They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish.
Parallel translations
- WEB They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel; however the name of the city used to be Laish.
- KJV And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
- NKJV And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish.
- NASB And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father who was born to Israel; however, the name of the city was previously Laish.
- NLT They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel’s son, but it had originally been called Laish.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Danites rename the city Dan after their ancestor, replacing the old name Laish. The new name marks their settlement in the far north.
Overview
Naming the city Dan established the tribe's northern frontier, giving rise to the later phrase 'from Dan to Beersheba.' The renaming memorializes their conquest. Yet this northern Dan would become a center of idolatry, a stain on the tribe traceable to this very migration.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Josh 19:47(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)
- Gen 14:14And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
- 1 Kgs 15:20And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.
- 1 Kgs 12:29–30One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
- Judg 20:1Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
- Gen 30:6Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.
- Gen 32:28Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
- 2 Sam 17:11Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 18:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.