Gad - Hebrew Igbo

The Tribe of Gad and the Igbo

Predominantly the Igbo come from Jacob (Israel’s) Gad’s sons Eri, Areli and Arodi as we shall soon see.

Let us start off with the established facts of what we know.

The Tribe of Gad. Though often forgotten and usually least to be named when one recalls the names of the 12 tribes and though not as prominent as Judah or Levi who never have been lost; nonetheless Gad is direly important to prophetic history and events. They must be found!

To do a thorough and solid investigation we must start at the beginning.

A brief and basic genealogical break down from Adam to Gad is as follows:

Adam-Noah-Shem-Eber-Abram (Abraham)-Jacob (Israel)-Gad (Gen.11:10-26, I Chron. 1:24-27, Mt. 1:1-2).

A more detailed breakdown based on Ronald Lutz’s “Master Timeline from Creation” ( * indicates traditionally used dates) is:

Adam (Gen. 1:26-27, 5:4-5 = 3968-3066 *4004-? BCE), Seth (Gen. 5:3-7 = 3842-2958 *3874-2962 BCE), Enos (Gen. 5:6-11 = 3741-2864 *3769-2864 BCE), Kenan (Gen. 5:9-14 = 3653-2771 83679-2794 BCE), Mahalalel (Gen. 5:12-17 = 3585-2718 *3609-2714 BCE), Jared (Gen. 5:15-21 = 3522-2590 *3544-2582 BCE), Enoch (Gen. 5:16-23 = 3365-3011 *3382-3017 BCE), Methuselah (Gen. 5:21 = 3302-2362 *3317-2348 BCE), Lamech (Gen. 5:25-31 = 3121-2368 *3000-? BCE), Noah (Gen. 5:28, 9:29 = 2942-2024 *2948-1998 BCE), Shem (Gen. 5:32, 11:10-11 = 2458-1877 *2240-? BCE), The Flood (Gen. 7:11 = 2363 BCE), Arphaxad (Gen. 11:10 = 2361-1938 *2348-1904 BCE), Shelar (Gen. 11:12-15 = 2327-1907 *2333-1900 BCE), Eber (Gen. 11:14-17 = 2298-1848 *2255-1791 BCE), Peleg (Gen. 11:16-19 = 2265-2033 *2222-1983 BCE), Reu (Gen. 11:18-21 = 2236-2009 *2200-1961 BCE), Serug (Gen. 11:20-23 = 2205-1982 *2180-1950 BCE), Nahor (Gen. 11:22-25 = 2176-2036 *2140-1992 BCE), Terah (Gen. 11:24-32 = 2148-1949 *2000-1795 BCE), Abram/Abraham (Gen. 11:26-25:7 = 2080-1911 *1996-1821 BCE), Isaac (Gen. 21:3- 35:28 = 1984-1809 *1896-1716 BCE), Jacob/Israel (Gen. 25:26-47:28 1925-1783 *1770-1623 BCE), Gad, according to the Testament of Gad 1:1 and Jasher 62:5 Gad lived 125 years (Gen. 30:11 = 1938-1813 *1749-1624 BCE).

From Adam to Noah 10 Generations.

From Shem to Abraham 9 Generations.

From Abraham to Gad 5 Generations.

Totaling 24 Generations.

Gad was the 7th son of Jacob, the 1st son of Jacob and Zilpah the handmaid of Leah (Gen. 30:9-11, Gen. 35:26, Ex. 1:4) and was considered Leah’s 5th son .

Let us also consult the Book of Jasher as a confirming witness to the well-known established facts:

Jasher 59:4 And the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah, were Gad and Asher.

Wow, pretty significant and meaningful biblical numbers; 1, 5, 7. One = Unity/YHWH, Five = Torah and Grace, and Seven = Completion and Perfection.

Gad means, an army or a troop and also implies good fortune, for in a sister language to Hebrew there is a pagan deity named Gad, pronounced, “Gawd.”

Gen. 30:11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

Gen. 35:26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these [are] the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanarama.

So from this verse we ascertain the birthplace of Gad; Padanaram.

Padan-Aram means, “The plain of Aram” and it is an area in Upper Mesopotamia around Haran the home of Abraham after he moved from Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen. 25:20). This is also the place Abraham sent Eleazar to find Isaac a bride (Rebecca). This is where Jacob fled to avoid his angry and wrathful brother Esau to dwell with Laban (Gen. 28:2, 5-7). Sometimes it is just called Padan (Gen. 48:7).

Now let’s track the life of the Tribe of Gad from the Biblical accounts, perhaps it may give us clues to where he and his sons ended up. To understand where Gad had ultimately ended up, we must first see where they came from, the way they went until we lost track of them in historical black hole of Assyria.

Gad was approximately 40 years of age when he, his father Jacob (Israel) and the rest of his brothers moved to Egypt to be with Joseph who then ruled as second next to the Pharaoh to escape great famine (Gen. 42:15, 45:10, 46:6-7, 47:27, Ex. 12:40).

The Patriarch Gad is said to have died in Egypt prior to Moses coming with the power of YHWH to liberate the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Jasher 62:5 And in the eighty-third year died Gad, he was a hundred and twenty-five years old at his death, and he was put into a coffin in Egypt, and given into the hands of his children.

The Testament of Gad 1:1 The copy of the testament of Gad, what things he spake unto his sons, in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life, saying unto them:

Jasher 90:38-40 And it was in those days, when the children of Israel were dwelling securely in their cities, that they buried the coffins of the tribes of their ancestors, which they had brought up from Egypt, each man in the inheritance of his children, the twelve sons of Jacob did the children of Israel bury, each man in the possession of his children And these are the names of the cities wherein they buried the twelve sons of Jacob, whom the children of Israel had brought up from Egypt. And they buried Reuben and Gad on this side Jordan, in Romia, which Moses had given to their children.

If you have or know of a big family, after a family excursion to a holiday weekend, the parents of the brood will rally the troop and do a quick head count. We find in the first chapter of Numbers the tribes are counted twice after a whirlwind of events in the Sinai Desert.

Num. 1:1-4, 14, 18, 24-25 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers… Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel… nd they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls… Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.

Num. 26:1-4, 15-18 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel. And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt… The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: Of Ozni (Ezbon), the family of the Oznites (Ezbonites): of Eri, the family of the Erites: Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.

This tells us that at least a portion of all of Gad’s sons left with Moses and the rest of the children of Israel during the Exodus, despite the legend of a pre-exodus-exodus from Egypt by Gad’s son Eri, Areli and Arodi.

By the time of King Jotham and Jeroboam we read the names of Gad’s descendants of Gad but are unsure of what sons and clans are being spoken of.

I Chron. 5:11-17 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salcah: Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan. And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven. These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.

We are given details regarding their marching and camp assignment among the other tribes during the 40 years in the wilderness under the banner of Reuben.

Num. 2:10-16 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur. And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.

Gad was considered a successful and wealthy tribe in the wilderness and when they settled on the East side of the Jordan River.

Num. 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;

Josh. 22:8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

We also read about the petition to settle on the East side of the Jordan.

Num. 32:1-5 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.

Deut. 3:12, 16-17 And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites… er Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon; The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgah eastward.

Deut. 29:8 And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.

In the following Passage we are given territorial boundaries of Gad.

Josh. 13:24-28 And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families. And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah; And from Heshbon unto Ramathmizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.

I Chron. 5:11-17 And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salcah: Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan. And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven. These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.

Gad, being a mighty “troop” voluntarily and covenantally agreed to fight west of the Jordan on behalf of the other tribes who have not yet secured their allotment of inherited land.

Num. 32:16-32 And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the LORD to war, And will go all of you armed over Jordan before the LORD, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, And the land be subdued before the LORD: then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless before the LORD, and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord saith. So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel: And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. We will pass over armed before the LORD into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be our's.

Josh. 4:12-13 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

Josh. 22:1-8 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you: Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan. But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents. Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them, And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.

Nelsons Illustrated Bible Dictionary says of Gad, “…The territory this tribe inhabited, often referred to as Gilead (Num. 1:14). The territory of Gad lay east of the Jordan River between the half-tribe of Manasseh to the north and the tribe of Reuben to the south. It’s western boundary was the Jordan River; on the east it faced the territory of Ammonites.”

John Bright said in his book, A History of Israel 2nd Ed., “…The population of the highlands of Gilead – a mixture of Gadite and Josephite elements (Num. 23:39f; Josh. 13:24-31; etc.) – was designated as the clan Gilead (Judg. 5:17; 11:1.f; etc.).”

During the reign of King Saul, Gad defected and swore their allegiance to David in Hebron.

I Chron. 12:8-15, 37-38 And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains; Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, Jeremiah the tenth, Machbanai the eleventh. These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand. These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west… And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand. All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

We find they joined their camp and East Jordan Brothers, the Reubenites in their war against the Hagarites.

I Chron. 5:10, 18-22And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead… The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him. And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand. For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.

We see they were defeated by the Syrian King.

2 Kings 10:32-33 In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

Here is where we begin to lose our grasp on the whereabouts of Gad; when they were taken off into Assyrian captivity. This would technically make Gad Hebrew and not Jewish. For you see, after King Solomon the Nation of Israel was divided into Two Kingdoms or Houses. The House or Kingdom of Judah to the South, comprised of Judah and Levi and a smattering of Benjamin who went off into Babylonian captivity, returned and are who we recognize as Jews today. Then there was the Northern Kingdom, also called the House of Israel or the House of Ephraim which was made up of the rest of the 10 tribes and they were known as Hebrews or Israelites. But now when you say Jew, it is taken to mean anyone who is a descendant of any one of the 12 tribes.

This begs the question, who can be called a Jew or Hebrew?

This is the million dollar question in Judaism and everyone seems to have an opinion and weighs in on the answer. I will not dilly dally or give out a long drawn out explanation, I will try to be short and sweet and to the point; because in reality the answer to this question is actually not that complicated.

When you say someone is a Jew/Hebrew, or ask if someone is a Jew/Hebrew you can mean one of two different things.

1.    One is a Jew/Hebrew ethnically because one or both of their parents were ethnically Jewish.

2.    One is a Jew/Hebrew because they have converted to and practice the Jewish religion.

In the times of the Tanak a Jew/Hebrew was considered someone whose father was a Jew/Hebrew; note that Patriarchs were Jewish/Hebrew and not the Matriarchs. The linage of a Cohen (Levitical Priest), and also what scientists refer to as the Cohen gene is passed down through the father. However, because of the persecution of the Jews through the various worldwide pogroms, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and we can even say the Biafran War, etc., many Jewish/Hebrew women were raped and impregnated by Goyim (Gentiles) and so a myriad of children who were born to Jewish/Hebrew mothers but had Goyish fathers and unless you were adopted, you know who your mother is, but you don’t always know who your father is. As a result a paradigm shift was made in Judaism and declared that you are Jewish/Hebrew via your mother’s side for reasons I just stated above.

I accept both methods. I say if either of your parents are Jewish/Hebrew, then you are Jewish/Hebrew.

There are, I believe, many more people, the Igbo just being one of them, who are walking the earth who are Jewish/Hebrews and don’t even know it on account of the Diaspora of the lost ten tribes who were scattered and never returned to Israel through the Assyrian Captivity. For the people we recognize as Jews today are the ones from Judah and Levi who returned to the Land from the Babylonian Captivity.

I Chron. 5:26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

We know that after they were taken away into Assyria, the Amorites took over the territory of Gad.

Jer. 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?

The John speaks of the survival of Gad who was lost in captivity and the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of Gad’s re-allotment of territory in the future.

Rev. 7:5c …Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

Ezk. 48:27-29 And by the border of Zebulun, from the east side unto the west side, Gad a portion. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar unto the waters of strife in Kadesh, and to the river toward the great sea. This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord GOD.

We have already clearly established that Gad was taken off to and seemingly disappeared into Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 17:5-6), but why?

DISOBEDIENCE TO TORAH! Which is SIN (I John 3:4).

Deut. 28:64-68 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

Ezk. 22:15 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.

Zech. 7:14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

History has at least given us the tantalizing hint that Hebrews of the ten tribes that were carted off into Assyrian captivity; that their whereabouts were somewhat known to the 1st century believers in Yeshua. Some were located under Roman rule as far as Alexandria and Ethiopia (Africa).

James (Ya’akov) Yeshua’s (Jesus’) half-brother, leader of the Sanhedrin of the 1st Century Torah obedient believers in Messiah Yeshua implied that during his day the location of all 12 tribes were somewhat known.

James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

But since the 1st century we have slowly lost track of the wanderings of the 10 tribes that were taken off into Assyrian captivity, and as a result these 10 tribes are lost to man, but not G-d. Regardless of the this uncertainty the Prophets tell us that the location of the 10 Tribes will again be known and that they will eventually return to the Land of Promise and be united with their brother Judah. These verses tell us that some of the tribes can be found all over Africa as far as Ethiopia. Africa is often mentioned in the Tanak (Old Testament) as a place where some of the tribes have ended up and have lost their identity as Hebrews but will eventually wake up to who they really are and return home to Israel.

Isa. 11:11-12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Zeph. 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

Psa. 68:31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

So it is not a stretch by any means if some of these lost tribes, including Gad can be found in the continent of Africa today.

We must also take into consideration that in YHWH’s Omniscience He knew that Israel would become a world recognized state in 1948 CE, but would not occupy the boarders and dimensions promised by G-d to Abraham and the Patriarchs as recorded in the Torah. As of the writing of this book, the secular state of Israel only occupies a strip of land approximately the size of the U.S. state of New Jersey. G-d knew that Israel’s descendants, being as numerous as the sand and stars (Gen. 22, Heb. 11:12) would say:

Isa. 49:19-20 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

And thus YHWH’s solution until Messiah’s return and the re-gathering of the scattered tribes would be:

Psa. 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

That after their punishment for disobedience to Torah (Deut. 28) by the Babylonian and Assyrian captivities that their heart would turn once again to YHWH and HE would bring them back from the uttermost parts of the world, even Africa, beyond Ethiopia (Isa. 11:11-12, Zeph. 3:10).

Igbos occupy and are found in the following states in Nigeria, out of 37: Enugu, Imo, Abia, Delta, Ebonyi, and River State. At least 120 towns in Igboland claim direct or indirect descent from Eri. Nigeria is the most Populated country in all of Africa. Nigeria sometimes goes by the nickname, “the India of Africa.” 40% of all of Nigerians are Igbo. Out of approximately 120 million people in Nigeria approximately 40 million are said to be Igbo. Prof. Boniface Egboka of the National Environmental Watch Service said, “…the Igbo nation is the most populated ethnic group in Nigeria.”

D.J. Wiseman said that Hebrew/Igbo means, “Wanderer, people with no secure place in society.” Because YHWH commanded that people be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:22, 28) and that Israel’s descendants would be as numerous as sand and stars (Gen. 22); just as you can go to virtually any corner of the globe and find a Jew because of the captivities, holocausts and persecution, so to you can find an Igbo. HRM Eze A.E. Chukwuemeka-Eri Ezeora the 34th has cabinet members worldwide, some all over North America and Europe.

“Anywhere I went and discovered that Igbos are not there, I will make haste to depart. Such absence of Igbo might suggest that the place is not habitable for a human being.” – Mr. Urakpo of the Urhobo tribe, an Assemblies of God minister.

Over 60% of Igbos has immigrated to various parts of the globe and due to the slave trade approximately 25% of all African Americans are Igbo as well as a good number of Haitians and Jamaicans.

Sons of Gad: Eri, Areli and Arodi

A good detective relies on facts, but realize circumstantial evidence can also hold nuggets of truth that must be explored if History is to confess what she knows. Most legends and oral history of a people, though likely embellished through time, is nonetheless built on a grain of truth, like the pearls we find in oysters. We must do all we can to extract the factual truth from such grains, no matter how small.

Gen. 30:11 And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad.

Gad was said to have been born the 10th of Cheshvan and died 125 years later on his birthday.

In Genesis Rabbah 71:9 says “Leah said (when Gad was born): ‘Fortune has come! The good luck of the house has come, the good luck of the world has come, for Elijah has come.’”

Some Jewish scholars believe Elijah was from the Tribe of Gad. In the Sefer Yetzirah Gad corresponds to the month of Elul. In Elul the raven left Noah’s Ark and it was also ravens that feed Elijah.

The following are verses which mention Gad and the sons and descendants of Gad.

Gen. 46:16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

Jasher 59:14 And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

And Gad and Naphtali went to Haran and took from thence the daughters of Amuram the son of Uz, the son of Nahor, for wives. And these are the names of the daughters of Amuram; the name of the elder was Merimah, and the name of the younger Uzith; and Naphtali took Merimah, and Gad took Uzith; and brought them to the land of Canaan, to their father's house. And Merimah bare unto Naphtali Yachzeel, Guni, Jazer and Shalem, four sons; and Uzith bare unto Gad Zephion, Chagi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Arali, seven sons. – Jasher 45:9-11

Here are the meanings of the names of the seven sons of Gad in order of their birth:

1 (G-d/Unity). Ziphion: Watchtower

2 (House/Couple). Haggi: Holiday, Celebration, Feast Day

3 (Family/Tri-unity of G-d). Shuni: Seashore or Harbor

4 (Four Directions). Ezbon/Ozni: Hasten (Working) to Understand/An ear, My Hearing

5 (Law and Grace). Eri: My Guardian

6 (Man power). Arodi: Bronze

7 (Perfection/Completion). Areli: Messenger and or Lion of God

Gen. 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

Num. 2:14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. (Also rendered Eliasaph the son of Deuel in Numbers 1:14, 7:42, 10:20; a possible scribal error as a Resh and Dalet in Hebrew could easily be mistaken if not written correctly)

Num. 13:15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

Num. 26:15-18 The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: Of Ozni (Ezbon), the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites: Of Arod (Arodi), the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.

Num. 32:34-36 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah, And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep.

Rev. 7:5 … Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

Ya’akov (Jacob) prophetically blessed the children of Gad:

Jasher 56: 6-16 And Jacob said, Call all your children unto me, and all the children of Jacob's sons came and sat before him, and Jacob blessed them, and he said unto them, The Lord God of your fathers shall grant you a thousand times as much and bless you, and may he give you the blessing of your father Abraham; and all the children of Jacob's sons went forth on that day after he had blessed them. And on the next day Jacob again called for his sons, and they all assembled and came to him and sat before him, and Jacob on that day blessed his sons before his death, each man did he bless according to his blessing; behold it is written in the book of the law of the Lord appertaining to Israel. And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever. Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. And Jacob again commanded his sons on that day, saying, Behold I shall be this day gathered unto my people; carry me up from Egypt, and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I have commanded you. Howbeit take heed I pray you that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the manner you shall do unto me, when you carry my body to go with it to the land of Canaan to bury me, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun shall carry my bier at the eastern side; Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin at the west, Dan, Asher and Naphtali at the north. Let not Levi carry with you, for he and his sons will carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord with the Israelites in the camp, neither let Joseph my son carry, for as a king so let his glory be; howbeit, Ephraim and Manasseh shall be in their stead. Thus shall you do unto me when you carry me away; do not neglect any thing of all that I command you; and it shall come to pass when you do this unto me, that the Lord will remember you favorably and your children after you forever. And you my sons, honor each his brother and his relative, and command your children and your children's children after you to serve the Lord God of your ancestors all the days. In order that you may prolong your days in the land, you and your children and your children's children for ever, when you do what is good and upright in the sight of the Lord your God, to go in all his ways.

Gen. 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

Moshe (Moses) prophetically blessed the children of Gad:

Jasher 87:5-8 And Moses called to all the children of Israel and said to them, You have seen all the good which the Lord your God has done for you in the wilderness. Now therefore observe all the words of this law, and walk in the way of the Lord your God, turn not from the way which the Lord has commanded you, either to the right or to the left. And Moses taught the children of Israel statutes and judgments and laws to do in the land as the Lord had commanded him. And he taught them the way of the Lord and his laws; behold they are written upon the book of the law of God which he gave to the children of Israel by the hand of Moses.

Deut. 33:20 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.

Jacob tells us that Gad would be a troop that is at first overcome and defeated but in the end will have the last laugh and be the conqueror of the conqueror.

The blessing of Moses upon Gad implies that Gad is a ruling military force that destroys the military arm and rule of the head of any opposing nation. It is interesting to note that like Judah, Gad is likened unto an intimidating, fierce and roaring, ruling Lion. The only other tribe likened unto a lion was Dan (Deut. 33:22). The phrase, “dwelleth as a lion” means that Gad’s character and nature as a people and a tribe are like fierce roaring lions that will vehemently defend territory and pride. “teareth” refers to the lions mighty clawed paws and its way of hunting by chase and tackle, by hooking the legs with its claws and ends in a bite upon the neck below the head, breaking it causing swift instantaneous death, or by a throat bite which ends in a slow death suffocation. Whereas Judah is the alpha male lion king of Israel, Gad is like the lioness hunters and young male enforcers and warriors. When lionesses hunt, they will drag the prey away and eat just enough to give it strength to drag it back to the pride where the lion king and males eat, then the females and finally the cubs. Gad as a tribe knows their rank, place and purpose in the nation of Israel.

One rabbinical commentary regarding the Jacobic prophecy of Gad says that Jacob, “…paused between the blessing of Dan and the blessing of Gad and recites: ‘I wait for Your deliverance, Eternal!’… One traditional explanation for the phrase that Jacob, while prophesying, sees a disturbing moment in the future and prays to avoid it (Midrash Tanhuma, Va-Yechi 12).” – Jill Hammer, “The Jewish book of Days”

Could this be in reference to Jacob seeing the murders of the Sudanese (Danites) trying to cross the Sinai Peninsula into Israel by Bedouins and the Nigeria-Biafra war where millions were slaughtered and the current ongoing persecution of Igbo Gadites by the surrounding Nigerian tribes ?

The Pseudopigraphal book, “The Testament of Gad,” has a theme of guarding ones heart against hate and murder, which would what a warrior tribe would need to balance and keep in check their war-like tendencies prophesied in the Torah.

In the book of Revelation 7:5, it says 1,200 of Gad were sealed, meaning that the tribe of Gad, lost to the Assyrian captivity and Diaspora will once again be found, and indeed a portion of them has been found in the Nigeria people of the Igbo’s. I have met the Igbo King and he wears a necklace that has a Star of David with a lion in the middle of it.

Moses tells us that when Gad’s time comes, he will utterly over take his enemies like a lion. This and Jacob’s prophecy has come to pass when Gad (Igbos) was temporarily overcome and ended up overcoming in the Nigerian Biafran War. The History of the Igbo’s and of the Jews today parallel and are practically in sync with one another. The sleeping Lion of Gad is now rousing and can only become more powerful, woe unto those who attempt to taunt this waking Lion. Moses also tells us that those who help the cause of Gad, fight on behalf of Gad will be blessed. You, just by reading this book are partaking in the unfolding of prophetic history and helping to “enlarge” Gad and therefore you will be blessed! Did you ever think that you would ever partake in any way the recovery of the “lost tribes” or be a part of prophetic history in any way!?

In Genesis 46:16 we read that three of the sons of Gad are named Eri, Areli and Arodi.

As stated earlier…

Num. 26:1-4, 15-18 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel. And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt… The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: Of Ozni (Ezbon), the family of the Oznites (Ezbonites): of Eri, the family of the Erites: Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.

These verses tells us that at least a portion of all of Gad’s sons left with Moses and the rest of the children of Israel during the Exodus, despite the legend of a pre-exodus-exodus from Egypt by Gad’s son Eri, Areli and Arodi.

The legend and oral tradition goes that while in Egypt living among many other nations who also resided there to escape the famine that a portion of Gad’s son Eri, his younger brothers Areli and Arodi, along with Eri’s wife, Ishamal and other relatives Ijaw (believed possibly to be an offspring of Zebulun), Edo, Igala, Idoma (Possibly and likely descendants of Esau/Edom) saw the coming persecution of the future Egyptian bondage prophesied by God to Abraham in his dream during the covenant between the parts (Gen. 15) and left with an Arab man named Oduduwa (a Babylonian and said father of the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria) and his relatives and journeyed further down into Africa crossing the Nile River into Sudan (Old Ethiopia) to Chad and eventually Lokojia which is now the present day Nigeria by way of River Benue and then through the River Niger where they eventually landed in Aguleri in what is known today as Nigeria around 1305 BCE (Igbo History by Victor M.C. Eyisi pg. 2-3, 49)

This man, Oduduwa who is the Father of the Yoruba people, it should be noted here that one of his clans, the Ijebu (sounds like Igbo) indeed have Igbo traits in regards to their business saavy. It is believed that this clan is related to the Igbo in some way. Also, in Yorubaland is a town called Oke-eri, notice; “Eri” is in the name. So could have one of Eri’s descendants settled there and married into the Yoruba people?

Another theory in Igbo origins states that the Igbos originated in “Schechenigbo” between Bethlehem and Hebron on the road that runs through Cairo in Egypt. This also reiterated in the book “The History of the Igbos as Revealed to Innocent Okorie, A Stigmatist” who, while in a trance like state during the Holy Week reported that Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) came to him and told him that the Igbos and the Efiks first arrived in Nigeria in 638 BCE after the exile of the Israelites in 718 BCE. And that the original town of the Igbos was Schechenigbo in Judea.

Ogbuefi Madubueze Enemmou said on Radio Nigeria Enugu National Station on July 13, 1996 that in Nri, there is a long standing tradition of a man called Eri who fell from heaven, and this Eri was a contemporary of Moses and lived during the reign of the 5th Pharaoh but left with an entourage before the Exodus and went across the Nile into the Sudan and eventually made their way south and settled where the Anambra and Niger rivers meet.

“The Igbo Jews are said to have migrated from Syrian, Portuguese and Libyan Israelites into West Africa. Historical records shows that this migration started around 740 C.E. According to UCLA trained amateur Jewish Historian and Rio Hondo Police Academy trained Forensic investigator Chinedu Nwabunwanne of Aguleri, who resides in Los Angeles and has researched this subject for more than 15 years at the UCLA libraries in Los Angeles, "the migration started when the forces of Caliph Mohammed -the last leader of the Umayyads- and his Qaysi-Arab supportes defeated the Yamani-Arab Umayyads of Syria in 744 C.E; sacked the Yamanis and their Jewish supporters from Syria. The Syrian-Jewish migrant tribes Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher resettled in Nigeria where they became known as Sambatyon Jews. In 1484 and 1667 Judeans and Zebulonians from Portugal and Libya respectively joined Sambatyon Jews of Nigeria. Thus, Nigerian Jews originated from the following six Israelite tribes: Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher and Zebulon. It is interesting to note that these six tribes are the same tribes Moses repeated their names twice when he blessed the Children of Israel. These six tribes mentioned above are The House of Judah and the children of Israel his companions (Ezekiel 37:16. Those remaining six tribes not mentioned above are The House of Ephraim and the children of Israel his companion (Ezekiel 37:16)."”-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_Jews

The Igbo (also rendered: Ibo, Ibu, Ebo, Ebu, Obu etc.) tribe of Nigeria has staked claim to be the descendants of the Israeli tribal patriarch Gad. But some Swedes, Spaniards and Arabs among other peoples claim to be of Gad as well. So who is right? Who is of Gad? Can all, if any of them be of Gad? Remember Gad had sons who became the head of the clans of Gad and these clan heads could have scattered all over the world after the Assyrian captivity instead of sticking together.

Gen. 35:26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these [are] the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.

From this verse we may also be able to determine some of the possible genetic features of a child of Gad. We know that Noah had three sons; Hamm, Shem and Japheth.

Gen. 6:10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

I believe Noah was an albino:

And now, my father, hear me; for to my son Lamech a child has been born, who resembles not him; and whose nature is not like the nature of man. His colour is whiter than snow; he is redder than the rose; the hair of his head is whiter than white wool; his eyes are like the rays of the sun; and when he opened them he illuminated the whole house. When also he was taken from the hand of the midwife, His father Lamech feared, and fled to me, believing not that the child belonged to him, but that he resembled the angels of heaven. And behold I am come to you, that you might point out to me the truth. – Enoch 105:10-12

The shocked reaction of Noah’s father would indicate everyone up to that point was born one color; black. This was “strange%