Eri son of Gad
Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr
The following are verses which mention Gad and the sons and descendants of Gad.
Gen. 46:16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
Jasher 59:14 And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Chaggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
Here are the meanings of the names of the seven sons of Gad in order of their birth:
1 (G-d/Unity). Ziphion: Watchtower
2 (House/Couple). Haggi: Holiday, Celebration, Feast Day
3 (Family/Tri-unity of G-d). Shuni: Seashore or Harbor
4 (Four Directions). Ezbon: Wild Rosebush
5 (Law and Grace). Eri: My Guardian
6 (Man power). Arodi: Bronze
7 (Perfection/Completion). Areli: Messenger and or Lion of God
Gen. 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Num. 2:14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad [shall be] Eliasaph the son of Reuel. (Also rendered Eliasaph the son of Deuel in Numbers 1:14, 7:42, 10:20; a possible scribal error as a Resh and Dalet in Hebrew could easily be mistaken if not written correctly)
Num. 13:15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
Num. 32:34-36 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah, And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep.
Rev. 7:5 … Of the tribe of Gad [were] sealed twelve thousand.
Ya’akov (Jacob) prophetically blessed the children of Gad:
Jasher 56: 6-16 And Jacob said, Call all your children unto me, and all the children of Jacob's sons came and sat before him, and Jacob blessed them, and he said unto them, The Lord God of your fathers shall grant you a thousand times as much and bless you, and may he give you the blessing of your father Abraham; and all the children of Jacob's sons went forth on that day after he had blessed them. And on the next day Jacob again called for his sons, and they all assembled and came to him and sat before him, and Jacob on that day blessed his sons before his death, each man did he bless according to his blessing; behold it is written in the book of the law of the Lord appertaining to Israel. And Jacob said unto Judah, I know my son that thou art a mighty man for thy brethren; reign over them, and thy sons shall reign over their sons forever. Only teach thy sons the bow and all the weapons of war, in order that they may fight the battles of their brother who will rule over his enemies. And Jacob again commanded his sons on that day, saying, Behold I shall be this day gathered unto my people; carry me up from Egypt, and bury me in the cave of Machpelah as I have commanded you. Howbeit take heed I pray you that none of your sons carry me, only yourselves, and this is the manner you shall do unto me, when you carry my body to go with it to the land of Canaan to bury me, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun shall carry my bier at the eastern side; Reuben, Simeon and Gad at the south, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin at the west, Dan, Asher and Naphtali at the north. Let not Levi carry with you, for he and his sons will carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord with the Israelites in the camp, neither let Joseph my son carry, for as a king so let his glory be; howbeit, Ephraim and Manasseh shall be in their stead. Thus shall you do unto me when you carry me away; do not neglect any thing of all that I command you; and it shall come to pass when you do this unto me, that the Lord will remember you favorably and your children after you forever. And you my sons, honor each his brother and his relative, and command your children and your children's children after you to serve the Lord God of your ancestors all the days. In order that you may prolong your days in the land, you and your children and your children's children for ever, when you do what is good and upright in the sight of the Lord your God, to go in all his ways.
Gen. 49:19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.
Moshe (Moses) prophetically blessed the children of Gad:
Jasher 87:5-8 And Moses called to all the children of Israel and said to them, You have seen all the good which the Lord your God has done for you in the wilderness. Now therefore observe all the words of this law, and walk in the way of the Lord your God, turn not from the way which the Lord has commanded you, either to the right or to the left. And Moses taught the children of Israel statutes and judgments and laws to do in the land as the Lord had commanded him. And he taught them the way of the Lord and his laws; behold they are written upon the book of the law of God which he gave to the children of Israel by the hand of Moses.
Deut. 33:20 And of Gad he said, Blessed [be] he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.
GAD’S SONS ERI, ARELI AND ARODI
In Genesis 46:16 we read that three of the sons of Gad are named Eri, Areli and Arodi.
Num. 26:1-4, 15-18 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house, all that are able to go to war in Israel. And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt… 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 (Ezbon), the family of the Oznites (Ezbonites): of Eri, the family of the Erites: Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred.
These verses tells us that at least a portion of all of Gad’s sons left with Moses and the rest of the children of Israel during the Exodus, despite the legend of a pre-exodus-exodus from Egypt by Gad’s son Eri, Areli and Arodi.
The legend and oral tradition goes that while in Egypt living among many other nations who also resided there to escape the famine that a portion of Gad’s son Eri, his younger brothers Areli and Arodi, along with Eri’s wife, Ishamal and other relatives Ijaw (believed possibly to be an offspring of Zebulun), Edo, Igala, Idoma (Possibly and likely descendants of Esau/Edom) saw the coming persecution of the future Egyptian bondage and left with an Arab man named Oduduwa (a Babylonian and said father of the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria) and his relatives and journeyed further down into Africa crossing the Nile River into Sudan (Old Ethiopia) to Chad and eventually Lokojia which is now the present day Nigeria by way of River Benue and then through the River Niger where they eventually landed in Aguleri in what is know today as Nigeria around 1305 BCE (Igbo History by Victor M.C. Eyisi pg. 2-3, 49)
Ogbuefi Madubueze Enemmou said on Radio Nigeria Enugu National Station on July 13, 1996 that in Nri, there is a long standing tradition of a man called Eri who fell from heaven, and this Eri was a contemporary of Moses and lived during the reign of the 5th Pharaoh but left with an entourage before the Exodus and went across the Nile into the Sudan and eventually made their way south and settled where the Anambra and Niger rivers meet.
“The Igbo Jews are said to have migrated from Syrian, Portuguese and Libyan Israelites into West Africa. Historical records shows that this migration started around 740 C.E. According to UCLA trained amateur Jewish Historian and Rio Hondo Police Academy trained Forensic investigator Chinedu Nwabunwanne of Aguleri, who resides in Los Angeles and has researched this subject for more than 15 years at the UCLA libraries in Los Angeles, "the migration started when the forces of Caliph Mohammed -the last leader of the Umayyads- and his Qaysi-Arab supportes defeated the Yamani-Arab Umayyads of Syria in 744 C.E; sacked the Yamanis and their Jewish supporters from Syria. The Syrian-Jewish migrant tribes Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher resettled in Nigeria where they became known as Sambatyon Jews. In 1484 and 1667 Judeans and Zebulonians from Portugal and Libya respectively joined Sambatyon Jews of Nigeria. Thus, Nigerian Jews originated from the following six Israelite tribes: Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher and Zebulon. It is interesting to note that these six tribes are the same tribes Moses repeated their names twice when he blessed the Children of Israel. These six tribes mentioned above are The House of Judah and the children of Israel his companions (Ezekiel 37:16. Those remaining six tribes not mentioned above are The House of Ephraim and the children of Israel his companion (Ezekiel 37:16)."”-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_Jews
The Igbo (also rendered: Ibo, Ibu, Ebo, Ebu, Obu etc.) tribe of Nigeria has staked claim to be the descendants of the Israeli tribal patriarch Gad. But some Swedes, Spaniards and Arabs among other peoples claim to be of Gad as well. So who is right? Who is of Gad? Can all, if any of them be of Gad? Remember Gad had sons who became the head of the clans of Gad and these clan heads could have scattered all over the world after the Assyrian captivity instead of sticking together.
Gen. 35:26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these [are] the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.
From this verse we may also be able to determine some of the possible genetic features of a child of Gad. We know that Noah had three sons; Hamm, Shem and Japheth.
Now one theory that makes sense to me is that Noah’s 3 sons were triplets born with different shades of melanin (skin color), or they were born separate with differing shades of melanin. Scientifically to be able to get the diverse colors of people we see on the earth today Mr. and Mrs. Noah had to be black. Black is the presence of color, where as white is the absence of it. So genetically you have to have much melanin before you have a lack of it. So we see that the children born unto Noach were:
· Shem – The father of all the Hebraic and Arabic / Middle Easter peoples. Shem let’s say looked as if he had a healthy tan.
· Hamm- The father of all the “Black” peoples. Hamm was, like his mother and father, a dark shade of black.
· Yefet (Japheth) – The father of all the Caucasian Indo-European / Eurasian peoples. Yefet was lighter in skin tone than any of his family.
We know that Jacob and Leah were of the descendants of Shem, but we do not know for certain the identity of Zilpah the handmaid, and thus she could very when have been black, a Hammite. If so, this means Gad and Asher would have been darker than their other brothers.
Also, it is interesting to note that the stone representing Gad in the Priestly breastplate was an onyx stone, which is black (Ex. 39:6-14). And in December 1997 an onyx stone found at the palace of Obu-Gad, the traditional site where Gad’s son Eri settled was found an onyx stone that bore the Paleo-Hebrew inscription “GAD” upon it which the King Solomon Sephardic Federation confirmed the authenticity of the inscription.
And if Gad was black, it would stand to reason that when they left they would have naturally gravitated to a place with people that shared similar genetic features as they so they would blend in and not appear to be strangers of the land.
Also, even if Gad was originally lighter, after generations living in Nigeria they would have turned a darker skin tone so as to adapt to their environment, as well as it could be expected that some would have intermarried with the dark people who were indigenous to that area of the African continent.
Also, the name of the first man “Adam” is Hebrew for a dark shade of red and many Black Hebrews do have a reddish tint to their complexion, a rich mahogany type of color which may also attest to their genetic linkage to Gad and to Israel. Also, in flying over the land of Nigeria I did notice the earth was a reddish-brown color.
“(Israel) include those whose skins range from the lightest to the darkest in clors and within it a broad range of cultural diversity is represented.” – Donin H.H. (1972): To Be a Jew – Italics mine
It should come as no surprise that the Igbo people of Nigeria are of Gad. Other African tribes such as the Lemba of Ethiopia claimed to be of Levi and DNA tests confirm the presence of the Cohen gene in their DNA, proving them to be the descendants of Levi and Aaron.
Gen. 46:16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
The Igbo’s in Nigeria are said to come from Eri, Adodi, Areli and possibly Ezbon (Because Ezbon is a common Igbo name). So it is very possible other peoples around the world who claim to be from Gad are of Gad also.
Gen. 10:21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were [children] born.
Igbo (and its various renderings) is said to be derived from Shem’s descendant Eber, where we get the word “Hebrew” from. Interestingly enough The Igbo’s were once known as, and called by white slave traders as, “Heeboos.” Now with linguistics and the evolution language we know that things tend to get shortened over time, rather than lengthened, it is sort of like the 2nd law of thermodynamics as it applies to the spoke word. Just like “What’s up,” has become, “Whad’up” or “Wassup,” in American English, so too “Eber” or “Heber” became know as “Hebrew” and from there in Nigeria it became “Heeboo” which was eventually was shortened to “Igbo” (the “g” is at times silent).
According to Igbo Scholars and Authorities, Eri is said to have had six children; Agulu, Atta, Oba, Igbo, Meneri and his only daughter, Adamgbo. Eri. He blessed and then settled each of his children in different places and left his firstborn at Obu-Gad (Compound/Camp of Gad) where Eri ended up settling and building a throne and altar in honor of his father Gad unto YHWH, the G-d of His father.
Agulu inherited Eri’s Ofo (scepter) to rule over his brothers. Adamgbo also stayed at Obu-Gad in Aguleri to help her brother. Agulu had three wives; Ada, Omali and Eke. He ended up having four sons from these three wives; Ivite (which by the way closely resembles the word Ivrite which is Hebrew word for the Hebrew Language), Igboezunu, Enugu and Ezaim which are today components of the modern day town of Aguleri. Agulu is said to have live 140 years.
Atta was settled to the north in what is known today as Umekete in Aguleri, later Atta made his way to Igala in Kogi State. Atta’s kingdom was raided by the Agala where Igala takes its name, but the Agala agreed to leave Atta’s throne to Atta’s descendants.
Oba’s settlement was south of Eri called Ugwu Ogodo (Ogodo hill), Edom ended up take over Oba’s kingdom. The territories of the modern day Edo and Benin tribes of Nigeria is said to originally belong to Oba.
Igbo resided in a place which use to be known as Mbito and is known today as Aguleri. Igbo was said to have developed the art of herbal medicines. Such places as Igboetti, Igbooda, and Igboeze were formed by Igbo’s descendants.
Menri occupied a place east of Eri (Obu-Gad) called Okpu. Menri is said to have founded Nri, Enugu, Ukwu, Amanuke Nawfia and Enugu-Agodi, and Igboukwu.
Agulu before he died took the Ofo given to him by his father Eri to his third son Enugu and that Enugu’s descendants should hold and pass down the Ofo and have the rights of kingship and to be able to appoint other kings. But neither Eri, Agulu or Enugu made them selves kings during their life, but were content to be the elder, cultural and spiritual leader of their people.
The Aguleri dynasty can be traced back to Engugu’s son and hence from there all they way back to Eri, the son of Gad.
1. Eze Anyiamigbo (Ezeora); Ezeora I (1087-1036 BCE)
2. Eze Agwuve Ezeora II (1033-958 BCE)
3. Eze Ojemba Ezeora III (955-895 BCE)
4. Ezenochiugo Ezeora IV (475-388 BCE)
5. Eze Onyeagwanam Ezeora V (387-247 BCE)
6. Eze Nkwukwu Ezeora VI (242-131 BCE)
7. Eze Honwagwu Ezeora VII (130 BCE-43 CE)
8. Eze Aghaegbulem Ezeora VIII (40-48 CE)
9. Eze Akidigbo Ezeora IX (50-144 CE)
10. Eze Okwuatu-Egwu Ezeora X (147-238 CE)
11. Eze Ugam Ezeora XI (239-309 CE)
12. Eze Gbujie Ezeora XII (315-394 CE)
13. Eze Ilora Ezeora XIII (398-452 CE)
14. Eze Dibie Olome Ezeora XIV (495-553 CE)
15. Eze Gbukamadu Ezeora XV (555-655 CE)
16. Eze Echiebuke Ezeora XVI (657-733 CE)
17. Eze Onamadianyi Ezeora XVII (737-827 CE)
18. Eze Nwaukpala Ezeora XVIII (831-913 CE)
19. Eze Kwutulumuj Ezeora XIX (916-1001 CE)
20. Eze Idumba Ofomeke Ezeora XX (1007-1095 CE)
21. Eze Adidiesi Ezeora XXI (1100-1176 CE)
22. Eze Nwaesi Idu Ezeora XXII (1177-1240 CE)
23. Eze Obanaidu Ezeora XXIII (1246-1310 CE)
24. Eze Chinweze Ezeora XXIV (1313-1367 CE)
25. Eze Nwaokpalaora Ezeora XXV (1370-1446 CE)
26. Eze Ezem Ezeora XXVI (1448-1530 CE)
27. Eze Ezechi Ezeora XXVII (1534-1608 CE)
28. Eze Ezemailo Ezeora XXVIII (1613-1684 CE)
29. Eze Erimeli Ezeora XXIX (1691-1752 CE)
30. Eze Ogodougbo Ezeora XXX (1760-1820 CE)
31. Eze Mabam Ezeora XXXI (1826-1860 CE)
32. Eze Ekwo/Eze Chizor Ezeora XXXII (1866-1910 CE) The Slave trade disrupted the line and was almost lost. Also around the turn of the century there was also a leadership crisis in Aguleri which gave rise to the Idigo Dynasty.
33. Eze Chiezie Ejor (Idoga) Ezeora XXXII (1958-1968 CE)
34. Eze A.E. Chukwuemeke-Eri Ezeora XXXIV (1976-Present) The Biafrian War disrupted the line and was almost lost.
Eri is listed in Gen. 46:16, Num. 26:16-18 as a descendant of Gad and this name is still in the official title of the King of the Ebo people today in Nigeria; His Royal Majesty Eze (King) A.E. Chukwuemeka-Eri.
In Aguleri, Anambra State, Eastern Nigeria is where the King resides and it is officially called Obu-Gad, meaning, “The Palace/Compound/Camp of Gad.” It has been frequented by Rabbi’s and Jewish scholars and archeologists alike. Found next to the palace is the ancient stone throne of the Igbos which at the foot of it is a Paleo-Hebrew inscription made from a specific seas shell used as ancient currency which reads, “Give” or “Gift.” Eri built it in honor and as gift to his father Gad and to YHWH the God of Gad. I have been there myself and can personally verify this to be true.
Also on the palace grounds are three trees joined above ground by the roots to form a concave fence under which is said to lie the second Igbo-King who died during a time when the people were off working in the fields and when the rivers overflowed their banks during the rainy season it prevented their return home. When they finally made it they discovered their King had been dead a few days and so they buried him quickly very close to the palace and shortly thereafter these three trees miraculously sprang up to for a memorial like headstone. I too have seen this and can verify this as well.
Arodi
When Eri trekked from Egypt to Nigeria he took his younger brothers Arodi and Areli (Gen. 46:16) along with him. When they arrived and settled in Nigeria they lived in harmony with each other and worked together to develop one language, tradition and culture. Eventually Arodi and Areli left their older brother Eri to branch out on their own. Arodi is the father of the Arochukwu kingdom and was developed industrious pursuits in the land, such crafts and manufacturing. This tradition still carries on today through the Igbo people who live in Aba Ngwa which has the nickname, “the Taiwan of Nigeria.”
Arodi is also is said to have developed the Nsibidi writing system made of glyphs which aided in developing trade among all the peoples of Nigeria and the surrounding areas. The further development of this unique indigenous language was stunted and died when the British came to colonize Igboland.
The descendants of Arodi are the peoples and tribes of; Ibibios, Anang, Ogoni, Afikpo, Abakariki, Umon, Yako, Nembe and Arochukwu.
The Adodi/Idigo Dynasty:
1. HRH Ezenwanne Idigo (1900-1910 CE)
2. HRH Eze Rapheal Akwuba Idigo II (1910-1960 CE)
3. HRH Eze Alphonsus Ezeudu Idigo III (1960-1995 CE)
4. HRH Eze Christopher Nwabun Nwanne Idigi IV (Igwe Ogalagidi II) of Aguleri town (1995-Present)
Areli
Areli when he departed from Eri and the Obu-Gad kingdom went on to become the father of the Owerri. Other descendants of Areli include the people and tribes in Umuahai, Diobu, Okigwe, Orlu, Ohoada, Mbiaeri, Eleele and Port Harcourt.
Eri’s Son: Menri
Nnamoko Ogbodudu, one of Menri’s descendants is said to have been consecrated priest during the first year of Eze Anyiamigbo Ezeora I. He was then sent away with bronze family heirlooms inherited from Eri, Gad and Jacob (Israel) in order to find a safe place for these items so they wouldn’t be taken by raiders or invaders. He found a secure place know today as Agulu Lake.
Nnamoko married Mgbankwo and had a son he called, Agulu and is the founder of the town named after him.
Nnamoko’s second son was Diani and is the ancestor of the Umudiani, the first to settle in Aguukwu land.
Nnamoko’s third son was Nwankwo ancestor of the ones who settled in Umunwankwo known today as Enuguukwu land.
Eze Anyiamigbo Ezeora I crowned Nnamoko a Nri (King) around 1090 BCE. After, Nri Nnamoko relocated from Agulu Lake to what is today known as Oraeri in Aguata Local Government Area in Anambra State of Nigeria. This is where he gave his first son Agulu a Bronze Mogen David (Star of David) which was unearthed in Agulu 500 feet underground in 1917. This event was commemorated by the Star of David being minted on Nigerian kobo coins.
The Eze Nri Dynasty of Oraeri:
1. Nri Nnamoko – Eze Nri I
2. Nri Avo – Eze Nri II
3. Nri Agu – Eze Nri III
4. Nri Nnakwa – Eze Nri IV
5. Nri Bike – Eze Nri V
6. Nri Ochife – Eze Nri VI
7. Nri Ezulu – Eze Nri VII
8. Nri Ochife II – Eze Nri VIII
9. Nri Ezegwo – Eze Nri IX
10. Nri Ofia – Eze Nri X
11. Nri Okubalu – Eze Nri XI
12. Nri Ezudemba – Eze Nri XII
13. Nri Ezenwosu – Eze Nri XIII
14. Nri Ezizundu – Eze Nri XIV
15. Nri Abraham Ezekonkwo – Eze Nri XV
16. Nri Joe M.C. Obiakor – Eze Nri XVI
Nri also was a town Kingdom in Agu-ukwu land founded by Obuka, son of Ifikwanim who was a son of Menri. Obuka was said to be like Eri in many ways, was blessed by Eri and made a priest. He married two women; Agbomma and Adaora and had seven sons and a daughter. The people desired to have a king and chose Obuka son of Ifikwanim and he took on the Nri title of king. His kingship was consecrated and approved by Eze Agwuve Ezeora II in Aguleri where Obuka went to be blessed and take an oath of office. A unique tradition is that the last male born child becomes the next Eze Nri.
Nri Ifikwanim (Obuka) fought for justice and human rights and against superstition. He did away with the Osu caste system and forbid the killing of twins and dwarves and made dwarves the messengers of the Kings. He also was seen as a cleanser of the land and he and his descendants still are called to towns in Igboland to clear them of abominations (Ikpu aru).
The following is the Eze Nri Dynasty of Nri Town:
1. Eze Nri Ifikwanim (1042-1158 CE)
2. Eze Nribuife (1159-1252 CE)
3. Eze Nri Oji (1253-1299 CE)
4. Eze Nri Jiofor I (1300-1370 CE)
5. Eze Nri Ogidi (1371-1464 CE)
6. Eze Nri Anyamata (1471-1511 CE)
7. Eze Nri Fenenu (1512-1582 CE)
8. Eze Nri Agu (1583-1676 CE)
9. Eze Nri Alike & Apia (1677-1700 CE)
10. Eze Nri Ezimilo (1701-1723 CE)
11. Eze Ewenetem (1724-1794 CE)
12. Eze Nri Enwelana I (1795-1888 CE)
13. Eze Nri Obalike (1889-1935 CE)
14. Eze Nri Jiofor II (1936-1979 CE)
15. Eze Nri Obidiegwu Onyesoh mrf JP Nri Enwelana II (1998-Present)
Ijaw of Zebulon
Ijaw was a traveling companion of Eri, Areli and Adodi as they fled Egypt. Oral tradition states that Ijaw is a son of Zebulon who was the 10th son of Israel (Jacob). However, Ijaw is not listed in any Cannaical Biblical genealogies. But this should come as no surprise as one person could go by different names and it may be that Ijaw was know by another name in Biblical Writ. Or it could be Ijaw was a son of one of Zebulun’s sons, and there for not recorded in any Biblical genealogy. He was said to be the water scout and river navigator of the group, and even today the Ijaw tribe and land can be found near water.
