Diskussion:Tel Dan
A city familiar as marking the northern limit of the land of Israel in the common phrase "from Da even to Beer- sheba" (Jud 20:1; 1Sa 3:20, etc.). Its ancient name was Laish or Leshem (Jud 18:7, etc.). It was probably an outlying settlement of Tyre of Sidon. Its inhabitants, pursuing the ends of peaceful traders, were defenseless against the onset of the Danite raiders. Having captured the city the Danites gave it the name of their own tribal ancestor (Jud 18). It lay in the valley near Beth-rehob (Jud 18:28). Josephus places it near Mt. Lebanon and the fountain of the lesser Jordan, a day's journey from Sidon (Ant., V, iii, 1; VIII, viii, 4; BJ, IV, i, 1). Eusebius, Onomasticon says it lay 4 Roman miles from Paneas on the way to Tyre, at the source of the Jordan. This points decisively to Tell el-Qady, in the plain West of Banias. The mound of this name--Kady is the exact Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew Dan--rises from among the bushes and reeds to a height varying from 40 to 80 ft. The largest of all the springs of the Jordan rises on the west side. The waters join with those of a smaller spring on the other side to form Nahr el-Leddan which flows southward to meet the streams from Banias and Chasbeiyeh. The mound, which is the crater of an extinct volcano, has certain ancient remains on the south side, while the tomb of Sheikh Marzuk is sheltered by two holy trees. The sanctuary and ritual established by the Danites persisted as long as the house of God was in Shiloh, and the priesthood in this idolatrous shrine remained in the family of Jonathan till the conquest of Tiglath-pileser (Jud 18:30; 2Ki 15:29). Here Jeroboam I set up the golden calf. The ancient sanctity of the place would tend to promote the success of his scheme (1Ki 12:28 f, etc.). The calf, according to a Jewish tradition, was taken away by Tiglath-pileser. Da fell before Benhadad, king of Syria (1Ki 15:20; 2Ch 16:4). It was regained by Jeroboam II (2Ki 14:25). It shared the country's fate at th hands of Tiglath-pileser (2Ki 15:29).
It was to this district that Abraham pursued the army of Chedorlaomer (Ge 14:14). For Dr. G. A. Smith's suggestion that Da may have been at Banias see HGHL1, 473, 480 f.
W. Ewing
Tel Dan is the site of the ancient Canaanite town of Laish (known also as Leshem; Josh 19:47). The tribe of Dan rebuilt it and named the city Dan. (Judg 18:29) It now contains a wonderful think forest with a cold rushing water stream. Criss-crossed by well-marked paths, it is a beautiful place to visit. The Tel Dan Stele is a fragment (in two sections) of an Aramaic inscription on basalt, which appears to be from a stele erected for one of the Aramean kings of Damascus. While most scholars believe that it should be related to Hazael, possibly connected to the rebellion of Yehu that is mentioned in the biblical text (ca. 840 BCE), a minority opinion relates it to Ben-Hadad of the Aramean nation, an enemy of the kingdom of Israel, possibly dating about 802 BCE. Very little of the inscription remains, but the excitement it has generated is concentrated on the letters 'ביתדוד' which many see as referring to the "House of David." If the reading is correct, it is the first time that the name "David" has been found in any archaeological site. (nicht signierter Beitrag von 91.15.211.93 (Diskussion) 23:28, 13. Okt. 2007 (CET))
