Dan (Place)

A Phoenician city, first called Laish or Leshem (Joshua 18:7; 19:47). The tribe of Dan conquered this place when they moved northward. The city was located one day's journey from the city of Sidon. It was in a valley near Beth-rehob (verse 28). It was at the southern base of Mount Hermon. Dan was the most northern point of the ancient kingdom of Israel. People often used Dan as a reference point when describing the whole land of Israel with the phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" (compare Judges 20:1; 2 Samuel 3:10).

The city of Dan was in an important location. It protected a major trading route that connected the cities of Damascus and Tyre. This made Dan an important center for business and trade. The Nahr el-Leddan was one of the main sources of the Jordan River. This source rose in the area. It made the Huleh Valley below Dan very green and fertile even in hot summers. Because of this fertile land, the area around Dan produced many crops like grain and vegetables. The land also provided plenty of food for sheep, goats, and cattle.

In the early Iron Age, Judges 18:7 indicates that Dan was a prosperous city. But by the middle of the 11th century BC, someone had destroyed it. It is probable that this was a result of occupation by the Danites. Jeroboam I became king of the separate northern kingdom of Israel. At that time, Dan was one of two shrines where Israelites worshiped the golden calves. Archaeologists have found the high place at Tell el-Qadi (another name for Tell Dan). This high place was a square platform made of stone. It measured about 18.6 by 6.1 meters (61 by 20 feet). However, no trace of the golden calf statue has been found.

The worship of Baal at Dan continued even after Jehu tried to remove it (2 Kings 10:28–31). Later, during Ben-hadad's reign, the Syrians took control of Dan (compare verse 32). When the Syrians were busy defending their eastern border from Assyrian attacks during the time of Jeroboam II (793–753 BC), Israel was able to take Dan back.

However, Dan did not stay under Israelite control for long. The people living in Dan were forced to move to Assyria. This was because Tiglath-pileser III deported those people living there (2 Kings 17:6). (Tiglath-pileser III was king of Assyria from 745 to 727 BC.)

Yet, people continued to live at the site (compare Jeremiah 4:15; 8:16).The high place, or acropolis, at the northern end of the city continued to be used for religious purposes.

This religious area was made larger during both Greek and Roman times. A statue of Aphrodite (a Roman goddess) from this period has been found there. In New Testament times, the city of Caesarea, which was only a few miles away, became more important than Dan. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Roman general Titus put down a revolt at Dan in AD 67. (War 4.1).

The word "Dan" in the King James Version in Ezekiel 27:19 is a translation of an unclear Hebrew word "Vedan." In the Revised Standard Version Bible, this same word is translated as "wine," which was a product from Uzal.