City
Dan
DAN · Modern Tel Dan, northern Israel · Also called Laish, Leshem
Dan is a city of the biblical world, known today as Tel Dan, northern Israel.
What is known
- The Tel Dan Stele, an Aramaic victory inscription discovered in 1993-94, contains the phrase widely read as 'House of David' — the earliest extrabiblical reference to King David's dynasty
- Excavations by Avraham Biran uncovered a massive Middle Bronze Age mudbrick gate with three intact arches, among the oldest arched structures known, as well as a large Iron Age high place platform and an Israelite-period gate complex
- Jeroboam I set up one of his two golden calves at Dan after the kingdom split, making it a rival worship center to Jerusalem
- The phrase 'from Dan to Beersheba,' marking the northern and southern extremes of Israelite territory, appears repeatedly through Judges, Samuel, and Kings
History
- Founded
- Occupied since the Early Bronze Age; conquered and renamed by the tribe of Dan from the Canaanite city of Laish, per Judges 18
- Population
- A significant regional center under the northern kingdom, serving as one of two royal cult centers alongside Bethel
- Industry
- Fed by one of the primary headwater springs of the Jordan River, giving it abundant water and fertile land; later a royal cultic and administrative center
- Coordinates
- 33.2489° N, 35.6519° E
Rulers and powers
- Jeroboam I of Israel — c. 931-910 BC — installed a golden calf shrine at Dan
Archaeology
Tel Dan preserves one of the best-documented city gate complexes in the region, spanning a Middle Bronze Age mudbrick gate and a later Israelite-period gate where the Tel Dan Stele fragments were found.
Scripture references
- Judges 18:27-29 — The Danites conquer Laish and rename it Dan
- Judges 20:1 — 'From Dan to Beersheba' — the full extent of Israel
- 1 Samuel 3:20 — Samuel's reputation spreads 'from Dan to Beersheba'
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 — Jeroboam sets up a golden calf at Dan
- 1 Kings 15:20 — Ben-Hadad of Aram captures Dan
- 2 Kings 10:29 — The calf worship at Dan persists under Jehu
- Genesis 14:14 — Abram pursues raiders as far as Dan
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
At Dan, a king set up worship made convenient — where are you tempted to trade the real thing for the easy version?
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