Genesis 30:11

30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

Genesis 49:19

49:19 Gad will be raided by marauding bands,

but he will attack them at their heels.

Genesis 46:16

46:16 The sons of Gad:

Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

Genesis 35:26

35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.


tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”

sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.

tc Heb “heel.” The MT has suffered from misdivision at this point. The initial mem on the first word in the next verse should probably be taken as a plural ending on the word “heel.”

tc The MT reads “Ziphion,” but see Num 26:15, the Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, all of which read “Zephon.”