Israelite tribe; city in northern Israel; originally called Laish/Leshem.
Dan
Named in 64 verses across 16 books, first in Genesis 14:14.
דָּןDan
דָּנִיDanite
לַ֫יִשׁLaish
לֶ֫שֶׁםLeshem
Also called Danite, Laish, Leshem.
The name means “judgment; he that judges.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About Dan Written by AI
Dan was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Jacob's fifth son, Dan (Genesis 30:6). The tribe was allotted territory in the northern part of Canaan (Joshua 19:40-48). The city of Dan, originally known as Laish or Leshem, was conquered by the Danites (Joshua 19:47; Judges 18:29). It became the northernmost city of Israel, often used in the phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the entire land (Judges 20:1; 1Sa.3.20). Jeroboam set up one of his golden calves in Dan (1Ki.12.29-30), leading to idolatry. The city was also known for its skilled craftsmen (2Ch.2.14). Dan was one of the first places to fall to foreign invaders due to its northern location (Jeremiah 4:15; 8:16).
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
This entry is on the name Dan, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.
A judge. (1.) The fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s maid (Gen. 30:6, “God hath judged me”, Heb. dananni). The blessing pronounced on him by his father was, “Dan shall judge his people” (49:16), probably in allusion to the judgeship of Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan.
The tribe of Dan had their place in the march through the wilderness on the north side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:25, 31; 10:25). It was the last of the tribes to receive a portion in the Land of Promise. Its position and extent are described in Josh. 19:40-48.
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The territory of Dan extended from the west of that of Ephraim and Benjamin to the sea. It was a small territory, but was very fertile. It included in it, among others, the cities of Lydda, Ekron, and Joppa, which formed its northern boundary. But this district was too limited. “Squeezed into the narrow strip between the mountains and the sea, its energies were great beyond its numbers.” Being pressed by the Amorites and the Philistines, whom they were unable to conquer, they longed for a wider space. They accordingly sent out five spies from two of their towns, who went north to the sources of the Jordan, and brought back a favourable report regarding that region. “Arise,” they said, “be not slothful to go, and to possess the land,” for it is “a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth” (Judg. 18:10). On receiving this report, 600 Danites girded on their weapons of war, and taking with them their wives and their children, marched to the foot of Hermon, and fought against Leshem, and took it from the Sidonians, and dwelt therein, and changed the name of the conquered town to Dan (Josh. 19:47). This new city of Dan became to them a new home, and was wont to be spoken of as the northern limit of Palestine, the length of which came to be denoted by the expression “from Dan to Beersheba”, i.e., about 144 miles.
“But like Lot under a similar temptation, they seem to have succumbed to the evil influences around them, and to have sunk down into a condition of semi-heathenism from which they never emerged. The mounds of ruins which mark the site of the city show that it covered a considerable extent of ground. But there remains no record of any noble deed wrought by the degenerate tribe. Their name disappears from the roll-book of the natural and the spiritual Israel.”, Manning’s Those Holy Fields.
This old border city was originally called Laish. Its modern name is Tell el-Kady, “Hill of the Judge.” It stands about four miles below Caesarea Philippi, in the midst of a region of surpassing richness and beauty.
(2.) This name occurs in Ezek 27:19, Authorize Version; but the words there, “Dan also,” should be simply, as in the Revised Version, “Vedan,” an Arabian city, from which various kinds of merchandise were brought to Tyre. Some suppose it to have been the city of Aden in Arabia. (See MAHANEH-DAN.)
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
33.249, 35.652 See it on a map
Where the Bible names it
- Genesis 14:14
And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
- Exodus 1:4
Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
- Exodus 31:6
Moreover, I have selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you:
- Exodus 35:34
And the LORD has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.
- Exodus 38:23
With him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
- Leviticus 24:11
The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)
- Numbers 1:12
from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;
- Numbers 1:38
From the sons of Dan, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
- Numbers 1:39
those registered to the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.
- Numbers 2:25
On the north side, the divisions of Dan are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai,
- Numbers 2:31
The total number of men in the camp of Dan is 157,600; they shall set out last, under their standards.”
- Numbers 7:66
On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the Danites, drew near.
- Numbers 10:25
Finally, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard, serving as the rear guard for all units, with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command.
- Numbers 13:12
from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
- Numbers 26:42
These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: The Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the clans of Dan.
- Numbers 34:22
Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from the tribe of Dan;
- Deuteronomy 27:13
And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
- Deuteronomy 33:22
Concerning Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.”
- Deuteronomy 34:1
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan,
- Joshua 19:40
The seventh lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Dan:
- Joshua 19:47
(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)
- Joshua 19:48
This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Dan, including these cities and their villages.
- Joshua 21:5
The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
- Joshua 21:23
From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke, Gibbethon,
- Judges 1:34
The Amorites forced the Danites into the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the plain.
- Judges 5:17
Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast and remained in his harbors.
- Judges 13:2
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
- Judges 18:1
In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
- Judges 18:2
So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night.
- Judges 18:7
So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
- Judges 18:11
So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
- Judges 18:14
Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
- Judges 18:16
The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
- Judges 18:22
After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites.
- Judges 18:23
When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
- Judges 18:25
The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
- Judges 18:26
So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.
- Judges 18:27
After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.
- Judges 18:29
They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
- Judges 18:30
The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.