a Jewish prophet, the seer, or domestic prophet of King David, who was his adviser in all matters of importance. When the displeasure of the Almighty was roused against David and the children of Israel for numbering the people, Gad received a commission to wait upon the king, and make him an offer of three evils as a punishment for his offence. These were famine, war, or pestilence, the last of which was chosen by David, the ravages of which were terrible beyond description, and produced genuine repentance in the hearts of sufferers. To perpetuate the memory of this event, Gad ordered an altar to be erected in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, around which place, it is said, the temple was afterwards built. We learn from the Old Testament that Gad was an author, who wrote a history of his own times, of which much use appears to have been made by the compilers of the books of Samuel and Chronicles. Gad was also the name of one of the twelve patriarchs, or sons of Jacob.

in Ancient Geography, a district of the Transjordan Palestine, situated between Gilead and the kingdom of Bashan to the north, and the kingdom of Amorites, to the south; having the Jordan to the west, and bounded by various peoples on the east; so called from a tribe of that name.

among miners, a small punch of iron, with a long wooden handle, used to break up the ore.

One of the miners holds this in his hand, directing the point to a proper place, while the other drives it into the vein, by striking it with a flint hammer.