to the north. Generally speaking, Gad's territory lay between the river Jabbok and the city of Heshbon, and included the southern part of Gilead, extending along the Jordan Valley to the Sea of Galilee (Jos 13:24-28; Deut 3:12, 16, 17). The *Moabite Stone mentions the "men of Gad" as the immediate northern neighbors of the Moabites (lines 10, 11). Some valiant Gadites joined David at Ziklag before he became king of Judah (1 Chr 12:8). Ezekiel included Gad among the other tribes in his prophecy of Israel's restoration (Eze 48). Gad is mentioned as one of the 12 tribes sealed in Rev 7 (v 5).

3. A prophet, usually called the "seer," who was counselor to David when David was persecuted by Saul (1 Sa 22:1, 5). He was sent by God to rebuke David after the king's census of Israel, and to give him a choice of three punishments (2 Sa 24:11-14; 1 Chr 21:9-13). He and the prophet Nathan helped David organize the services of the sanctuary (2 Chr 29:25). He later wrote a biography of David (1 Chr 29:29) -- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary.