If I were to say the words, “from sea to shining sea,” most of you would understand it means the expanse of the United States from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, to the Pacific Ocean in the west. That is very similar to the biblical phrase, “from Dan to Beersheba,” which means the expanse of Israel from north to south.
Tel Dan is the high point of a lush nature reserve in the northern part of Golan near the Jordan River. Dan was an important station on the ancient caravan route from Syria to Egypt. It rests on one of the tributaries of the Jordan River, the Dan Spring, which flows down from Mt. Hermon approximately 10 miles away.
Dan was not the original name or inherited land of the tribe of Dan. They left their land of inheritance, a small, coastal portion of land west of Jerusalem, and settled in this area after capturing it from the king of Tyre and Sidon.
But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it. And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first. (Judges 18.27-29 ESV)
As mentioned in the above text, the ancient name of Dan was Laish or Leshem. Ancient Laish was already a mighty, fortress city by the time of Abraham. A story in Genesis 14 recounts a time the Patriarch and 200+ of his men pursued the northern kings past Laish to Damascus, Syria in order to free his nephew, Lot, whom they had taken captive. (See Genesis 14.14-16)
The city became prominent after the death of Solomon (928 B.C.) when Israel was divided into two kingdoms. Jeroboam, the king of northern Israel, wanted his citizens to avoid going to Jerusalem for Temple worship. He erected two golden calves and placed one in Bethel and the other in Dan. (See 1st Kings 12:28-29) Dan and Bethel were the two cities that marked the northern and southern boundaries of his kingdom and it was there he desired his people to worship.
While excavating in Tel Dan in 1993 and 1994, a remarkable discovery was made. A basalt stele was found, erected by the Aramaean king, Hazael (or one of his sons), com-memorating his victory over the local, ancient people. The partial Aramaic inscription includes the words “Israel” and the “House of David.” This famous “House of David” inscription is the oldest document to mention the historical King David.
The consensus among archaeologists and epigraphers is that the basalt fragment is an authentic reference to the biblical King David. (See William Dever’s, What Did the Biblical Authors Know, And When Did They Know It?, pgs. 128-129)
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