Difference between revisions of "Dan"

<p> A city familiar as marking the northern limit of the land of [[Israel]] in the common phrase "from Dan even to Beer-sheba" (&nbsp;Judges 20:1; &nbsp;1 Samuel 3:20 , etc.). Its ancient name was [[Laish]] or Leshem (&nbsp;Judges 18:7 , etc.). It was probably an outlying settlement of [[Tyre]] of Sidon. Its inhabitants, pursuing the ends of peaceful traders, were defenseless against the onset of the Danite raiders. Having captured the city the Danites gave it the name of their own tribal ancestor (Jdg 18). It lay in the valley near Beth-rehob (&nbsp;Judges 18:28 ). [[Josephus]] places it near Mt. [[Lebanon]] and the fountain of the lesser Jordan, a day's journey from [[Sidon]] ( <i> Ant. </i> , V, iii, 1; VIII, viii, 4; <i> BJ </i> , IV, i, 1). Eusebius, <i> Onomasticon </i> says it lay 4 Roman miles from Paneas on the way to Tyre, at the source of the Jordan. This points decisively to <i> ''''' Tell el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Ḳāḍy ''''' </i> , in the plain West of Banias. The mound of this name - <i> ''''' Ḳāḍy ''''' </i> is the exact Arabic equivalent of the [[Hebrew]] <i> ''''' Dan ''''' </i> ̌ - rises from among the bushes and reeds to a height varying from 40 to 80 ft. The largest of all the springs of the [[Jordan]] rises on the west side. The waters join with those of a smaller spring on the other side to form <i> ''''' Nahr el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Leddān ''''' </i> which flows southward to meet the streams from <i> ''''' Bāniās ''''' </i> and <i> ''''' Ḥasbeiyeh ''''' </i> . The mound, which is the crater of an extinct volcano, has certain ancient remains on the south side, while the tomb of <i> ''''' [[Sheikh]] Marzuk ''''' </i> is sheltered by two holy trees. The sanctuary and ritual established by the Danites persisted as long as the house of God was in Shiloh, and the priesthood in this idolatrous shrine remained in the family of [[Jonathan]] till the conquest of Tiglath-pileser (&nbsp;Judges 18:30; &nbsp;2 Kings 15:29 ). Here [[Jeroboam]] I set up the golden calf. The ancient sanctity of the place would tend to promote the success of his scheme (&nbsp;1 Kings 12:28 f, etc.). The calf, according to a [[Jewish]] tradition, was taken away by Tiglath-pileser. Dan fell before Benhadad, king of Syria (&nbsp; 1 Kings 15:20; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 16:4 ). It was regained by Jeroboam Ii (&nbsp;2 Kings 14:25 ). It shared the country's fate at th hands of Tiglath-pileser (&nbsp;2 Kings 15:29 ). </p> <p> It was to this district that [[Abraham]] pursued the army of Chedorlaomer (&nbsp;Genesis 14:14 ). For Dr. G. A. Smith's suggestion that Dan may have been at <i> ''''' Bāniās ''''' </i> see <i> HGHL </i> 1, 473, 480 f. </p>