Bible Word Study
גָּדִי
Gâdîy · Gadi, an Israelite
גָּדִי
Gadi, an Israelite
Definition
Gadi is a proper name meaning 'my fortune' or 'fortunate one,' derived from the Hebrew root for fortune or troop. In the Bible, it refers specifically to Gadi, the father of King Menahem of Israel (2 Kings 15:14, 17). As a personal name, it signifies an individual's identity and lineage within the northern kingdom of Israel during a turbulent period of its history. The name itself carries a positive connotation of blessing or good fortune.
Biblical Usage
The name Gadi appears exclusively in 2 Kings 15, within the historical narrative of the kings of Israel. It is used solely to identify the father of King Menahem, who assassinated King Shallum to seize the throne (2 Kings 15:14). The usage is purely genealogical and historical, providing the patronymic for a brief-reigning king during Israel's final decades before the Assyrian exile.
Etymology
Gadi (גָּדִי) is a patronymic or personal name derived from the Hebrew noun גָּד (Gad, H1409), which means 'fortune' or 'troop.' It is formed by adding the first-person singular possessive suffix '-i' (י), meaning 'my,' thus creating 'my fortune' or 'fortunate one.' This connects it to the tribe of Gad, named from the same root.
Semantic Range
While the name Gadi itself is not theologically loaded, its appearance highlights God's sovereign oversight even during a period of severe political instability and evil in Israel (2 Kings 15:18). The name's meaning ('my fortune') stands in ironic contrast to the unfortunate, violent path of his son Menahem's reign, which Scripture evaluates as doing evil in God's sight. It subtly reminds the reader that true fortune or blessing is found in covenant faithfulness, not in political power seized by violence. In ancient Israelite culture, personal names often carried significant meaning, reflecting parental hopes, circumstances of birth, or attributes of God. 'Gadi' as a name expresses a hope or declaration of blessing and good fortune for the child. Its use as a patronymic (father's name) was a standard way of identifying an individual, especially in royal records, establishing lineage and social identity. Gad (גָּד, H1409) — The root noun meaning 'fortune' or 'troop,' also the name of the Israelite tribe. Asher (אָשֵׁר, H836) — Another Hebrew name meaning 'happy' or 'blessed,' sharing a similar semantic field of fortune and happiness.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]