Dan
Originally called Laish, this northernmost city of Israel was captured and renamed by the tribe of Dan after they migrated north seeking territory, setting up an idolatrous shrine there that persisted for generations. Its location at the foot of Mount Hermon, beside one of the Jordan River's principal springs, made it a natural boundary marker, giving rise to the recurring biblical phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" describing the full extent of Israel's territory. Centuries later, King Jeroboam of the newly divided northern kingdom set up one of his two golden calves at Dan specifically to keep his people from traveling south to worship at Jerusalem, cementing the city's long association with rival, unauthorized worship.
Details
- Region
- Northern Canaan
- Modern Location
- Tel Dan, northern Israel
Key Passages
The Danites Conquer Laish
Judges 18:27-29
The tribe of Dan's violent seizure of a peaceful city, followed by setting up their own idol, marks one of the era's clearest examples of Israel's spiritual decline.
27nd they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
Jeroboam's Golden Calf at Dan
1 Kings 12:28-30
Jeroboam's political calculation to prevent worship in Jerusalem becomes a sin that Scripture repeatedly cites as the defining failure of the northern kings.
28hereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Did You Know?
The phrase 'from Dan to Beersheba' appears seven times in Scripture as the measure of all Israel - Dan was the nation's northern bookend.
The Tel Dan Stele, found in the city's ruins, contains the oldest known inscription naming the 'House of David' - discovered at the city that rejected David's house.
Excavations at Dan uncovered a monumental high place matching the era of Jeroboam's golden calf sanctuary.