Rooted and Grounded

In Tel Dan, the rocks do tell tales. 

The name of Dan before the tribe of Dan took over the town was Laish (La’ish). The Bible describes the people of Dan brutally defeating the people of Laish and burning the town to the ground and then building their own town on the same spot. See Judges 18:7.

As it says in Joshua 19:40-48, the tribe of Dan was originally assigned lands adjacent to the Philistines, along the southern coast of Israel. The Philistines were a constant source of battles and oppression. In Judges chapter 18, we find the tribe of Dan searching for anew home. If you have studied through the book of Judges, you may remember the things that Samson did to his enemies the Philistines, namely burning their fields, killing them in battle, and destroying their temple with them in it. As one might expect, this did not make the Philistines big fans of the Israelites, leaving the tribe of Dan in a very precarious position. This likely influenced their decision to relocate to the north of Israel. The abundance of water and fertility of the area was probably not bad either.

Going Deeper: Tel Dan
1. Who was Dan? (Hint: Genesis 30:1-6)

2. What do you learn about the City called Dan from Genesis 14:14?

3. What land was originally given to Dan in the conquest according to Joshua 19:40-48?

Read Judges 18 relating to the relocation of the Tribe of Dan to the North

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