1842. Dan Yaan

Lexical Summary

Dan Yaan: Danjaan

Original Word: דָּן יַעַן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Dan Ya`an
Pronunciation: dahn yah-ahn
Phonetic Spelling: (dawn yah'-an)
KJV: Dan-jaan
NASB: Dan-jaan
Word Origin: [from H1835 (דָּן - Dan) and (apparently) H3282 (יַעַן - because)]

1. judge of purpose
2. Dan-Jaan, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Dan-jaan

From Dan and (apparently) ya'an; judge of purpose; Dan-Jaan, a place in Palestine -- Dan-jaan.

see HEBREW Dan

see HEBREW ya'an

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from Dan and perhaps yaan
Definition
a place in Pal.
NASB Translation
Dan-jaan (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. יַעַן in דַּנָֿה יַעַן 2 Samuel 24:6 see above.

יען (√ of following; according to Ges Ew^{GGA 1864, No. 27} Aramaic , avidus, cupidus; hence בַּת יַעֲנָה = daughter of greed, of ostrich as voracious bird; but Wetzst^{Del Job 31:39} = daughter of the desert or steppe, from hard, unproductive soil; compare the Arabic name father of the plains.)

Topical Lexicon

Geographical setting

Dan-Jaan appears to have been a northern settlement beyond the Jordan, visited by the royal census officials as they moved from “Gilead and … the land of Tahtim Hodshi” and then “around to Sidon” (2 Samuel 24:6). Its pairing with Sidon points to a location in the extreme north of Israel, probably in the region dominated by the springs of the Jordan near Tell Dan. Some Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions render the second element as “jaar” (“forest”), suggesting “Dan of the forest,” a description that suits the wooded foothills below Mount Hermon. While its exact identification remains uncertain, all proposals agree that Dan-Jaan lay on the northern frontier, marking the furthest point reached by David’s enumerators on the west side of the Jordan.

Biblical occurrence

2 Samuel 24:6 records the only mention of the site:

“Then they went to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi, and they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon.”

Historical backdrop

1. The census: David ordered Joab to register all Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 24:1–2). Joab’s route, traced in verses 4–7, shows a clockwise sweep beginning in the Transjordan, crossing back into the north, and descending the coastal plain before returning to Jerusalem.
2. National boundaries: Inclusion of Dan-Jaan underlines the kingdom’s full extent “from Dan to Beersheba” (2 Samuel 24:2), a stock phrase for Israel’s length. The town therefore functions as a geographical anchor of covenant territory inherited from the conquest era (Joshua 19:47–48).
3. Military administration: The census was intended to number “the men who could draw the sword” (2 Samuel 24:9). Dan-Jaan’s remote position demonstrates the thoroughness of Joab’s commission and the reach of David’s centralized rule.

Theological significance

1. Completeness brings accountability. By pushing north to Dan-Jaan, the census affirmed that no corner of the land was exempt from royal or, ultimately, divine scrutiny. The plague that followed (2 Samuel 24:15) therefore concerned every tribe.
2. A warning against pride. Dan-Jaan stands as a silent witness to David’s overconfidence. When leaders measure strength apart from the Lord, even the farthest outpost is touched by discipline.
3. Covenant territory and covenant mercy. Although judgment fell, the final outcome was the selection of the temple site (2 Samuel 24:18–25). Thus the journey to places like Dan-Jaan indirectly prepared the way for a house of prayer “for all the nations” (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17).

Archaeological and scholarly considerations

• Tel Dan (Tell el-Qadi) remains the leading candidate because of its prominence, Iron-Age occupation, and forested surroundings in antiquity.
• Alternative identifications east of the Jordan exist but lack textual and material support.
• The prefix “Dan” may denote the territory of the tribe rather than a specific city; “Jaan/jaar” would then specify a particular wooded quarter within that territory.

Lessons for ministry today

• God’s people are scattered from “the forest of Dan” to “the Negev of Beersheba,” yet each individual matters in the divine register (Luke 12:7).
• Leadership decisions rooted in self-reliance can expose the whole community to harm. Humble intercession, like David’s appeal, remains essential (2 Samuel 24:17).
• Even moments of disobedience can be redeemed for greater purposes when hearts return to the Lord, as the census episode ultimately pointed Israel toward the future temple and, by extension, toward the Messiah who fulfills its sacrificial meaning (Hebrews 10:12).

Forms and Transliterations

יַּ֔עַן יען ya‘an ya·‘an Yaan

Englishman's Concordance

2 Samuel 24:6
HEB: וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ דָּ֣נָה יַּ֔עַן וְסָבִ֖יב אֶל־
NAS: and they came to Dan-jaan and around
KJV: and they came to Danjaan, and about
INT: of Tahtim-hodshi came to Dan-jaan and around to

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 1842
1 Occurrence

ya·‘an — 1 Occ.