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דָּן

𐤃𐤍

Dan

H1835 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Personal name meaning 'Dan' (possibly 'He has vindicated' or 'He has judged'); designates (1) Dan, son of Jacob and Bilhah, (2) the tribe descending from him, (3) the territory allotted to this tribe in the Israelite tribal system, and (4) a northern city named Dan, which became significant in the history of northern Israel. The word sometimes refers to these different entities depending on the context.

Semantic Range

personal name; name of a tribal ancestor; tribal designation; territorial designation (tribal allotment); name of a specific city in the northern territory; part of a geographic idiom expressing the limits of Israelite settlement

Root / Etymology

From the root דִּין (din), meaning 'to judge, govern, litigate'. The name Dan is a one-syllable theophoric or experiential name, likely signifying 'He has judged' or 'He has vindicated', reflecting a statement of divine action or justice (see Genesis 30:6 for narrative etymology).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the patriarchal period, דָּן is introduced as the son of Jacob (Israel) through Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid, symbolizing a sense of divine justice or vindication (cf. Genesis 30:6). The name becomes eponymous for one of the twelve Israelite tribes, the tribe of Dan, positioned originally in the southwest (between Judah and Ephraim), though many members later migrated northward, founding the city of Dan (formerly Laish), which became a prominent cultic and political center. In biblical literature, 'Dan' can refer to the progenitor, the tribal group, or the region/settlement. The phrase 'from Dan to Beersheba' expresses the entire geographic span of the Israelite settlement. English translations sometimes render 'Dan' as simply a geographical or tribal name, but the biblical context—especially in narrative or genealogical lists—may emphasize lineage, land, or cultural identity. The name is distinct from דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniel), though related in root. There is no evidence that 'Dan' referred to a religious or ethnic identity separate from the wider category of Israelite in biblical times. The association with the city of Dan in the extreme north is particularly prominent in the period of the Judges and Monarchy. The later city of Dan served as a cultic center during the divided monarchy, notably as a site for the golden calf (see 1 Kings 12:29-30). The word is never anachronistically equivalent to the later terms 'Jew' or 'Judean'.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from דִּין; judge; Dan, one of the sons of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; likewise a place in Palestine colonized by them; Daniel

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

דִּנ (Dan) — to judge, act as judge, govern, litigate

Root דִּנ to judge, act as judge, govern, litigate

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1835-02 דָּ֚ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan 55
H1835-05 מִ/דָּ֖ן midan HR/Np from Dan from Dan from Dan 8
H1835-01 בְּ/דָֽן bedan HR/Np in Dan in Judge in Dan 2
H1835-03 לְ/דָ֕ן ledan HR/Np for Dan to Dan to Dan 2
H1835-04 לְ/מִ/דָּן֙ lemidan HR/R/Np from Dan from Dan to from Dan 1
H1835-06 וּ/לְ/דָ֣ן uledan HC/R/Np And about Dan and to Dan and to Dan 1
H1835-07 וְ/דָ֕ן vedan HC/Np and Dan and He-has-judged and Dan 1

Occurrences in Scripture

70 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1835-02 Genesis 14:14 דָּֽן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Genesis 30:6 דָּֽן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Genesis 35:25 דָּ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Genesis 46:23 דָ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Genesis 49:16 דָּ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Genesis 49:17 דָן֙ dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Exodus 1:4 דָּ֥ן dan HNp Dan, He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Exodus 31:6 דָ֔ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Exodus 35:34 דָֽן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Exodus 38:23 דָ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Leviticus 24:11 דָֽן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-03 Numbers 1:12 לְ/דָ֕ן ledan HR/Np for Dan to Dan to Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 1:38 דָ֔ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 1:39 דָ֑ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 2:25 דָ֛ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 2:25 דָ֔ן dan-2 HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 2:31 דָ֔ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 7:66 דָ֑ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 10:25 דָ֔ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 13:12 דָ֔ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 26:42 דָן֙ dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 26:42 דָּ֖ן dan-2 HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Numbers 34:22 דָ֖ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Deuteronomy 27:13 דָּ֥ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-06 Deuteronomy 33:22 וּ/לְ/דָ֣ן uledan HC/R/Np And about Dan and to Dan and to Dan
H1835-02 Deuteronomy 33:22 דָּ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Deuteronomy 34:1 דָּֽן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 19:40 דָ֖ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 19:47 דָ֖ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 19:47 דָ֠ן dan-2 HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 19:47 דָּ֔ן dan-3 HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 19:47 דָּ֥ן dan-4 HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 19:48 דָ֖ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 21:5 דָ֞ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Joshua 21:23 דָ֔ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 1:34 דָ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-07 Judges 5:17 וְ/דָ֕ן vedan HC/Np and Dan and He-has-judged and Dan
H1835-02 Judges 13:25 דָ֑ן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:2 דָ֣ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:16 דָֽן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:22 דָֽן dan HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:23 דָ֔ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:25 דָ֔ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:26 דָ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:29 דָּ֔ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:29 דָּ֣ן dan-2 HNp of Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-02 Judges 18:30 דָ֖ן dan HNp Dan He-has-judged Dan
H1835-04 Judges 20:1 לְ/מִ/דָּן֙ lemidan HR/R/Np from Dan from Dan to from Dan
H1835-05 1 Samuel 3:20 מִ/דָּ֖ן midan HR/Np from Dan from Dan from Dan
H1835-05 2 Samuel 3:10 מִ/דָּ֖ן midan HR/Np from Dan from Dan from Dan
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