According to the Book of Genesis (30:3-6; 35:25), Dan was the fifth son of Jacob (But his first son from Bilhah-the handmaid of Rachel) and full brother of Naphthali (Genesis 30:8). The word Dan in Hebrew means judge. While Jacob calls Dan 'a serpent by the roadside' (Genesis 49:16-18), Moses refers to him as 'a lion's whelp' (Deuteronomy 33:22). In the Book of Judges, Dan is a mighty Sea-Faring tribe (5:17). At the time of Exodus, the tribe of Dan was the second largest Israelite tribe after Judah (Numbers 1:39).
The most famous Danites from Bible are Aholiab, the artist who designed tabernacle (Exodus 38:23) and Samson, the warrior judge (Judges 13). When Assyrians attacked Israel (723 BC), the tribe of Dan was also taken into captivity and hence been counted as one of the 'Ten Lost Tribes of Israel'. The tribe of Dan is always associated with controversies. It was the first tribe of Israel to plunge into pagan idolatry. Strangely, in the Book of Revelation, Dan is the only original tribe of Israel not mentioned in the list of tribes which are sealed by God (7:4-8). There is even a Christian tradition that Antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan.
In modern day, the Ethiopian Jews claim their descendance to the Danites. In modern state of Israel, the biblical area alloted to the tribe of Dan is still known as 'Gush Dan' or 'the Dan Area'. Coming back to the tomb of Dan; according to Jewish traditions, when the bones of Joseph was brought up out of Egypt, to be buried in Shechem (Joshua 24:31-32), the relics of his brothers including Dan was also brought back to Israel. But how old is the present site and how reliable is the tradition...I still don't have an answer.
The most famous Danites from Bible are Aholiab, the artist who designed tabernacle (Exodus 38:23) and Samson, the warrior judge (Judges 13). When Assyrians attacked Israel (723 BC), the tribe of Dan was also taken into captivity and hence been counted as one of the 'Ten Lost Tribes of Israel'. The tribe of Dan is always associated with controversies. It was the first tribe of Israel to plunge into pagan idolatry. Strangely, in the Book of Revelation, Dan is the only original tribe of Israel not mentioned in the list of tribes which are sealed by God (7:4-8). There is even a Christian tradition that Antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan.
In modern day, the Ethiopian Jews claim their descendance to the Danites. In modern state of Israel, the biblical area alloted to the tribe of Dan is still known as 'Gush Dan' or 'the Dan Area'. Coming back to the tomb of Dan; according to Jewish traditions, when the bones of Joseph was brought up out of Egypt, to be buried in Shechem (Joshua 24:31-32), the relics of his brothers including Dan was also brought back to Israel. But how old is the present site and how reliable is the tradition...I still don't have an answer.
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