Genesis 30:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The term we translate as 'fortunately' corresponds to the Greek phrase ἐν τύχῃ, which could be interpreted as 'good fortune.' In the Hebrew text, the word used is bagad (בְּגָד), which Akilah interprets as 'an armed group arrived.' Therefore, we might express it as 'in arms.' This is due to the dual meaning of ba, which can denote either the preposition 'in' or the action 'came.' Consequently, the son of Zilpah received the name Gad, linked to notions of 'luck' or 'arming.'