In David's time, he spoke of the army of Gad and said, "And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains" (1 Chronicles 12:8). "...bold, stern, and fierce. The philosopher observes, that of all creatures the lion most resembles a man, having a great mouth, a square face and forehead, large eye brows, &c." (Gill's Commentary, emphasis added). Switzerland's army are known for their bravery and courage like a lion, and monuments in Europe attest to that fact.

The monument is dedicated Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti ("To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss")

Jacob prophesied, "Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last" (Genesis 49:19). This is in the "last days" (v.1). K&D Commentary freely admits, "The blessing, which is formed from a triple alliteration of the name Gad, contains no such special allusions to historical events as to enable us to interpret it historically." The reason being, they are ignorant of who Gad is in this end time, thinking all of Israel are the Jews, when the Judahites are but one tribe, Judah!

Jacob said that Gad, who being a troop, a troop "shall overcome him" but that Gad "will overcome at the last." The International Bible Commentary by F.F. Bruce says that this indicates that Gad "...would show an independent spirit" (p.146).Does this apply to Switzerland? Absolutely!

The New American Standard Bible, and the New International Version, have different interpretations. The NASB reads as following in the same verse. "Then Leah said, 'How fortunate!' So she named him Gad." The NIV is similar in its' interpretation. "Then Leah said, 'What good fortune!' So she named him Gad."

The meaning in both the NASB and NIV is "fortune", or "fortunate". However, in the KJV Gad is translated as "troop", or, "a troop is coming". The NIV adds a footnote to the verse which states; "Gad can mean good fortune or a troop." It can be either, or even both. We can find both meanings with end time Gad!

Gadite Settlements

The Tribe of Gad did not settle in the promised land, instead settled in the east side of the Jordon.

A map of the borders of the tribe of Gad

Numbers 34:13-15: "And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sun rising."

In the book of Joshua, Reuben and Gad are told, "ye have no part in the LORD" (22:25), meaning the land. There seems to be a special relationship between Gad and Reuben. In Numbers 32:29 Moses calls Reuben and Gad together and tells them, "And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the LORD, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:" In I Chronicles 5:1-17, Reuben ruled over the cities of Gad, and the Gadites and Reubenites continued in a mini-confederation "until the time of the exile" (v. 22).

It seems that the primary rulers of Gilead were the Reubenites and the Gadites. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says, "After the conquest, as we have seen, Gilead passed mainly into the hands of Gad" (article "Gilead"). Kitto writes, "...it must have comprised the entire possessions of the two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and even the southern part of Manasseh (Deu. 3:13; Num. 32:40; Jos. 17:1-6)" (article "Gilead" Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature). So Reuben and especially Gad were the Primary rulers of the land of Gilead.

They dwelt together, and they were exiled together. "And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day" (v. 26). These three tribes -- especially Reuben and Gad during the exile -- were known as "Gilead." One example of this is found in 2 Kings 10:31-32, it says, "In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan." (see 2 Kings 15:29 as well). These names are used interchangeably, and this relationship and the names carried on in exile and in Europe.

So the borders of Gad were,

"And their coast was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is before Rabbah; And from Heshbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir; And in the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages" (Joshua 13:25-28).

The land of Gad was also known as Gilead, see Judges 5:17; 1 Samuel 13:7 the cities Ramoth, Jabesh, and Jazer are usually designated as lying in Gilead. This is highly significant, because this gives us the tool to find Gad after his resettlements in Assyria and Media.

The Armed Guards of Israel

In the book of Joshua, when Israel crossed over the Jordon, Scripture makes it plain the Transjordan tribes led the nation across the Jordan. When they crossed, they were ready to fight. The Bible explicitly stated they were armed for war. If this were the case, then they would have been part of what formed the "armed guard" in Joshua 6:9: "And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the re-reward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets." The armed guard was to march ahead of the seven priests blowing trumpets of rams' horns. These seven priests marched in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Behind them marched the rear guard. The Swiss had the same role in European history as well, and still are armed guards in the Vatican.

Time of the Exile

Israel was taken into exile into Assyria, 2 Kings 15:29 says,

"In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria."

Notice Gad and Reuben are called "Gilead" and "Galilee."

The Assyrian record says, "...the border of BIT-HUMRIA...the whole land of Napthali...The land of BIT-HUMRIA...all its people together...I carried off to Assyria..." (Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylon, D. D. Lucenbill, p. 292, emphasis added). The land of Israel was called "Bit-Humria." This was named after king Omri of Israel. The Assyrians did not call them Israelites as a whole, but the "Humri."

The Britannica admits:"...the land [of Israel] continued to be known to the Assyrians down to the time of Sargon as the house of Omri..." (11th edition, vol. 20, p. 105, emphasis added).

There is a lot of evidence supporting the fact that the Assyrians called Israel by other names:

"...letters covering the sweep of the Empire in the seventh century [time of Israel's captivity] contain references to captive Israelites...However owing to the relevant texts being mixed up in complete disorder among so many others, the early translators failed to recognize references to the Israelites in about a dozen tablets. Contributing to the fact that WE NOW KNOW that the Assyrians called the ISRAELITES BY OTHER NAMES" (R. F. Harper, Assyrian and Babylonian Letters, and Waterman, The Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire, p. 101, emphasis added).

Israel became the "Humri" in the land of the Assyrians before and after they got taken away.

In any number of languages, the h is silent. However, in other languages the h has a hard sound, pronounced by forcing the sharp sound against the hard palate, as in the English word "how." In some languages, such as German, the h can be pronounced quite similarly to the English k. Thus "Bit Humri" was pronounced by some "Kumri" and by the Greeks "Kimri," "Cimri" or "Gymri." Raymond Capt in his book Missing Links in Assyrian Tablets, demonstrates this fact pertaining to the Assyrians:

"Above the scene is written in Assyrian cuneiform script: 'The tribute to Jehu (Iaua) son of Khumri (Omri)...' The Hebrew name 'Omri' is represented in Assyrian transliteration as 'Gh' or 'Kh.' The Israelites would naturally pronounce 'Omri' 'Ghomri' which became 'Khumri' in Assyrian...The Assyrian name 'Khumri,' used to denote the Israelites is also found in the annals (records) of King Tiglath-Pileser III concerning his invasion of Israel...Sargon II (722-705 B.C.) also makes mention of the 'Khumri' in his record of the capture of Samaria. He refers to himself as the conqueror of 'Bit-Khumri'...Letter 112...reveals the names of the inhabitants of Gamir as 'Gamera' and further identified them as 'CIMMERIANS.' The texts of the preceding tablets reveal the Israelites, originally known to the Assyrians, as 'Khumri,'...In captivity the Israelites were renamed 'Gamira,' 'Gamera' and FINALLY CIMMERIANS''' (pp. 99, 115, emphasis added).

The "Bit Humri," or the "Kumri," who were known by the Greeks as the "Kimbri," are said to be the progenitors of the CELTS!

The name "Celt" comes from the Greek language, for the Greeks termed them all "Keltoi." Samuel Lysons wrote about "the Cimmerians seeming to be the same people [as] the Gauls or Celts under a different name; and it is observable that the Welsh, who are descended from the Gauls, still call themselves Cymri or Kymry" (Our British Ancestors, 1865, pp. 23, 27). These Cimmerian/Celtic peoples migrated into Europe. In The History of the Anglo-Saxons from the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest by the well-respected English historiographer, Sharon Turner (1768-1842), he says, "Europe...has been peopled by three great streams of population from the East, which have followed each other, at intervals so distinct, as to possess languages clearly separable from each other. The earliest of these...comprised the Cimmerian and Celtic race. The second consisted of the Scythian, Gothic, and German tribes; from whom most of the modern nations of continental Europe have descended" (vol. 1, p. 3).

Now a branch out of the Cimmerian peoples are the Gauls. Turner also noted that the Keltoi (Celts) were the same people as the Galatai, and that they, in turn, were the same as the Galli (the Gauls), and that the Keltoi were "one of the branches of the Cimmerian stock" (p. 36). Ancient writers spoke of the Gauls, who gave their name to modern-day France, as the "Cimbri," and identified them with the Cimmerians of an earlier date, who are mentioned by Homer. They are identified as migrating through the mouth of the Danube, and early Celts are said to have been "continually moving westward." The "Belgae" were also Cimbri in origin. They spread across the Rhine and gave their name "to all northern France and Belgium" (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, Vol. 5, page 612).

Etymology of the Gauls

Later history records the migration to Europe of Celtic tribes bearing these names -- some into Jutland and others into Gaul. The Gauls called themselves Kymris, but the Romans labeled them Celts, Galli, Gallus and Galates (Galatians). The Hellenistic and Roman conquerors (300 B.C. - A.D. 200) renamed the area of Gilead, once home of the exiled Israelite tribes of Gad, Reuben and half of Manasseh, Gaulanitis.

Curiously, the term Gaul, whether gallo or gallus in Latin, galler or waller in Celtic, waller or walah in German or gaullois in French, seems to carry the same meaning: "stranger, traveler or exile." To the Celts the words Gael and Scythe both meant "stranger" or "traveler." God had told the 10 tribes of Israel they would become wanderers (Hosea 9:17).

We need to understand that the Hebrew for "carried captive," as used in describing the Assyrian deportation of the Israelites out of Gilead into exile, is the word galah and its modern derivatives are galut, galo or gallo.

In Scythia

The sons of Gad were Ziphion and Haggi as well as Shuni:, Ezbon, Eri:, and Arodi, and Areli (Genesis 46:16). Haggi (Chaggi) and Eri: (Geri) were represented in tribes of East Scythia who in the west became associated with the Goths and Suebians. Serica in Eastern Siberia was once the domain of the eastern Suebi. This was prior to a drastic climatic change in that region. Also in Serica there dwelt a number of other groups who later reappeared in the west...The Suebi...were to settle in Alsace, Switzerland..." (The Tribes by Yair Davidy, p. 145, 86). Pliny the Elder divides the Germans into five genera or "kinds", including the Hermiones, containing the gentes or "tribes" of the Suebi, Hermunduri, Chatti and Cherusci. (bk. 4 sec. 14). The "Cheruci" can be traced back to the Chaggi of Scythian who are the Haggi of the Tribe of Gad (ibid., p.162).

Many believe that these were Germans and called them "Alemanni" But "later, while the main host of the Suebi migrated into Spain, the Langobards and Alemanni, both part of the Suebian confederation, remained behind. To the Alemanni themselves, their name was interchangeable with the Suebi name" (Article "Alemanni (Suevi)" by the History Files, emphasis added). Although called Alemanni, these were not German people but Gauls, the Suebi that settled into Switzerland.

Switzerland's Roots

So what are the origins of Switzerland? One of the most important tribal groups in the Swiss region was the Helvetii. The Helvetii were a Gallic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century B.C. (Freeman, Philip. John T. Koch, ed. Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, p. 901). The Helvetti is a Gallic tribe, or confederation of tribes in Switzerland.

The name Helvetii can be derived from the PIE root *pelh1u- "many", Celtic elu-, which is seen in Welsh elw, meaning "gain" or "profit" (David Swifter, p. 14 Celtic Languages). Did not Leah wish for good "fortune" for Gad? The name of the national personification of Switzerland, Helvetia, and the country's Neo-Latin name, Confoederatio Helvetica, are both derived from the name of the Helvetii. Are not the Swiss world famous for their banks which take commission (reward) for hiring out other people's money. Also, much of their fame as fighters (troops), the Swiss also earned by fighting for money.

The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, an obsolete term for the Swiss -- which was in use during the 16th to 19th centuries. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, one of the Waldstätten cantons which formed the nucleus of the Old Swiss Confederacy. The name originates as an exonym, applied pars pro toto ("a part (taken) for the whole") to the troops of the Confederacy. The Swiss themselves began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for "Confederates", Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. (Historical Dictionary of Switzerland SAGW/ASSH). So the two names "Helvetti" and "Swiss" indicate the meaning of Gad, of Fortune and Troops.

The sons of Gad are: "The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites: Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites" (Numbers 26:15-17).

"And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli" (Genesis 46:16).

Bastarnae Coin. Bearded head of Zeus; reverse: horseman riding

The Raeti

The Raeti inhabited the eastern cantons of present day Switzerland and the greater part of the Tyrol, both of Austria and Italy. They were recorded by Polybius as early as 146 B.C., who simply said they controlled certain mountain passes. According to Pliny they were divided into many tribes, including the Lepontii, Tridentini, Genauni, Vennones, Brixentes and the Brenni. They were subjugated by Tiberius and Drusus in 15 B.C., during the reign of Augustus, and quickly became loyal subjects of the empire, contributing disproportionate numbers of recruits to the imperial Roman army's auxiliary corps. The French speaking Swiss (descended from the Burgundians) appear to be descended from the tribe of Gad. The Burgundians (Brigantae) have played an important role in what became the modern Switzerland. The name of the Burgundians has since remained connected to an area of modern France that still bears their name: Burgundy.

The Helvetti

The ancient name of Switzerland comes from the people known as the Helvetti. The Helvetii were a Gallic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century B.C. (Freeman, Philip, Julius Caesar. Simon and Schuster. p. 110).

Gaul and Switzerland received a large influx of these newcomers who too came from the east. These people are connected with the emergence of Hallstatt Civilization. Many believe that these Helvetti of the Hallstatt Celts come from the name Halah, the place where the Gadites were taken into exile. Halah can be "associated with" Hilvon" "whereto the Israelites were transported" (The Tribes, p. 305). According to Sharon Turner, the Helvetti were also called the "Gutes of the Hills" The Gutes are the Guti of the Tribe of Gad (see The Tribes, p.141; Tracing Our Ancestors, by Haberman as well) most likely of the tribes of Arodi Shuni and Areli.

Ziphion (Tsiphion)

This tribe is called the Thaifalli in Scythia who were close allies of the Goths. From the east they came westward and officially resettled as colonii to farm lands in northern Italy and Gaul. Dalton says there is "no evidence that they were Germans" but were "Celts." (History of the Franks, Dalton, p.172). According to the Notitia Dignitatum (A unique document of Roman Imperial Chanceries) there was a praefectus Sarmatarum et Taifalorum gentilium, Pictavis in Galia, that is, a Sarmatian and Taifal prefect in Poitiers in Gaul. (Bachrach, Merovingian, 12 n30). The region of Poitou was even called Thifalia or Theiphalia in the sixth century. Finally, the Notitia refers to a troop called the Comites Taifali who were formed by Theodosius the Great and served in the Eastern Empire (ibid., 17).

The Taifal influence extended into the ninth century and their fortresses, like Tiffauges and Lusignan, continued in use under the Carolingians. They also left their mark in the municipal nomenclature of the region: asides from Tiffauges, mentioned above, Chauffailles (formerly Taïfailia) in Burgundy owe their names to Taifal settlement (Bachrach, Aquitaine, 24.). The Burgundians we have identified as one of the tribes of Gad, these also settled there as well, and are also part of the Swiss confederacy. The clans of Gad have settled in Switzerland. These tribes trace from Scythia, Sarmatia, then into Europe can be identified, and have contributed to the development of the nation know as Switzerland.

Fulfilled Prophecy

Switzerland has constantly been invaded and conquered, but always overcame in the end. Originally inhabited by the Helvetians, or Helvetic Celts, the territory comprising modern Switzerland came under Roman rule during the Gallic wars in the 1st century B.C. and remained a Roman province until the 4th century A.D. and then overcame the Roman occupation.

In 800, the country became part of Charlemagne's empire. It later passed under the dominion of the Holy Roman emperors in the form of small ecclesiastic and temporal holdings subject to imperial sovereignty. In 1291, the ruling families from Uri [Eri], Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed a charter to keep public peace and pledging mutual support in upholding autonomous administrative and judicial rule. The anniversary of the charter's signature (August 1, 1291) today is celebrated as Switzerland's National Day. This revolt led to their first victory Between 1315 and 1388 the Swiss Confederates inflicted three crushing defeats on the Habsburgs, whose aspiration to regional dominion clashed with Swiss self-determination. During that period, five other localities (cantons in modern-day parlance) joined the original three in the Swiss Confederation.

"Buoyed by their feats, the Swiss Confederates continuously expanded their borders by military means and gained formal independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499...By then the Swiss Confederation had become a union of 13 localities with a regularly convening diet administering the subject territories" (Source: Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs: Background Note: Switzerland, emphasis added). Fulfilling the prophecy, "Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. (Deuteronomy 33:20).

A lion is "bold and courageous, secure, and without fear of any of his enemies, though near him, on his borders," (Gill's Commentary under "Gad"). Lions identify their territory by roaring loudly or by physically scent marking trees or rock outcrops. Male lions are around primarily to defend the territory from other lion prides or nomadic male lions. Switzerland defends its territory like a lion. He "tears the arm with the crown of the head" means "would pull in pieces all that stood in his way, both the arm (that is, the strength) and the crown of the head (that is, the policy and authority) of his enemies." (Matthew Henry Commentary).

Once again Switzerland was conquered by Napoleon in 1798 replacing the loose confederation with a centrally governed unitary state.. Once again the Swiss revolted and in 1803 they granted the Swiss local autonomy. Gad overcame again! The Congress of Vienna in 1815 re-established the old confederation of sovereign states and enshrined Switzerland's status of permanent armed neutrality in international law.

The Bible shows Gad/Swiss neutrality. In Judges 8:14-17 Gideon pursued the terrorist of Midian into Gadite territory. The Gadites refused to help and stayed neutral, Gideon was furious with them.

The Swiss Guards

The Swiss Guards are of course a defending unit like their predecessors in the Old Testament. These were used in Europe and known as the best soldiers in the world. The Britannica writes,

To this day Switzerland remains neutral and independent in Europe and the world. At the future appearance of the Messiah 12,000 of the tribe of Gad/Swiss will rule with YEHOVAH God and the Messiah at Mount Zion (Revelation 14). They will help administer the government of YEHOVAH God, and arrange the Exodus of millions of lost Israelites back to the promised land.

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Proclaiming the Good News of the Soon-Coming Kingdom of YEHOVAH God Here On This Earth!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

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