River of Gad

The River of Gad is mentioned only in 2 Samuel 24:5 as the starting point for Joab's census of Israel at David's command: "They passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad." The reference appears to indicate the Arnon River (Wadi Mujib), which formed the boundary between Reuben and Moab east of the Dead Sea. Aroer on the Arnon was the southernmost point of Gad's territory, making the "river of Gad" a designation for the Arnon in that region.