Deuteronomy 33:20

20 And to Gad he said, Blessed he that enlarges Gad: as a lion he rested, having broken the arm and the ruler.

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 to Zabulon he said, Rejoice, Zabulon, in thy going out, and Issachar in his tents.

19 They shall utterly destroy the nations, and ye shall call there, and there offer the sacrifice of righteousness; for the wealth of the sea shall suckle thee, and so shall the marts of them that dwell by the sea-coast.

20 And to Gad he said, Blessed he that enlarges Gad: as a lion he rested, having broken the arm and the ruler.

21 And he saw his first-fruits, that there the land of the princes gathered with the chiefs of the people was divided; the Lord wrought righteousness, and his judgment with Israel.

22 And to Dan he said, Dan a lion's whelp, and shall leap out of Basan.