Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 33:22
And of Dan he said, Dan [is] a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
22 And of Dan he said:
Dan, a whelp of a lion,
He leaps from Bashn.
22. The situation assigned is that northern one, to which the tribe migrated from their earlier seat in the South (Jdg 18:7). They settled at Laish (a poetical term for lion) or Leshem, thereafter called Dan, which is usually identified with Tell-el-adi (adi = Dan) in the valley of Jordan below ermon. But because of the military weakness of this site and the impossibility of holding the valley the main northern avenue into Palestine except from the heights above the neighbouring Banias, on which stand the ruins of the Crusaders’ Castle, e-ubeibeh, the present writer has argued ( HGHL, 473, 479 ff.) that the site of Laish or Dan must have been on these heights. This is confirmed by the present v. he leaps from Bashn, a name which never covers the Jordan valley where Tell-el-adi lies, but is applicable to the heights to the E. of it. The oracle in Gen 49:16 f. reflects this post of vantage over the entrance of invaders from the N.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Dan shall be like a lion which leaps forth from his covert in Bashan. Compare Son 4:8.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Deu 33:22
Dan is a lions whelp.
Dan; or activity in conflict
1. The section in Moses blessing devoted to Dan offers three significant points of contrast with all the other sections of the poem.
(1) It is the shortest of all. This sudden economy of his utterances is all the more noticeable because of the lavish scattering of his choicest flowers of eloquence upon the three preceding blessings.
(2) There is no indication in the case of Dan as to the local inheritance which he should occupy in Canaan. In the case of the other tribes, from Benjamin onwards, Moses paints for us a kind of birds-eye view of the portions which God was about to assign to them in the promised land; but although the lot of Dan invited this pictorial treatment as well as did any other, we have no description of any of its well-known features, its fertile corn lands, its sandy seaboard, or its gently swelling hills towards the east, where Sorek and Zorah gave their names to the choicest vintages of southern Palestine.
(3) There is no mention of, or allusion to, the Divine name in what Moses says concerning Dan. No word is used that could suggest any special relation as subsisting between this tribe and Israels covenant God. In this respect Dan stands absolutely alone amongst all his brethren.
2. Nor does the history of the tribe do ought but confirm the unhappy suggestion which flows from all these features of brevity and of omission in Moses words. That history is exceedingly meagre, and records very little to the credit of the Danites. The character of their ancestor, which seems also to have been transmitted to the tribe, was crafty, deceitful, and cruel. In the Book of Judges this tribe has no small space appropriated to its doings, but the narrative is one of shame and of inexcusable sin against both universal laws of justice, humanity, and truth, and the special obligations of the Hebrew nation. Moreover, two incidental notices which we find in the later historical books suggest that the Danites disregarded the law of Moses, which forbade intermarriages with heathens, and that they fell very early into the idolatrous practices of their Phoenician and Philistine neighbours (2Ch 2:14; 1Ki 12:28-31; Jdg 18:1-31; Jdg 14:1-5).
3. When we have noted the uniform tenor of these glimpses into the character and conduct of the tribe of Dan, we can hardly be surprised to find that no members of that tribe cared to return with Judah into the land of promise when the captivity in Babylon ended. No Danite name occurs in the lists which Ezra and Nehemiah compiled in reference to the returned exiles of Israel; and the only conclusion which can be drawn from that omission is, that all the tribe of Dan despised or neglected the opportunity of temporal redemption which God had given to His people as the earnest of a better spiritual blessing when Messiah should appear. How sad in its inferences is this single fact! But the sadness of the omen is increased when we read the list of the sealed in the Book of Revelation and find no mention in it of the tribe of Dan. The only interpretation which can be put upon it is, that Dan had somehow forfeited his right to the blessings of Israels covenant, and that, for his special unfaithfulness and sin, his very name had been blotted out of the Lambs book of life (Exo 32:33). (T. G. Rooke, B. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 22. Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.] The Jewish interpreters observe that Bashan was a place much frequented by lions, who issued thence into all parts to look for prey. By this probably Moses intended to point out the strength and prowess of this tribe, that it should extend its territories, and live a sort of predatory life. It appears from Jos 19:47, that the portion originally assigned to this tribe was not sufficient for them; hence we find them going out to war against Leshem and taking it, adding it to their territories, and calling it by the name of the tribe. Jacob, in his prophetic blessing of this tribe, represents it under the notion of a serpent in the path, Ge 49:17. The character there, and that given here, constitute the complete warrior-stratagem and courage. See Clarke on Ge 49:17.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Lions whelp, i.e. courageous, and generous, and strong, and successful against his enemies.
He shall leap from Bashan, or, which leapeth from Bashan; for this clause seems not to belong to the tribe of Dan, which was at a great distance from Bashan, even at the other end of the land, and therefore this seems too great a leap for him; and if he did leap so far, he should rather be said to take his leap from his own lot in the south of Canaan, and thence to leap not from Bashan, but to Bashan, to fall upon his enemies there: but it rather is a continuation of the metaphor, and belongs to the lion, which is said to leap from Bashan, because there were many and fierce lions in those parts; see Jdg 14:5; whence they used to come forth to prey, and their manner was to leap upon the prey.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22. Dan is a lion’s whelpHisproper settlement in the south of Canaan being too small, he by asudden and successful irruption, established a colony in the northernextremity of the land. This might well be described as the leap of ayoung lion from the hills of Bashan.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And of Dan he said,…. Of the tribe of Dan, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem:
Dan [is] a lion’s whelp; or like one for boldness, strength, and courage; and was verified in Samson, who was of this tribe; who, when a young lion roared against him, the Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he tore it to pieces, Jud 14:5;
he shall leap from Bashan; not Dan, for he was seated far from that country; but the sense is, he was like to a young lion for its strength, when it leaps from Bashan, as Aben Ezra rightly explains it. Bashan was a mountain in which lions haunted, and from whence they might be said to leap, as they do when they seize on their prey: it may have some respect to the leap of the Danites from the northwest part of the land of Israel, where they were settled, but was not sufficient for them, to the northeast of it, when they went against Leshem, and took it, and called it Dan; see Jos 19:47.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Dan is “ a young lion which springs out of Bashan.” Whilst Jacob compared him to a serpent by the way, which suddenly bites a horse’s feet, so that its rider falls backward, Moses gives greater prominence to the strength which Dan would display in conflict with foes, by calling him a young lion which suddenly springs out of its ambush. The reference to Bashan has nothing to do with the expedition of the Danites against Laish, in the valley of Rehoboth (Jdg 18:28), as this valley did not belong to Bashan. It is to be explained from the simple fact, that in the regions of eastern Bashan, which abound with caves, and more especially in the woody western slopes of Jebel Hauran, many lions harboured, which rushed forth from the thicket, and were very dangerous enemies to the herds of Bashan. Even if no other express testimonies to this fact are to be found it may be inferred from the description given of the eastern spurs of Antilibanus in the Song of Sol. (Son 4:8), as the abodes of lions and leopards. The meaning leap forth, spring out, is confirmed by both the context and dialects, though the word only occurs here.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. 23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south. 24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
Here is, I. The blessing of Dan, v. 22. Jacob in his blessing had compared him to a serpent for subtlety; Moses compares him to a lion for courage and resolution: and what could stand before those that had the head of a serpent and the heart of a lion? He is compared to the lions that leaped from Bashan, a mountain noted for fierce lions, whence they came down to leap upon their prey in the plains. This may refer either, 1. To the particular victories obtained by Samson (who was of this tribe) over the Philistines. The Spirit of the Lord began to move him in the camp of Dan when he was very young, as a lion’s whelp, so that in his attacks upon the Philistines he surprised them, and overpowered them by main strength, as a lion does his prey; and one of his first exploits was the rending of a lion. Or, 2. To a more general achievement of that tribe, when a party of them, upon information brought them of the security of Laish, which lay in the furthest part of the land of Canaan from them, surprised it, and soon made themselves masters of it. See Judg. xviii. 27. And, the mountains of Bashan lying not far from that city, probably thence they made their descent upon it; and therefore are here said to leap from Bashan.
II. The blessing of Naphtali, v. 23. He looks upon this tribe with wonder, and applauds it: “O Naphtali, thou art happy, thou shalt be so, mayest thou be ever so!” Three things make up the happiness of this tribe:– 1. Be thou satisfied with favour. Some understand it of the favour of men, their good-will and good word. Jacob had described this tribe to be, generally, courteous obliging people, giving goodly words, as the loving hind, Gen. xlix. 21. Now what should they get by being so? Moses here tells them they should have an interest in the affections of their neighbours, and be satisfied with favour. Those that are loving shall be beloved. But others understand it of the favour of God, and with good reason; for that only is the favour that is satisfying to the soul and puts true gladness into the heart. Those are happy indeed that have the favour of God; and those shall have it that place their satisfaction in it, and reckon that, in having that, they have enough and desire no more. 2. Be thou full with the blessing of the Lord, that is, not only with those good things that are the fruits of the blessing (corn, and wine, and oil), but with the blessing itself; that is, the grace of God, according to his promise and covenant. Those who have that blessing may well reckon themselves full: they need nothing else to make them happy. “The portion of the tribe of Naphtali” (the Jews say) “was so fruitful, and the productions so forward, though it lay north, that those of that tribe were generally the first that brought their first-fruits to the temple; and so they had first the blessing from the priest, which was the blessing of the Lord.” Capernaum, in which Christ chiefly resided, lay in this tribe. 3. Be thou in possession of the sea and the south; so it may be read, that is, of that sea which shall lie south of thy lot, that was the sea of Galilee, which we so often read of in the gospels, directly north of which the lot of this tribe lay, and which was of great advantage to this tribe, witness the wealth of Capernaum and Bethsaida, which lay within this tribe, and upon the shore of that sea. See how Moses was guided by a spirit of prophesy in these blessings; for before the lot was cast into the lap he foresaw and foretold how the disposal of it would be.
III. The blessing of Asher, Deu 33:24; Deu 33:25. Four things he prays for and prophecies concerning this tribe, which carries blessedness in its name; for Leah called the father of it Asher, saying Happy am I, Gen. xxx. 13. 1. The increase of their numbers. They were now a numerous tribe, Num. xxvi. 47. “Let it be more so: Let Asher be blessed with children.” Note, Children, especially children of the covenant, are blessings, not burdens. 2. Their interest in their neighbours: Let him be acceptable to his brethren. Note, It is a very desirable thing to have the love and good-will of those we live among: it is what we should pray to God for, who has all hearts in his hand; and what we should endeavour to gain by meekness and humility, and a readiness, as we have ability and opportunity, to do good to all men. 3. The richness of their land. (1.) Above ground: Let him dip his foot in oil, that is, “Let him have such plenty of it in his lot that he may not only anoint his head with it, but, if he please, wash his feet in it,” which was not commonly done; yet we find our blessed Saviour so acceptable to his brethren that his feet were anointed with the most precious ointment, Luke vii. 46. (2.) Under ground: Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, that is, “Thou shalt have great plenty of these metals (mines of them) in thy own ground, which by an uncommon blessing shall have both its surface and its bowels rich:” or, if they had them not as the productions of their own country, they should have them imported from abroad; for the lot of this tribe lay on the sea-coast. The Chaldee paraphrasts understand this figuratively: “Thou shalt be strong and bright, as iron and brass.” 4. The continuance of their strength and vigour: As thy days, so shall thy strength be. Many paraphrase it thus, “The strength of thy old age shall be like that of thy youth; thou shalt not feel a decay, nor be the worse for the wearing, but shalt renew thy youth; as if not thy shoes only, but thy bones, were iron and brass.” The day is often in scripture put for the events of the day; and, taking it so here, it is a promise that God would graciously support them under their trials and troubles, whatever they were. And so it is a promise sure to all the spiritual seed of Abraham, that God will wisely proportion their graces and comforts to the services and sufferings he calls them out to. Have they work appointed them? They shall have strength to do it. Have they burdens appointed them? They shall have strength to bear them; and never be tempted above that they are able. Faithful is he that has thus promised, and hath caused us to hope in this promise.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verse 22:
The blessings of both Jacob and Moses upon the tribe of Dan relate to the aggressiveness he displayed in leadership and combat.
Compare this text with Gen 49:16-18.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
22. And of Dan he said. He foretells that the tribe of Dan, like that of Gad, should be warlike, not so much from voluntary disposition, as from necessity; for their love of war was not to be deemed praiseworthy, inasmuch as it is altogether contrary to humanity; but because the unscrupulousness of the enemies, by which that tribe was infested, compelled them to take up arms. He compares it to a lion impetuously leaping from Mount Bashan; and the particle of comparison must be understood here, for Mount Bashan was not situated in the territory of this tribe. But Moses means to say that they should be as ready for the combat as a lion, which, after it has issued from its den into the open plains, makes an attack upon every one that it meets.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(22) Dan is a lions whelp.Jacob compared him to a serpent and an adder. The lion of the tribe of Dan is not like the lion of the tribe of Judah.
He shall leap from Bashan.The taking of Laish is probably referred to. It was a sudden, treacherous surprise, like the spring of a lion on his prey (Jdg. 18:27-28). The hill of Bashan is opposed to Gods hill in Psa. 68:15. The king of Bashan are reproved (Amo. 4:1). The bulls of Bashan represent the enemies of Christ in Psa. 22:12.
O Naphtali . . . possess thou the west (literally, the sea) and the south.This is not easy to interpret literally. The only sea in Naphtalis inheritance was the Sea of Galilee. If we look on to the days when that sea becomes famous in Holy Scripture, we find our Saviour dwelling in the land of Zeoulun and the land of Naphtali, and through his Galilean followers possessing the west and the south, taking the nations for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for His possession.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
22. Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan In Jacob’s prophecy of the tribes Dan was to be serpent-like. Moses sees the tribe in its future history springing like the lion on its prey.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Deu 33:22
And of Dan he said,
Dan is a lion’s whelp,
Who leaps forth from Bashan (or ‘from the viper’).
Moses finds little inspiration in some of the tribes and cannot arouse any prophetic enthusiasm about them. In Jacob’s blessing Dan was the snake. Here he is to leap forth from the snake like a young lion. This may mean that the Danites will develop more strength, transforming from snake to young lion, or it may suggest that while having some strength like a young lion, they will shy away from ‘snakes’.
The ancient word bashan may well be parallel with the word btn at Ugarit where it meant a snake. Or the thought may simply be that the lions of Bashan were seen as particularly dangerous (these being the only ones they had encountered since reaching the land). Compare Son 4:8 for abundance of lion’s dens there.
Dan did not leap forth from Bashan against Laish, they went from the lowlands under the Philistines. Dan is never connected with Bashan in any way. It is just possible that they may have travelled through parts connected with Bashan to reach Laish but they may equally have gone through Naphtali if they wanted to surprise Laish. Compare Gen 49:17 where Dan will ever be tricky but fearful.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ver. 22. And of Dan he said Moses seems here to prophesy, that part of this tribe, too closely confined within the bounds of the portion originally assigned them, would attack, like lions, the secure inhabitants of a place, of whose situation he gives them a general idea; and thereby intimates that they would form a colony distinct from the rest of the Danites. The words, therefore, may be rendered “Dan is a lion’s whelp:he shall leap or make excursions, beyond Bashan.” Bashan was a large country to the south of Libanus, belonging to the half tribe of Manasseh. This was the most northern part (at least eastward of Jordan), in the possession of the twelve tribes, till a party of the Danites surprised Laish, and settled there; which city they afterwards called Dan; hence we meet frequently with this expression, from Dan to Beer-sheba, i.e. the two extremities to the north and south of Palestine. The exact time when this expedition was undertaken, is not easily fixed. We have an account of it at the end of the books of Joshua and Judges; but in both it is out of its proper chronological place. It is most probable, that it happened during the anarchy which ensued on Joshua’s death. See Jos 19:47. Judges 18 and Calmet on the place. Durell.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Taking this blessing in a temporal sense, perhaps it might refer to the victories of Samson, who sprung from this tribe; or to the tribe itself, whose exploits are rehearsed. Jdg 18 . But if we read the promise, with an eye to spiritual blessings in CHRIST JESUS, to leap from Bashan, may imply the victory believers obtain over all their foes, when coming from Zion, the hill of JEHOVAH. JESUS complained in his unequalled sufferings, that the strong bulls of Bashan, had beset him around; meaning no doubt, the chief priests and elders of GOD’S house. See Psa 22:12 compared with Psa 68:15-16 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Deu 33:22 And of Dan he said, Dan [is] a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
Ver. 22. He shall leap from Bashan, ] i.e., He shall suddenly set upon his enemies; as Ahithophel counselled Absalom, 2Sa 17:1-2 and this is called “good counsel”; 2Sa 17:14 and as Caesar served Pompey,
“ Caesar in omnia praeceps,
Nil actum credens, dum quid superesset agendum,
Fertur atro ” – Lucan.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Deu 33:22
22Of Dan he said,
Dan is a lion’s whelp,
That leaps forth from Bashan.
Deu 33:22 Dan is a lion’s whelp, that leaps from Bashan The mention of Dan as somehow connected to Bashan (cf. Deu 1:4; Deu 3:1; Deu 3:3-4; Deu 3:10-11; Deu 3:13-14) is surprising. Originally Dan’s tribal allocation by lot was in the southwest (i.e., the Philistine area) and later they moved to the far north (cf. Judges 18). This may be a prophecy connected to this unauthorized relocation.
Dan. Compare Gen 49:16-18.
Gen 49:16, Gen 49:17, Jos 19:47, Jdg 13:2, Jdg 13:24, Jdg 13:25, Jdg 14:6, Jdg 14:19, Jdg 15:8, Jdg 15:15, Jdg 16:30, Jdg 18:27, 1Ch 12:35
Reciprocal: Gen 30:6 – Dan Gen 46:23 – Dan
Deu 33:22. A lions whelp Courageous, and generous, and strong, and successful against his enemies. Which leapeth from Bashan Because there were many and fierce lions in those parts, whence they used to come forth and leap upon the prey. Or this may refer either to the particular victories obtained by Samson, who was of the tribe of Dan, or to a more general achievement of that tribe, when a party of them surprised Laish, which lay in the furthest part of the land of Canaan from them. And the mountain of Bashan lying not far from that city, from whence they probably made their descent upon it, thus leaping from Bashan.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments