אֲרוֹד
Arod, an Israelite
Definition
Arod is a proper name referring to an individual within the Israelite community. He is identified as a son of Gad and is listed among the descendants who formed the Gadite clan (Numbers 26:17). The name appears only in the context of the second wilderness census, which was taken to number the men eligible for military service before entering the Promised Land. As a clan head, Arod represents a family group within the tribe of Gad.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a proper name in the Old Testament. Its sole occurrence is in the census list recorded in Numbers 26:17, within the context of the tribe of Gad. The pattern of usage is strictly genealogical, serving to document the family lines of Israel. There are no other biblical books or narrative contexts where this name appears.
Etymology
The name Arod (אֲרוֹד) is presented in the biblical text as an orthographical variation of the name Arodi (אַרְוַדִי, H719). It is derived from the root רוד (rwd), which conveys the sense of fleeing or wandering. Thus, the name's core meaning is 'fugitive' or 'one who wanders.' This connects it to a theme of mobility or displacement.
Semantic Range
While the name Arod itself is not theologically loaded, its inclusion in the census of Numbers 26 carries significance. It underscores the theme of God's faithfulness in preserving and numbering His covenant people, Israel, through their generations. Understanding that even minor clan heads like Arod were recorded highlights the value of every family unit within God's corporate plan for Israel, emphasizing both individual identity and communal belonging in the covenant community.
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried descriptive meaning or reflected circumstances. A name meaning 'fugitive' might hint at a family story or characteristic, though the specific reason for this name is lost. As a clan head, Arod represented not just himself but his extended household ('beit av' or 'father's house'), which was a fundamental social, economic, and military unit within the tribe.
Arodi (ʼArvadî, H719) — The alternate, fuller form of the same name from which Arod is derived.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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