Dan
Dan is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Phoenicia in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Dan. It appears across 25 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Dan occupies a significant place in Israelite history both as the northernmost city of the kingdom and as a center of illicit worship. Originally called Laish, the city was captured by the tribe of Dan during the period of the Judges (Judges 18), when the Danites, unable to secure their original allotment, sent spies northward, conquered Laish, and renamed it Dan. At this time they established an idolatrous cult employing a carved image and a Levite priest — a dark episode in the nation's spiritual history. The phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" became a standard biblical expression for the full extent of Israelite territory (Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20). The city's most infamous moment came under Jeroboam I, who erected one of two golden calves at Dan with the declaration, "Here are your gods, O Israel" (1 Kings 12:29). This shrine perpetuated religious apostasy throughout the northern kingdom's existence and is repeatedly cited in Scripture as a paradigm of Israel's covenant unfaithfulness. Amos 8:14 condemns those who swear by "the sin of Samaria" and the way of Dan.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Tel Dan, identified with biblical Dan, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel, excavated extensively since 1966 under Avraham Biran of Hebrew Union College. The site has yielded remarkable finds including a mudbrick gate from the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1750 BC), a well-preserved Iron Age gate complex, and the celebrated Tel Dan Stele (1993–94), a ninth-century BC Aramaic inscription containing the phrase "House of David" — the first extrabiblical reference to King David's dynasty. The high place (bamah) associated with Jeroboam's cultic installation has also been identified, along with a temenos wall and offering platforms, powerfully confirming the biblical account.
Verse Appearances (25)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →