Deuteronomy27:13

The name Gad means “fortunate” and that fits the words that Leah pronounced at Gad’s birth– “And Leah said ‘How fortunate!’ so she called his name Gad”(Gen 30:11).  In fact the name given is only slightly different than the word “fortunate” used earlier in her statement.  The word “fortunate” comes from a root word meaning “troop,” and several Bibles and other resources list the name’s meaning as simply “troop.” However, to say the name means troop does not help the reader understand the intended meaning in its fullest sense. What Leah had in mind was this -there is good fortune (good results) in large numbers. Leah had borne Jacob four sons and then stopped bearing. Now she was able to have more sons through her surrogate – Zilpah. This was fortuitous for her in that she could continue to make Jacob happy with more sons. The point was that there is strength in numbers, not only in battles between military forces, but also in battles between sisters. I have chosen to portray the name Gad as THERE IS FORTUITOUS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.

The meaning of the name Dan is simply “judge,” but the story of his birth gives us more details which would have been kept in mind by every Israelite. In Genesis chapter 30 we read that Rachel could not have children because she was barren. So she gave her maidservant Bilhah to her husband as an additional wife. When Bilhah bore Jacob a son Rachel named the child as if she herself had given him birth. At the time of his birth Rachel’s thought process was expressed by words which I paraphrase as follows: “God has administered justice and vindicated me, also He has heard my voice and given me a son.” In the process of deciding how to portray the meaning of this name, I have chosen one that includes the story of his birth not just the word “judge.” I have chosen VINDICATED BY THE JUDGE.

The meaning of the name Naphtali is simply “my struggle, or my wrestling.” However, the story of his birth gives us much more information. Rachel was relying on her maidservant, Bilhah, to produce children for her because she was barren. This tactic had produced one son so far, Dan, but her sister Leah had borne Jacob four sons already so Rachel was not satisfied with just one. When Bilhah gave birth to a second son Rachel expressed her emotions like this (and I paraphrase) “I have struggled in a great struggle with my sister, and I have prevailed.” The rendering of the name Naphtali reflects this history; I have expressed the name’s meaning as, I HAVE WRESTLED AND WON.