Gadite and JEPHTHAH and the Epthalites

The Tribe of Gad

Jacob's Blessing - Genesis 49:19
"Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels."
Moses' Blessing - Deuteronomy 33:20-21
"...Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain! He lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head. He chose the best land for himself; the leader's portion was kept for him. when the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the Lord's righteous will, and his judgments concerning Israel."

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TRIBE OF GAD PAGE CONTENTS

Click on a link below to view that section of this page.
The Land Allotment
King Sihon & The Israelites
Map of Sihon's Kingdom
Map of the Conquest of Sihon
Tribal Borders
Tribal Cities
Tribal Encampment in Wilderness
The Seventh Son of Jacob
The Battle of Jericho
The altar at the Jordan
The Time of the Judges
Jephthah & the Ammonite Oppression
Map of Jephthah's Invasions
In the United Monarchy
War with the Hagrites
Map of the Transjordan
Exile

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GAD LAND ALLOTMENT

When discussing the allotment of land granted the tribe of Gad, it is important to note this was the only allotment which was handed out by Moses; before he died, and before the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River.
J. McKee Adams published a wonderful book in 1965 entitled Biblical Backgrounds. He appoints the tribe of Gad's allotment as falling within the first "period" of "three general divisions and periods" of the Conquest. This first period was the allotment of land east of the Jordan River to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, or East Manasseh.
As pointed out earlier, Moses himself handed out this allotment. This was also unique in that these were the only three tribes with land east of the Jordan, and these three tribes sought out their land, whereas the remainder of the tribes were assigned land west of the Jordan by Joshua.

The portion obtained by this tribe rested north of the tribe of Reuben. The Jordan River bordered their land to the west. The kingdom of the Ammonites lie to the immediate east. A thin section of land fell within the tribal borders which stretched northward, through Gilead, all the way up to the southeastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, or Sea of Chinneroth. The southern boundary, it seems, reached to Heshbon.
However, the heartland rested in the mountainous region of Gilead. The tribe of East Manasseh shared this region. The city of Manahaim sat on the border. The region is characterized by beautiful mountain country. Adams describes it as more "rolling than either Moab or Bashan".
Because of the Gadites proximity to the Jordan River, it was more involved with the western tribes of Israel than the other Transjordan tribes of Reuben and East Manasseh. Their land, as well as those of all the Transjordan, was much more adequately supplied with water than the western tribes.

JEPHTHAH, GAD & THE AMMONITES

The Ammonite oppression in Gilead is recorded in Judges 10:6 - 12:7. The Ammonites were closely related to Israel, however, they were extremely hostile towards the Israelites. Their hostility dated to the time of the conquest. The Ammonite aggression stemmed, in part, from the nature of their land.
Ammon was hemmed in on the west by the tribe of Gad, and on the east by the Syro-Arabian desert. As is the case today, the fertile land lay to the west, occupied by Israel. To the east, only barren desert. In the southern region, the wilderness of Kedemoth separated Ammon from Moab. The land was not suitable for grazing, and much less desirable than the lands west.