Genesis 30:11

11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” ^[a] So she named him Gad. ^[b]

Genesis 30:11 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 30:11

And Leah said, a troop cometh
A troop of children, having bore four herself, and now her maid another, and more she expected; or the commander of a troop cometh, one that shall head an army and overcome his enemies; which agrees with the prophecy of Jacob, ( Genesis 49:19 ) ; and she called his name Gad:
which signifies a "troop", glorying in the multitude of her children, that she had or hoped to have.

Genesis 30:11 In-Context

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

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

12 When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

Footnotes

• [a]. Alternate MT reading (see also LXX); the other alternate reads “A troop is coming!”
• [b]. Gad sounds like the Hebrew for good fortune, or alternately for band of raiders.