Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 33:20
Concerning Gad he said: “Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or a head.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the tribes of Israel near the end of his life, placing this utterance concerning Gad between the blessings for Zebulun and Dan. The words — The Hebrew מַרְחִיב (mar.chiv) literally means "enlarger" or "one who expands," paired with בָּר֖וּךְ (ba.rukh) for "blessed." The text describes Gad lying down like a lion (כְּלָבִיא, ke.lav) and tearing (וְטָרַף, ve.taraf) an arm or head. The thread — This martial imagery echoes the tribal prophecy in Genesis 49:19 and aligns with the Gadite warriors who later defected to David at his stronghold (1 Chronicles 12:8). Why it lands — The text records a blessing of territorial expansion and fierce defense, requiring the reader to recognize the tribe's designated role in Israel's military and territorial inheritance without romanticizing the violence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
Cross-references
- Genesis 49:19 Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.
- 1 Chronicles 12:8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
- Genesis 9:26 He also declared: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.
- Joshua 13:8 The other half of Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had assigned to them:
- Joshua 13:10 and all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the Ammonites;
- Joshua 13:24 This is what Moses had given to the clans of the tribe of Gad:
- 1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.
- 1 Chronicles 5:18 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors—valiant men who carried the shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for battle.
- 1 Chronicles 12:37 And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war.
- Psalms 18:19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.