Bible Location
Meaning: a lion · 4 cross references · Modern-day map available
Laish was the northern Sidonian-linked city later captured and renamed Dan by the tribe of Dan. It is important because it shows the Danites' migration and the remaking of Israel's far northern frontier. First appears in Judg 18:7.1
AI summary: Laish is significant because it marks a clear example of relocation and takeover within Israel itself. Judges portrays it as an isolated, unwary city with external cultural links, making it vulnerable to the migrating Danites. Its capture and renaming create the northern limit later remembered as Dan. The cross references present Laish as a city transformed by conquest, migration, and tribal ambition.1
A city of the Sidonians, in the extreme north of Palestine (Judg. 18:7, 14); called also Leshem (Josh. 19:47) and Dan (Judg. 18:7, 29; Jer. 8:16). It lay near the sources of the Jordan, about 4 miles from Paneas. The restless and warlike tribe of Dan (q.v.), looking out for larger possessions, invaded this country and took Laish with its territory. It is identified with the ruin Tell-el-Kady, “the mound of the judge,” to the north of the Waters of Merom (Josh. 11:5). 3
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.