Topical Bible: Tribe of Dan: Census of

Bible > Topical > Tribe of Dan

◄ Tribe of Dan: Census of ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The Tribe of Dan, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, is frequently mentioned in the context of various censuses recorded in the Old Testament. These censuses were conducted to organize the Israelites, particularly for military and religious purposes, as they journeyed through the wilderness and prepared to enter the Promised Land.

First Census:

The first census of the Israelites, as commanded by God to Moses, is detailed in the Book of Numbers. This census was conducted in the second year after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. The purpose was to count all the men of Israel who were able to go to war, from twenty years old and upward.

In Numbers 1:38-39 , the census of the Tribe of Dan is recorded: "From the sons of Dan, their genealogies according to their clans and families, were counted, every male twenty years of age and older, everyone who could serve in the army, those registered to the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700."

This substantial number reflects the tribe's significant size and potential military strength. The Tribe of Dan was the second largest tribe, following Judah, in this initial census.

Second Census:

A second census is recorded in Numbers 26, conducted near the end of the Israelites' forty years in the wilderness. This census was necessary to prepare for the division of the land of Canaan among the tribes.

Numbers 26:42-43 provides the details for the Tribe of Dan: "These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: The Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the clans of Dan. All the Shuhamite clans numbered 64,400."

The increase in numbers from the first to the second census indicates the tribe's growth despite the challenges faced during the wilderness period. The Tribe of Dan maintained its position as one of the larger tribes of Israel.

Significance:

The censuses of the Tribe of Dan highlight the tribe's importance within the nation of Israel. As a large tribe, Dan played a crucial role in the military organization of the Israelites. The tribe's position in the encampment and during marches was strategically significant, often positioned to guard the rear of the Israelite camp (Numbers 10:25).

The censuses also underscore the faithfulness of God in preserving and increasing His people, even in the wilderness. The Tribe of Dan, like the other tribes, was a recipient of God's covenant promises, which included the assurance of growth and prosperity.

Throughout biblical history, the Tribe of Dan is noted for its complex legacy, including both its strengths and its struggles with idolatry and faithfulness. The censuses serve as a reminder of the tribe's foundational role in the early history of Israel.

Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 1:39
Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were three score and two thousand and seven hundred.
Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 26:42,43
These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Chapter xlix
... The second census shortly before the Occupation of Canaan (Numbers 26) showed ... regard
as fantastic when they claimed that from the tribe of Dan Anti-Christ ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlix.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... a Tyrian artificer, the son of a Jewish mother, of the tribe of Dan, [2072] as is ...
Lord was born in the twenty-eighth year, when first the census was ordered ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

The First Apology of Justin, the Martyr
... in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can learn from the census which was ... Tribe
after tribe will lament, and then they will see him whom they pierced, [782 ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the first apology of justin.htm