Deuteronomy 33:20

20 And he said to Gad, Gad is blessed in broadness; he rested as a lion, and he took from his adversary the arm and the noll. (And he said of the tribe of Gad, Gad is blessed in their broad places; they rest like a lion, but they tear off the arms and the tops of the heads of their adversaries.)

Deuteronomy 33:20 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:20

And of Gad he said
The tribe of Gad, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem:

blessed [be] he that enlargeth Gad;
that is, the Lord, to whom the praise and glory were to be given, who had appointed to Gad a large inheritance on the other side Jordan, and had settled him in it, and which became larger by the conquest of the Hagarites, and others, ( 1 Chronicles 5:18-22 ) ;

he dwelleth as a lion;
bold and courageous, secure, and without fear of any of his enemies, though near him, on his borders, as the Moabites and Ammonites were; of the same spirit and temper were the men of the tribe of Gad in the times of David, ( 1 Chronicles 12:8 ) ;

and teareth the arm with the crown of the head,
at once, just as a lion tears its prey; which figurative phrases are expressive of this tribe conquering and destroying strong and mighty men, signified by the "arm", in which the strength of a man lies, and of kings and governors, pointed at by the "crown of the head"; as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; which was done in the times of Joshua, when with and under him they subdued and destroyed the kings and princes of the land of Canaan.

Deuteronomy 33:20 In-Context

18 And he said to Zebulun, Zebulun, be thou glad in thy going out, and Issachar, in thy tabernacles. (And he said of the tribes of Zebulun, and of Issachar, Zebulun, be thou prosperous abroad, and Issachar, be thou prosperous in thy tents, or at home.)

19 They shall call peoples to the hill, [and] there they shall offer sacrifices of rightfulness; which shall suck the flowing(s) of the sea as milk, and hid treasures of gravel. (They shall call the peoples to the mountain, and there they shall offer the right sacrifices; they shall suck up the wealth of the sea like milk, and they shall dig up hidden treasures out of the gravel.)

20 And he said to Gad, Gad is blessed in broadness; he rested as a lion, and he took from his adversary the arm and the noll. (And he said of the tribe of Gad, Gad is blessed in their broad places; they rest like a lion, but they tear off the arms and the tops of the heads of their adversaries.)

21 And he saw his princehood, that he was kept a teacher in his part; the which was with (the) princes of the people, and he did the rightfulnesses of the Lord, and his doom with Israel. (And they chose the best land for themselves, a ruler's portion, when the leaders of the people were gathered together; and they did the justice of the Lord, and his laws, or his judgements, with Israel.)

22 Also he said to Dan, Dan, a whelp of a lion, shall flow largely from Bashan. (And he said of the tribe of Dan, Dan is a whelp of a lion, leaping out from Bashan.)