Illustration created for this project.
Dan
The first son of Jacob by Bilhah, Rachel's servant, and founder of the tribe of Dan. Jacob's blessing calls him a serpent by the way that bites the horse's heels, and says he shall judge his people. Allotted territory on the coastal plain but pressed by the Philistines, most of the tribe migrated north and took the city of Laish, renaming it Dan — the northern limit of the phrase 'from Dan to Beersheba'. Samson was of this tribe. Dan's shrine became a byword for unfaithful worship after Jeroboam set a golden calf there.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 2
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Family & lineage
Tribe & people
BibleOf the tribe of Dan.
Genesis 30:6
Oren Rozen — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyA bilingual Greek-and-Aramaic dedicatory inscription excavated at Tel Dan reads 'to the god who is in Dan,' confirming that the site retained the name Dan into the Hellenistic period. This attests the place-name the tribe of Dan gave to the conquered city of Laish, not the individual patriarch himself.
The Tel Dan bilingual Greek-and-Aramaic votive inscription of Zoilos, 'to the god who is in Dan,' limestone plaque found 1976 in the sacred precinct (late 3rd–early 2nd c. BC), excavations directed by Avraham Biran; publ. A. Biran, 'To the God who is in Dan,' in Temples and High Places in Biblical Times, ed. A. Biran (Jerusalem: HUC, 1981). Confirms the toponym, not the patriarch; distinct from the 9th-century 'House of David' Tel Dan Stele.
Name & titles
ScholarlyThe name Dan means 'he judged' or 'he vindicated,' from the Hebrew root d-y-n. Genesis ties it to Rachel's words at his birth, 'God has judged me... and given me a son.'
Hebrew onomastics (dan / din, 'to judge'); the naming wordplay is in the Masoretic text of Gen 30:6.
Where in scripture
Genesis1 ChroniclesRachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore called she his name Dan.
Genesis 30:6
The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 35:23 — Among the sons of Jacob
The sons of Bilhah (Rachel’s servant): Dan and Naphtali.
Genesis 35:25
The son of Dan: Hushim.
Genesis 46:23
“Dan will judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
Genesis 49:16
Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.
Genesis 49:17
Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
1 Chronicles 2:2
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 13 recorded sayings
“And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.” — Genesis 42:7
“And they said to him, Not so, my lord: your servants have come with money to get food. We are all one man's sons, we are true men; we have not come with any secret purpose.” — Genesis 42:10-11
“Then they said, We your servants are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest of us is now with our father, and one is dead.” — Genesis 42:13
“And they said to one another, Truly, we did wrong to our brother, for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers; that is why this trouble has come on us.” — Genesis 42:21
“And he said to his brothers, My money has been given back: it is in my bag; then their hearts became full of fear, and turning to one another they said, What is this which God has done to us?” — Genesis 42:28
“The man who is the ruler of the country was rough with us and put us in prison, saying that we had come with a secret evil purpose. And we said to him, We are true men, we have no evil designs; We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is dead, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan. And the ruler of the land said, In this way I may be certain that you are true men; let one of you be kept here with me, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families; And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will…” — Genesis 42:30-34
“And they said, The man put a number of questions to us about ourselves and our family, saying, Is your father still living? have you another brother? And we had to give him answers; how were we to have any idea that he would say, Come back with your brother?” — Genesis 43:7
“Now the men were full of fear because they had been taken into Joseph's house and they said, It is because of the money which was put back in our bags the first time; he is looking for something against us, so that he may come down on us and take us and our asses for his use.” — Genesis 43:18
…and 5 more recorded sayings.
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
In art
