The migration of the tribe of Dan

THE MIGRATION OF THE TRIBE OF DAN, 12th, Century B.C.

The best-known narrative of a tribe’s migration after failure to occupy its assigned territory is that of the Danites (Judg 17–18). It should not be assumed that this was the only such movement. The Danite story was preserved as an illustration of the chaos in the period of the Judges and also because it supported the alleged founding of a temple at Dan by Moses’ grandson (Judg 18:30 in some mss of the LXX, the Vulgate, and the Talmud, Baba Bathra 109). The MT assigns it to a son of Manasseh by adopting an orthographic modification; this is a transparent attempt to deny any Mosaic claim on the part of the northern priesthood.

Article abstract from The Sacred Bridge