Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 49:19/אור החיים על בראשית מ״ט:י״ט
אגָּד גְּדוּד וְגוֹ׳. מַבְלִיעַ בִּרְכָתוֹ בִּשְׁמוֹ, וּפֵרוּשׁ ״גָּד״ לְשׁוֹן גְּדוּד, פֵּרוּשׁ מַחֲנֶה, וּלְשׁוֹן גְּדִיָּה, וּלְשׁוֹן מְשִׁיכָה, וּלְשׁוֹן הֶיקֵף, שֶׁכֻּלָּם בְּמַשְׁמָעוּת ״גָּד״, וְעַיֵּן בְּעָרוּךְ בְּפֵרוּשׁ תֵּבַת ״גָּד״. וְאָמַר גָּד גְּדוּד אוֹיְבָיו יְסוֹבְבוּהוּ עַל גְּדוֹתָיו, וְהוּא יָגֻד פֵּרוּשׁ יִכְרֹת אוֹתָם, ״עָקֵב״ פֵּרוּשׁ עַד כַּלֵּה. עוֹד יִרְצֶה גְּדוּד פֵּרוּשׁ לְשׁוֹן מַחֲנֶה שֶׁיִּתְרַבּוּ גְּדוּדָיו וְיִהְיֶה מַחֲנֵהוּ מָשׁוּךְ וְהוֹלֵךְ, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ ״יְגוּדֶנּוּ״, וְאָמְרוֹ וְהוּא יָגֻד פֵּרוּשׁ יַקִּיף לְכָל מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִלָּחֵם בַּעֲדָם. ״עָקֵב״ פֵּרוּשׁ עַד שֶׁיִּנְחֲלוּ כָּל נַחֲלָתָם (במדבר לב:לב).
1 גד גדוד יגודנו, "Gad, a troop shall troop upon him, etc." Jacob links his blessing to his name, interpreting his name as meaning "a troop, a camp," as well as גדיה. The author refers the reader to the Sefer Ha-aruch which describes the word גד also as meaning "to draw," "to lead," and "to surround." Accordingly, the meaning is that Gad will surround his enemies. When Jacob continued: והוא יגוד עקב, this means that he will utterly destroy them to the heel, i.e. the lowest extremity. Gad will surround the entire camp of Israel and fight on their behalf. עקב may also refer to the fact that he would help them to receive their reward, their inheritance, [all this is a reference to when the two and a half tribes led by Gad undertook to form the vanguard in the conquest of the land of Canaan in Numbers 32,32. Ed.]