The Tribe of Dan
Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and his mother was Bilhah the handmaid of Rachel.
Rachel was very envious that her sister Leah had given Jacob four sons. Rachel told her husband to give her children or else she would die. Jacob was angry with Rachel, his favorite wife. Rachel gave her handmaid, Bilhah, to Jacob as his wife. Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son: therefore she called his name Dan.” (Genesis 30:1-6).
The LORD changed Jacob’s name to Israel after he wrestled with God. Jacob was called Israel because he was a prince and has power with God and with men, and prevailed. (Genesis 32:24-32).
Jacob had taken his family to dwell in the land of Canaan. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob (Israel). Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors. The brothers of Joseph saw their father loved Joseph more that all of them and they hated him. They plotted against Joseph. The brothers were feeding their father’s flock in Shechem (some 60 miles from Hebron where they lived) when Jacob (Israel) sent Joseph to check on them. Joseph couldn’t find his brothers in Shechem and was found by a man wandering in the fields. The man sent Joseph to Dothan to find his brothers. When the brothers saw him coming, they conspired against him to slay him.
Reuben, his oldest brother, delivered Joseph out of the hands of his brothers and suggested not to kill him but to let him be cast into a pit in the wilderness. The brothers stripped Joseph out of his coat of many colors and cast Joseph into a pit without water. There was a company of Ishmaelites that came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh on their way to Egypt. It was Judah who suggested selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. It was the Ishmaelites who carried Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh, and captain of the guard. The brothers took Joseph’s coat of many colors, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood. They then returned to their father. Jacob, Israel, knew his beloved son had been devoured by an evil beast. Jacob, Israel, rented his clothes and put on sack clothes and mourned for Joseph for many days and could not be comforted. (Genesis 37:1-36).
There were then seven years of famine in all the land of Egypt and over all the face of the earth. Joseph was the governor over the land, and it was his to sell to all the people of the land. When the famine was over all the face of the earth, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians and the other countries that came into Egypt to buy corn. Joseph gathered up all the money that was in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought. All the cattle and all the land, and at last the Egyptians themselves, became the property of Pharaoh.
Jacob (Israel) sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy corn. Benjamin was kept behind to protect him from harm. The brothers came from Canaan to buy corn. Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him. He remembered the dreams which he had dreamed of his brothers, and said unto them, they were spies. Three days later to prove they were not spies Joseph directed his brethren to return to their home and bring the youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for their way Simeon was left behind to make sure they came back.
Once they all returned with Benjamin, Joseph made himself known to all his brothers telling them he was Joseph who they sold into Egypt. Joseph asked if his father was alive and told them to bring him to Egypt. They were afraid but were told to hurry and get his father and tell him his son Joseph is alive. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
Jacob (Israel) could hardly believe Joseph was alive, and governor over all the land of Egypt. Jacob, Israel went to Egypt to see his son Joseph. Judah was sent ahead to inform Joseph to meet the father at Goshen. Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Jacob, Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. Joseph told Pharaoh, his father, brothers, and their flocks, and herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. Joseph presented his family to the Pharaoh and Jacob, Israel, blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses. That is how the Israelites came into the land of Egypt. (Genesis 39-48).
The message that Jacob gave to Dan was “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.” (Genesis 49:16-17).
Dan shall judge his people, serpent by the way, an adder in the path, biteth the horse heels, so rider shall fall backward, blessing, Dan is a lion’s whelp, leap from Bashan,
Dan is missing from the list of Tribes in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 7:5-8).
The prophet Jeremiah references the serpents that shall bite, and the snorting horses heard from Dan. “The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.17. For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 8:16-17).
Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death. The blessing given to Dan was “22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.” (Deuteronomy 33:22).
Dan was one of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household that came with Jacob to reunite with his brother Joseph. (Exodus 1:1-4).
Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan was employed as a craftsman for the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Ark of the Testimony, and the Mercy Seat and all the furniture of the Tabernacle. Aeolian was an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet and fine linen. (Exodus 31:6; 35:34; 38:23).
The tribe of Dan acted as a rear guard during the Exodus from Egypt (Numbers 1:39).
The tribe of Dan had their place in the march through the wilderness on the north side of the tabernacle (Numbers 2:25).
The coast of their inheritance was Norah, Stool, Irshemesh, Shaalabbin, Ajalon, Jethlah, Elon, Thimnathah, Ekron, Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, Jehud, Beneberak, Gathrimmon, Mejarkon, Rakkon, with the border before Japho. The coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore, the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, renamed Dan. (Joshua 18: -19:40-48).
Israel appointed King Jeroboam I their king and he set up two golden calves. One was set up in Bethel and the other in Dan causing Israel to sin. (1 Kings 12:25-33).
King David sinned greatly against the LORD. David numbered Israel and Judah. The LORD gave David three choices of punishments. David was to choose one. 1. Seven years of famine to the land. 2. Fleeing three months before his enemies while they pursue them. 3. Three days pestilence in the land. David chooses the third, three days pestilence in the land. So, the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. (2 Samuel 24: 1-15).
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. “The Tribe of Dan” Becker Bible Studies Library March 2022. https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5159. Retrieved [dateMLA].
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022). “The Tribe of Dan.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p =5159. Retrieved: [dateAPA].
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne. (2022) “The Tribe of Dan.” Becker Bible Studies Library (March), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/? =5159 (accessed [dateChi]).
