Gad גד
Zilpah's elder son; the warrior tribe of Transjordan
Zilpah's first son; Leah gave the name: "fortune has come." Jacob's blessing is built on the same root: a troop shall press upon him—and he shall press upon their heel. It is a blessing for a tribe that always takes the first blow.
So it proved: the sons of Gad and Reuven asked for their portion beyond the Jordan, and Moses agreed on one condition—that they march at the head of the army until the other tribes had theirs. They kept it. Chronicles describes the Gadite warriors who came over to David: "their faces the faces of lions, and swift as roes upon the mountains."
In Moses' blessing it is said of Gad: "and he chose a first part for himself, for there the portion of the lawgiver is hidden." Rashi reads it plainly: Moses is buried in the portion of Gad.
On the timeline
Places
Sources
Tanakh
- Genesis 30:11 — his birth and the meaning of the name
- Genesis 49:19 — «a troop shall press upon him»
- Numbers 32 — the portion in Transjordan and Moses' condition
- 1 Chronicles 12:8 — the Gadite warriors who came to David
- Deuteronomy 33:20–21 — «the portion of the lawgiver is hidden»
Rishonim
- Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:21 — Moses is buried in the portion of Gad
Basis: stated in the Tanakh.