גַּדִּיאֵל
𐤂𐤃𐤉𐤀𐤋
Gadiel
H1427 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun, personal name: Gaddiel — 'El is my fortune' or 'God is my fortune.' The name combines the theme of 'fortune' or 'good luck' (as indicated by the element Gad), with association to the deity El, yielding a theophoric personal name expressing hope or declaration that one's prosperity or fortune is attributed to El (God). Used specifically as the name of an Israelite appointed to represent the tribe of Zebulun among the explorers of Canaan.
Semantic Range
personal name; 'God is (my) fortune'; 'fortune of El'; may connote blessing, providence, or prosperity attributed to deity; used only as a proper name in the biblical text
Root / Etymology
Formed from the roots גָּד (gad: fortune, luck) and אֵל (el: God, mighty one), yielding the theophoric name meaning 'fortune is God' or 'El is fortune.' The name is a compound, reflecting a common ancient Near Eastern practice of incorporating the names of deities into personal names to express relationships, blessings, or hoped-for outcomes.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Gaddiel appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 13:10), listed as the leader from the tribe of Zebulun selected to explore the land of Canaan. The use of 'Gad' in personal names is paralleled in several theophoric names across the Hebrew Bible, especially in the tribal ancestor Gad (Genesis 30:11) and the place name Baal-Gad (Joshua 11:17). The use of 'El' as a theophoric suffix is characteristic of many Israelite personal names from the monarchic and pre-exilic periods. English translations usually simply transliterate the name without interpretive rendering. The term 'fortune' in the ancient context did not imply random luck as in modern English but reflected divine providence or blessing, specifically as attributed to El, the chief deity in early Israelite religion. Later usage of similar names in post-exilic periods sometimes shifted to alternate renderings or merged with Aramaic forms, but Gaddiel as such is only attested in this single Pentateuchal context.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from גָּד and אֵל; fortune of God; Gaddiel, an Israelite; Gaddiel.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גד, אל (g-d, ʾ-l) — fortune, luck, God, mighty one
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1427-01 |
גַּדִּיאֵ֖ל | gadiel | HNp |
Gaddiel | God is my fortune | Gadiel | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1427-01 |
Numbers 13:10 | גַּדִּיאֵ֖ל | gadiel | HNp |
Gaddiel | God is my fortune | Gadiel |