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Ramban on Deuteronomy 33:20/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ג:כ׳

אבָּרוּךְ מַרְחִיב גָּד, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיָה תְּחוּמוֹ שֶׁל גָּד מַרְחִיב כְּלַפֵּי מִזְרָח, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ל"ג:כ') מִסִּפְרֵי (ברכה שנה). ור"א פֵּרֵשׁ כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיְּדַמֶּה אוֹתוֹ לְאַרְיֵה אָמַר בָּרוּךְ הַמַּרְחִיב גָּד, שֶׁנָּתַן לוֹ גְּבוּרָה וְכָל רוֹאָיו יִבְרְחוּ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאֵין מִי יָצֵר לוֹ. וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁהוּא עַל נַחֲלָתוֹ, כִּי שְׁנֵי הַשְּׁבָטִים אֲשֶׁר לָקְחוּ נַחֲלָתָם בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן לֹא לָקְחוּ אוֹתָהּ בְּגוֹרָל, אֲבָל נָתַן לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה כָּל מַמְלְכוּת סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג, וְנַחֲלָתָם רָחֲבָה וְנָסְבָה לְמַעְלָה מִכָּל הַשְּׁבָטִים. וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בִּרְאוּבֵן זֶה, כִּי דַּי בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ, וְאֶפְשָׁר גַּם כֵּן כִּי לָקְחוּ בְּנֵי גָד יוֹתֵר מִבְּנֵי רְאוּבֵן, כִּי הָיוּ גִּבּוֹרִים וְנָתַן לָהֶם כָּל הַסְּפָר, וְהֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ רַבּוֹת מֵאֲשֶׁר לִרְאוּבֵן. וְעוֹד כִּי הֵם אֲשֶׁר בִּקְשׁוּ הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא תְּחִלָּה, כַּאֲשֶׁר פֵּרַשְׁתִּי שָׁם (במדבר לב ב), וְהִנֵּה הֵם סִבַּת הָרְחָבָה הַזֹּאת:

1BLESSED BE HE THAT ENLARGETH GAD. “This teaches that Gad’s border was enlarged toward the east.” [Since his territory was east of the Jordan it could be extended towards the east.] This is Rashi’s language from the Sifre.²³⁹ 355. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that because Moses likened Gad to a lion [he dwelleth as a lioness], he said, “Blessed be He Who enlarges Gad, Who gives him strength so that whoever [any enemy] sees him will flee him, and no one will trouble him.” The correct interpretation is that it refers to Gad’s inheritance, for the two tribes [Reuben and Gad] that took their inheritance on the east bank of the Jordan did not take it by the lot. Instead Moses gave them the entire kingdoms of Sihon and Og²⁴⁰ and their inheritance was broader as it wound about higher²⁴¹ than all the tribes. Moses did not mention this [blessing] in the case of Reuben, for his prayer was sufficient.¹⁶² It is also possible that the children of Gad took more territory than the children of Reuben for they were mighty and therefore Moses gave them the entire [eastern] border. The cities which they built²⁴² were also more numerous than those of Reuben.²⁴³, Verses 37-38. In addition, it was the Gadites who first requested that land [east of the Jordan as their inheritance] as I have explained there,²⁴⁴, Verse 2 (Vol. IV, pp. 370-371). and thus they were the cause of this expansion.