The Danites in the Bible were one of the tribes of Israel, according to the Torah. When the people of Israel entered the Promised Land. The census of the Bible Book depicts the Danites in the Bible as the second largest Israelite tribe (after Judah). Some textual scholars consider the census as coming from a priestly source, dating it around the 7th century BC.

And more likely to reflect its prejudices, minors in the Blessing of Moses. Which some textual scholars consider to date only shortly before the Deuteronomist. It is prophesied that Dan “will jump to Bashan.” Scholars are uncertain why this should be given that the tribe did not live in Bashan plain, east of the Jordan River.

What is the Tribe of Dan known for?

The Dan tribe ( Hebrew: דָּן, Dan, Meaning: Hakim ) is one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel mentioned in the Torah. After the conquest of the lands of Canaan in 1200 BC, Joshua divided these lands among twelve tribes. Initially settled to the north of the Ancient Philistines on the Mediterranean coast. This tribe was attacked by the Philistines and settled in the north of Galilee from the west of the Jordan river.

According to the Torah book of Numbers in the Desert, it was the second largest tribe in population after the tribe of Judah. From Joshua’s conquest of the lands of Canaan to the First Kingdom of Israel in 1050 BC, the tribes of Israel continued to exist in a confederation, and the tribe of Dan was a part of this confederation. Since there were no central judges who ruled people in times of crisis. 

The monarchy system in the Tribe of Dan

Faced with the growing threat of invasion from the Philistines, the tribes of Israel moved to a centralized solid monarchy system. Saul of the Benjamin tribe was the first king of the unified monarchy.

After Saul’s death, the tribe of Judah chose David as their king, although all the tribes remained loyal to Saul’s dynasty and regarded his son Ishbosheth as king. When Ishbosheth died, other tribes were united under David. After David, he became king Solomon. After Solomon died in 930 BC, his son Rehoboam took over.

The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the dynasty of David under the Kingdom of Judah, but the tribes to the north broke away from the dynasty of David and formed the Second Kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam, the first king of the Second Kingdom of Israel, was of the tribe of Ephraim.

This tribe, which was part of the kingdom until the Assyrians destroyed it in 723 BC, became one of the Ten Lost Tribes after that date.

Representation of The Tribe of Dan in the Bible

The Land of Danites in the Bible

According to the Torah, the Danites in the Bible descended from Dan, one of Jacob’s two sons, and from Bilha, Rachel’s servant (the other son is Naphtali ). According to some scholars, Dan is not one of the original Israelites but a tribe that joined them. Modern artists depict the populated town of Laish, located further north. They named the city of Dan after their father and true to their custom (Judg. 18) . It should be noted here that the migrations of the Danites in the Bible were easily traceable during the later ones, precisely on the established.

Modern artists depict it with a scale symbolizing justice, inspired by Genesis 49:16, archived on the Wayback Machine on July 18, 2014. Inspired by some artists, Creation 49:17 is archived on the Wayback Machine on July 1. And inspired by the serpent as a symbol used. The most famous person to come out of the Dan tribe is Samson.

According to one theory, the Danites in the Bible descended from the Denyen sea people. Deborah’s book tells us that Danites in the Bible lived on ships.

Primary Takeaways

Dan was born to Bilha, Rachel’s handmaiden (Gen. 30:1-5), sometime around 1737 BC. Even at a young age, Dan was a restless, brave and defiant man. During the Egyptian captivity, the number of Israelites increased significantly (Ex. 1:7-9,12). And when they left Egypt under the leadership of Moses, the Danites in the Bible counted 62,700 men over twenty years of age. Able to fight (Num. 1:38-39). The Danites in the Bible were much more significant in number than even the tribes of Manasseh or Ephraim. The two sons of Joseph later became Israel’s most populous nations.

When Moses blessed the tribes, he said to Dan: “Dan is a young lion running away from Bashan.” (Deuteronomy 33:32). We will discuss this prophecy in more detail. But Moses already hinted that Dan would become a warlike, influential people who are not very good at staying in one place.

When Israel invaded the promised land under Joshua, the Danites were the last to receive their inheritance when the land was divided (Joshua 19:47-49). This also has a prophetic significance. It is not until the coming of the Millennium that Dan is given the gift of the tribal blessing or birthright when he becomes a judge in Israel. The other Israelite tribes already in this age received and could live the benefits. But Dan must wait until the coming of the Messiah. And with Christ’s return, “the deliverance they are waiting for” will come. And with it, the promise that they will be judges of Israel. As a tribe of Israel. Interestingly, they are the first to claim their tribal inheritance.

Conclusion

When the tribes of Israel were settled in the promised land. And the individual tribes could claim their earthly inheritances; the tribe of Dan was assigned the southwestern areas of the land. Dan’s territories lay to the west, or more precisely to the northwest, of Judah’s: the part of the Danites extended westward to the Mediterranean Sea. It included the busy port of Joppa, which is not far from today’s Tel Aviv (Josh. 19:40-48). Their inheritance was close to the cities of Tire and Sidon, the famous port cities of the Phoenicians.

If the characteristics of the Danites in the Bible had to be presented through a person’s personality, it could undoubtedly be best characterized in the person of Samson. A Nazarite from the tribe of Dan was the judge of Israel during the Philistine oppression. Their history ended when the tribe of Dan, part of the Kingdom of Northern Israel, was conquered by the Assyrians. But some groups, including the Falashas, ​​today claim to be Danites.