ע
ABARIM
Publications
Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Baal-gad

Baal-gad meaning

Baal-gad in Biblical Hebrew
בעל־גד
Baal-gad categories:
⌂
locations
≡
browse names and categories

Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Baal-gad.html

🔼The name Baal-gad: Summary

Meaning
Lord Of Fortune, Lord Of The Invasion
Etymology
From (1) the verb בעל (ba'al), to be lord, and (2) the verb גדד (gadad), to invade.
Related names
• Via בעל (ba'al): Ashbel, Baal, Baalah, Baalath, Baalath-beer, Baal-berith, Baale-judah, Baal-hamon, Baal-hanan, Baal-hazor, Baal-hermon, Baali, Baalis, Baal-meon, Baal-peor, Baal-perazim, Baal-shalishah, Baal-tamar, Baal-zebub, Baal-zephon, Baladan, Bamoth-baal, Bealiah, Bealoth, Beelzebub, Bel, Beulah, Bildad, Eshbaal, Ethbaal, Gur-baal, Hannibal, Jerubbaal, Kiriath-baal, Merib-baal
• Via גדד (gadad): Armageddon, Azgad, En-gedi, Gad, Gaddi or Gadi, Gaddiel, Hazar-gaddah, Hor-haggidgad, Magadan, Megiddo, Migdal-gad

🔼The name Baal-gad in the Bible

Baal-gad is the name of a city situated in the valley of Lebanon, at the foot of mount Hermon (Joshua 11:17). At some point in the conquest of Canaan, Joshua and the army of Israel conquered Baal-gad and captured its king at executed him.

🔼Etymology of the name Baal-gad

The name Baal-gad obviously consists of two elements. The first part is the familiar word בעל (ba'al), Baal, meaning lord or master:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
בעל

The verb בעל (ba'al) means to exercise dominion over; to own, control or be lord over. The ubiquitous noun בעל (ba'al) means lord, master and even husband, and its feminine counterpart בעלה (ba'ala) means mistress or landlady.

God is obviously called 'lord' all over the Bible and the sin of the Baal priests (1 Kings 18:40) was not that they called upon some other deity but rather their incessant howling of the word 'lord' without any further responsibility or effects (see Matthew 7:21 and 11:4-5).

— See the full Dictionary article —

The second part of our name is the same as that of Gad, the seventh son of Jacob. That name comes from the verb גדד (gadad), meaning to cut or invade:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
גדד

The verb גדד (gadad) describes making an invasive cut, mostly in order to expose something valuable. Noun גדוד (gedud) may describe an invasive band of raiders, or more general: a cutting, a furrow. Noun גדודה (geduda) means a furrow or cutting. Noun גד (gad) appears to describe the exposed treasure and may be used to describe a physical fortune, plain luck or a state of felicity.

Verb גדה (gada) also means to cut. Noun גדה (gadda) refers to a river bank. Noun גדי (gedi) describes a young animal, but mostly one that was either just slaughtered or soon will be.

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Baal-gad meaning

For a meaning of the name Baal-gad, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Lord Of Good Fortune, and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names proposes the similar Lord Of Fortune.

BDB Theological Dictionary doesn't translate this name but says: "a place where Baal was worshipped as Gad, the god of fortune..".