Gad

Gad is the eldest son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the brother of Asher. He is one of the forefathers of the people of Israel. His mother is Zilpah, but he is counted as the child of Leah. Gad has no specific role in the stories about Jacob’s children.

The name Gad means “luck”. After Leah has had four sons, she gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a concubine, in order to have more children through her. Zilpah had two sons by Jacob, Gad and Asher. At the birth of Gad, Leah says, “I have been lucky” (Genesis 30:11), and so she gives him the name “Gad”.
Another person with the name of Gad is a prophet during the time of King David (1 Samuel 22:5; 2 Samuel 24:11-19). The name Gad in some Bible translations is the title for the god of fortune in Isaiah 65:11.

The name Gad may refer to the tribe of Gad, of which Gad is the forefather. But it is also the designation for the region where the descendants of Gad went to live. That region was in the middle of the land of Israel, on the other side of the Jordan.

As one of the 12 sons of Jacob, Gad receives a blessing from Jacob when the latter is old. Jacob says to Gad that his descendants will be pursued, but that they also will pursue (Genesis 49:19).