Dan in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE
A city familiar as marking the northern limit of the land of
Israel in the common phrase "from Dan even to Beer-sheba"
(Jdg 20:1; 1 Sam 3:20, etc.). Its ancient name was Laish or
Leshem (Jdg 18:7, etc.). It was probably an outlying
settlement of Tyre of Sidon. Its inhabitants, pursuing the
ends of peaceful traders, were defenseless against the onset
of the Danite raiders. Having captured the city the Danites
gave it the name of their own tribal ancestor (Jdg 18). It
lay in the valley near Beth-rehob (Jdg 18:28). Josephus
places it near Mt. Lebanon and the fountain of the lesser
Jordan, a day's journey from Sidon (Ant., V, iii, 1; VIII,
viii, 4; BJ, IV, i, 1). Eusebius, Onomasticon says it lay 4
Roman miles from Paneas on the way to Tyre, at the source of
the Jordan. This points decisively to Tell el-Qady, in the
plain West of Banias. The mound of this name--Kady is the
exact Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew Dan--rises from among
the bushes and reeds to a height varying from 40 to 80 ft.
The largest of all the springs of the Jordan rises on the
west side. The waters join with those of a smaller spring on
the other side to form Nahr el-Leddan which flows southward
to meet the streams from Banias and Chasbeiyeh. The mound,
which is the crater of an extinct volcano, has certain
ancient remains on the south side, while the tomb of Sheikh
Marzuk is sheltered by two holy trees. The sanctuary and
ritual established by the Danites persisted as long as the
house of God was in Shiloh, and the priesthood in this
idolatrous shrine remained in the family of Jonathan till
the conquest of Tiglath-pileser (Jdg 18:30; 2 Ki 15:29).
Here Jeroboam I set up the golden calf. The ancient sanctity
of the place would tend to promote the success of his scheme
(1 Ki 12:28 f, etc.). The calf, according to a Jewish
tradition, was taken away by Tiglath-pileser. Dan fell
before Benhadad, king of Syria (1 Ki 15:20; 2 Ch 16:4). It
was regained by Jeroboam II (2 Ki 14:25). It shared the
country's fate at th hands of Tiglath-pileser (2 Ki 15:29).
It was to this district that Abraham pursued the army of
Chedorlaomer (Gen 14:14). For Dr. G. A. Smith's suggestion
that Dan may have been at Banias see HGHL1, 473, 480 f.
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