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Person · Tribe of Dan

Dan

Jacob's son living at the time of the Patriarchs

Dan was the fifth son of Jacob and the founder of the Israelite tribe bearing his name.

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Dan was the fifth son of Israel (or 'Jacob') and the firstborn of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. His birth is recorded in Gen.30.6, where Rachel, who had been unable to conceive, gave Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine to bear children on her behalf. When Bilhah gave birth to a son, Rachel named him Dan, saying, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son."

As one of Israel's twelve sons, Dan became the founder of the Israelite tribe bearing his name. In Gen.46.23, when Israel and his family moved to Egypt, Dan's son Hushim is mentioned as part of the household.

In Israel's blessing to his sons before his death (Gen.49.16-17), Dan is described as one who will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Jacob also compares Dan to a serpent by the roadside, an adder along the path, foreshadowing the tribe's future role in the Promised Land.

The tribe of Dan was allocated territory in the northern part of Canaan during the conquest under Joshua. However, they later migrated northward and settled in the city of Laish, which they renamed Dan (Judges 18).

In 1Ch.2.2, Dan is listed among the twelve tribes of Israel, confirming his status as one of the founding fathers of the nation. Throughout the Old Testament, the tribe of Dan is mentioned alongside the other Israelite tribes, although they are sometimes associated with idolatry and apostasy.

Family

Father
Israel
Mother
Bilhah
Siblings
ReubenSimeonLeviJudahNaphtaliGadAsherIssacharZebulunDinahJosephBenjamin
Children
Hushim

Connections

Part of: The patriarchal families

Bilhah's sons: Dan and Naphtali

FamilyStated in the text

Rachel gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob; Bilhah bore Dan and Naphtali, whom Rachel counted as her own. Reuben later slept with Bilhah, a transgression that cost him the firstborn's standing.

BilhahRachel's maidservant and mother of Dan and NaphtaliRachelSister of LeahDanSon of IsraelNaphtaliSon of Israel
Where the text shows it: Gen 30:3-8 — Dan and Naphtali born through BilhahGen 35:22 — Reuben lies with Bilhah1 Chr 5:1 — Birthright passes from Reuben to Joseph's sons

Sources: Gen 30:3-8 · Gen 35:22 · 1 Chr 5:1

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Dan Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

DAN (judge), the fifth son of Jacob, and the first of Bilhah, Rachel's maid. Gen 30:6. Nothing is known personally of the patriarch. The prediction uttered by Jacob respecting him, Gen 49:16-17, is variously interpreted. It is probable that the elevation of his tribe to an equal rank with the others, notwithstanding that he was born of a concubine, was foretold in v. Ex 17:16, and the residue of the prediction may allude to the subtle and crafty disposition of his descendants. Indeed, we know that Samson, who was among the most noted of them, was remarkably successful in stratagem, Jud 14-15; and perhaps the same trait was characteristic of their tribe. Jud 18:26-27. It is noticeable that the tribe of Dan is omitted from the numbering in Rev 7. Because of this, and because Dan first introduced idolatry into Israel, Jud 18, many of the fathers maintained that Antichrist would come from Dan.

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Dan appears

6 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1835

Genesis5
1 Chronicles1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.