The Sons of Jacob Promised Return Series – The Tribe of Dan

I was surprised some time ago to learn that my grandmother had kept a journal of her life growing up with her grandmother. It was a snapshot of my family history. My aunt published it in a book. I rediscovered my inheritance in this recorded history. I learned her grandmother was a Native American Cherokee woman who married a captain who fought in the civil war. They settled in Oklahoma, where 39 Indian tribes were sent to live on reservations as their lands were traded away for peace. There were some 565 treaties made with the Native American Tribes. All of these treaties were broken except for one of them made in Texas, where I now live. My grandmother’s book gave me a front-row seat to learn of my family’s struggles, hardships, and triumphs. This history is a treasure to my own journey. 

For Christians and Jews, the stories in the Bible recorded the journeys of the patriarchs that included Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. His sons are the foundations of our faith. Their journeys give us a front-row seat to see and understand the workings of God along with who we are and where we come from. There are many Native American leaders who are supporters of Israel, such as Polly Tyler, the Cherokee Nation House of Prayer leader. She has been several times to Tom Hess’s Gathering of all Nations in Israel. (www.jhopfan.org). 

The tribe of Dan points us to a treasure that is found in their journeys to the Promised Land.

Dan was the fifth of Jacob’s sons, the first by Bilhah, the maid of Rachel. When he was born, Rachel, who had suffered infertility for some time exclaimed: 

“God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.” Genesis 30:6.

Dan, in Hebrew is translated as “judge” דן, from the verb דין (din), to judge or govern. God had overruled her circumstance and ruled in her favor. 

The symbol for this tribe is the scales of justice because they were appointed to be judges, and the eagle because it was on the standard of Dan. Jacob likened him to a serpent because it forecasted idolatry, but when this tribe returns and is redeemed God promises to remove all idolatry and give them a new heart (Ezekiel 36:24), so this image of a serpent no longer applies. The twelve tribes gathered behind the four standards when they gathered around the Tabernacle. The standard or banner of Dan was an eagle. The three tribes that gathered around this standard were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali on the north side of the camp of the Tabernacle. (Numbers 2:25-31).

The Tribe of Dan points to a great hidden treasure – the Ark of the Covenant that has remained hidden since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Men have searched for 2,000 years for this treasure. As a greater interest comes forth in the building of the Third Temple, an interest in finding this great work of the Ark has intensified. The restoration of the Third Temple would need the Ark of the Covenant. Currently, the Temple Institute is putting together all the pieces of furniture for this Third Temple. 

Here is the prophetic description Jacob gave of Dan revealing the trouble Dan would cause in his unredeemed state.

“Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward.” –Genesis 49:16-17

This proclamation applies and depicts the impact of idolatry from the tribe of Dan. God will vindicate this tribe when they return and are redeemed to their inheritance as promised by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezek. 36:10-11,

^“And I will multiply men upon you (the mountains of Judea and Samaria), all the house of Israel, even all of it and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be built up  and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit and I will settle you after your old estates and will do better unto you than at your beginnings and you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 36:10-11).

What we notice in this passage is that the Lord emphasizes that, “All the House of Israel” is returning!” And then, He adds these words to emphasize all of them shall return, “All of it.” God vindicates His people when He restores them. (Some Christians believe the Tribe of Dan will be left out when the tribes return). Ezekiel affirms all of them will return! 

The purpose and descendants of the tribe of Dan. 

The most notable descendant of the tribe of Dan is Samson. He was raised up by God to deliver Israel as a judge. One of the members of the tribe of Dan was Aholiab, the man in charge of constructing the Tabernacle, the movable holy tent that housed the presence of their God and the Ark of the Covenant. (Exodus 31:1-11).

Mysteries of the Ark.

The Ark of the Covenant was a gold box overlaid with gold with two large angels sitting on top of the golden lid overlooking the mercy seat. The ark contained the 10-Commandments.  Its dimensions were 2.5 cubits long, 1.5 cubits wide, and 1.5 cubits high. 

Mysteries surrounding the Ark of the Covenant have long held the interest of man. In recent times movies were made about, “The Raiders of the Lost Ark” with Indiana Jones. There are, in fact, mysteries about the Ark of the Covenant which stand as a symbol of God’s moral mandates and His presence which goes before His people. This symbol of God’s might and protection was used as Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, causing the walls of the city to fall. (Joshua 6:1-21). There were other times the Ark was carried in battle, symbolizing the presence of God was with the Israelites.  

One of the greatest symbols God(Hashem) gave the Jewish people is the “Ark of the Covenant.” In it were three items: 1) The Ten Commandments written on two tablets of stone, 2) The budding rod of Aaron, and 3) The container of Manna. The Ten Commandments were given as a covenant with the Jewish people at Mt. Saini. They are the basis of morality and law. Most nation’s modern laws are still based on these moral imperatives. The judges of Israel were to carry out these moral mandates. 

Dan produced judges for Israel, so they were to be guardians of the law of God. 

As the Ark of the Covenant traveled with them, the law of God was in their midst.  The budding rod of Aaron reminded the people of the miracle working power of God to protect them, and the manna reminded them of God’s miraculous provision to supply food and provision. The Ark of the Covenant was also a visible reminder of their covenant with God. 

Samson the judge and a descendant of Dan 

Samson was raised up by God to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. From birth, he was to be a Nazirite. He was to take and keep a Nazirite vow referenced in Numbers 6:1-21. It is called a “vow of separation.” It is taken by one who wishes to consecrate themselves to the Lord. It was voluntary for a specific time. The vow included abstaining from wine, grape juice, and grapes. The Nazarite was also not to cut his hair for the length of the vow. Lastly, he was not to go near a dead body. As a judge, Samson was to represent the law of God and morality. He was given supernatural power over Israel’s enemies as long as he kept his Nazarite vow. Despite his failures to keep his vows to God, the Lord (Hashem) still blessed him to defeat many of Israel’s enemies. He was a supernatural warrior. He once killed 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. He captured 300 foxes and tied firebrands to their tails and set them loose to run through the fields and burn up the crops of his enemies. (Judges 15:1-20). God was faithful to empower this man even though he violated his vows. In the end, he repented standing before his enemies at the temple of Dagon bound and blind. He brought down this temple killing 3,000 of its people gathered to mock his God and uplift the idol Dagon. At the end of his life, he returned to God’s purpose for him as a judge from the tribe of Dan and defended God and His Law that prohibits the worship of other gods. (Judges 16). 

The Restoration of Dan

There is a witness to Dan’s restoration in Ezekiel 48. In the era of the restored temple, Dan has a portion assigned and it is in the land where the temple is located. (Ezekiel 48:1-2, 32). Ezekiel tells us the names of the tribes will be on the gates of a new city that will be where the restored temple will be located. Dan’s name on one of the gates on the east side. (Ezekiel 48:32). 

The Ark of the Covenant points to God’s covenant with Israel and His desire for those who worship Him to be holy. King David declared, “I will hide your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalms 119:11). HaShem promises through Ezekiel, that in the return of the House of Israel, He will put His Spirit in them and cause them to walk in His statutes. (Ezekiel 36:27). In a spiritual sense, HaShem is putting the Ark of His covenant in the hearts of His people, and I believe we will see the literal Ark restored in the Third Temple as well.  He promises is found in Jeremiah 31:33. Here, the promise of the law of God (Hashem) being put into our hearts.

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Both Christians and Jews hold in common a belief in the covenant promise of Jeremiah. They both believe in the Jeremaih promise of a renewed covenant which includes the law (commandments) of God (HaShem) being written in the heart. This promise is the bases of God’s covenant with man according to Jeremiah. 

Lessons we see in the Tribe of Dan. 

Dan strayed from his assigned land on the coast of Israel when they couldn’t conquer the inhabitants. They left and went north to Tel Dan. It is now located in a nature reserve in that location. When Moses gave his last blessings to the children of Israel, he said of Dan, “Dan is a lion’s cub, springing out of Bashan.’” – Deuteronomy 33:22 He proclaimed that Dan and his tribe would be a spirited, robust and a tribe of warriors. He wouldn’t sit quietly on the sidelines but instead would “spring” forth by leaps.   

If we turn to the book of Judges, we learn of another attribute of Dan and the Tribe of Dan. In the song of Deborah and Barak, the song asks: “Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves.” – Judges 5:17. This tells us Dan loved to sail the seas. 

There are several things about the blessing of Jacob for Dan that give important insights into this tribe. First, Jacob prophesied that Dan would judge Israel.   This part of the blessing was fulfilled by Samson who judged Israel for twenty years. We find this judgment and confirmation that he led Israel in Judges 15:16, 20 as well as Judges 16:31.

The Tribe of Dan was a seafaring tribe. They loved to sail the seas. In the song of Deborah, she is “calling out” the tribe of Dan for staying on their ships and refusing to fight. I find this interesting as in Moses’ blessing, he refers to them as lions, referring to their warlike tendencies. 

When the Danites could not conquer the land given to them on the coastal area which would have included Joppa port, south of Tel Aviv, they moved north to the city of Laish, conquered and destroyed that Canaanite city. They rebuilt it and named it Tel Dan. 

“The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel though the city used to be called Laish.” – (Judges 18:27-29). Laish became known as Tel Dan and this village still exists.  

The final part of Jacob’s blessing looks with hope for God’s restoration of this tribe when Jacob prophesies, “I look for your deliverance, O Lord.” (Genesis 49:18).

The Voice of Aliyah is being heard in the Nations for Dan

Declaration of Return for the Tribe of Dan

The Sons of Dan will return to their land of inheritance, says the Lord God of Israel, “I will

multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it. (Ezek. 36:10-12). He is calling you! For the Lord says to the scattered tribes, “For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. I will cleanse you from all your idols and put My Spirit in you and cause you to keep My statutes and keep My judgments. (Ezek. 36:24). Adonai says, “The scales of justice shall return to your hands, and you shall stand in righteousness before Me. Return to the land of your inheritance as the eagle flies swiftly to its perch, return with the standard of Dan to your place in Israel. Ezek. 48:1-2. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is waiting for you to return with your standard and stand in His holy presence! 

Where is the Tribe of Dan now in the Nations?

You will find the tribe of Dan in several places on this map showing their original assigned land and the new location up north.  Descendants of the tribe of Dan are said to be found in several nations including in modern day Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Northern England, and Denmark (Dan’s Mark). Some scholars have pointed to the first dynasty in Korea as evidence of Dan establishing a presence in North Korea with the Dangun Empire. The founder was considered “The Lord of Heaven.” He established a moral code and laws. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangun). The remnants of this tribe are scattered throughout the world. 

One of the most striking discoveries involves the Jews of Ethiopia. 

The history of Ethiopian Jewry goes back millennia. For almost 2,000 years, the Beta Israel had their own community – even their own kingdom and army – in the Simien Mountains region of Ethiopia. Their main city was Gondar, and their king was said to be a descendant of the kohen gadol, the High Priest Zadok. Their Golden Age was from 850 to 1270 CE, when the community flourished and they lived autonomously. 

While the Beta Israel was cut off from the rest of the Jewish world – indeed, they believed they were among the only Jews left on earth after the Temple’s destruction! – slowly, word of their existence began to filter out. Marco Polo and Benjamin of Tudela wrote of the existence of an independent Jewish nation, a “Mosaic kingdom lying on the other side of the rivers of Ethiopia.” Eldad Ha-Dani, a ninth-century merchant and traveler, told at length the story of the Lost Tribes of Israel, including that of the ancient tribe of Dan, who lived in Kush, the “land of gold,” mentioned in the first book of the Torah. They had the five books of Moses (Chumash), he reported, but not the Talmud we have today.

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