Verse 29:[1] And (Josh. 19:47) they called the name of the city (Gen. 14:14; Judg. 20:1; 1 Kings 12:29, 30; 15:20) Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.
After the name of Dan their father; that it might be manifest that they belonged to the tribe of Dan, though they were seated at a great distance from them, even in the most northerly part of the land; whereas the lot of their tribe was in the southern part of Canaan.
[Which was called Laish before, וְאוּלָ֛ם לַ֥יִשׁ שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר[2]] And indeed (certainly [Jonathan], but [Munster, Syriac], although [Tigurinus], moreover [Arabic]) Laish was the name of the city (Montanus, Pagnine). But the Septuagint has, Ulam Laish, that is, the porch of Laish. We had a similar thing in Genesis 28:19,[3] in which place see what things were said (Grotius). It was called לַיִשׁ/Laish,[4] leonine, as it were; either, because it was mighty and very powerful; or, because that region was abounding in lions: which is not surprising, since it was near Libanus (Malvenda).
[1] Hebrew: וַיִּקְרְא֤וּ שֵׁם־הָעִיר֙ דָּ֔ן בְּשֵׁם֙ דָּ֣ן אֲבִיהֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוּלַּ֖ד לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְאוּלָ֛ם לַ֥יִשׁ שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃
[2] אוּלָם/ulam functions as an adversative adverb.
[3] Genesis 28:19: “And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first (וְאוּלָ֛ם ל֥וּז שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃).”
[4] לַיִשׁ signifies lion.
The idolatrous shrine was established in Dan c. 1400 BC. Dan will continue to be a center of idolatry until the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom in 727 BC.
What started as one man's idolatry became that of a Tribe...and then of a Kingdom...and all of long continuance.
Beware of idolatry! It is a persistent, malignant cancer.
Matthew Henry: 'Observe...How the conquerors settled themselves in their room, Judges 18:28-29. They built the city, or much of it, anew (the old buildings having gone to decay), and called the name of it Dan, to be a witness for them that, though separated so far off from their brethren, they were nevertheless Danites by birth, which might hereafter, by reason of their distance, be called in question. We should feel concerned not to lose the privilege of our relation to God's Israel, and therefore should take all occasions to own it and preserve the remembrance of it to ours after us.'
Hebrew Highlights: None in particular. Just keep working and reading, Hebrew students.