Dan

The Tribe of Dan (Hebrew: דָּן, "Judge") was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, according to the Torah. According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe initially settled in the hill lands bordering Ephraim and Benjamin on the east and Judah and the Philistines on the south but migrated north due to pressure of their enemies, settling at Laish (later known as Dan), near Mount Hermon.^[1]

Biblical judge Samson was a hero of the Dan tribe.^[1]

1 Sources

Biblical narrative

Summarize

Perspective

The initial territory of Dan appears in dark green north of Philistia on this map of the tribes.The Dan tribe's serpent plate on the Heichal Shlomo's door in Jerusalem.[](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Tribe_of_Dan#/media/File:Dan._Willem_Janszoon_Blaeu_and_Joan_Blaeu._Terra_Sancta_quae_in_Sacris_Terra_Promissionis_olim_Palestina._1648-1664.jpg)Map of Dan, 17th century Dutch map

In the Biblical census of the Book of Numbers, the tribe of Dan is portrayed as the second largest Israelite tribe (after Judah).^[2] Some textual scholars regard the census as being from the Priestly Source, dating it to around the 7th century BC, and more likely to reflect the biases of its authors.^[3][4] In the Blessing of Moses, which some textual scholars regard as dating from only slightly earlier than the deuteronomist,^[3] Dan is prophesied to "leap from Bashan"; scholars are uncertain why this should be since the tribe did not live in the Bashan plain, east of the Jordan River.^[5]