Dan, though commander of one of the four squadrons of the camp of Israel, in the wilderness, that which brought up the rear, yet was last provided for in Canaan, and his lot fell in the southern part of Canaan, between Judah on the east and the land of the Philistines on the west, Ephraim on the north and Simeon on the south. Providence ordered this numerous and powerful tribe into a post of danger, as best able to deal with those vexatious neighbours the Philistines, and so it was found in Samson. Here is an account, 1. Of what fell to this tribe by lot, Zorah, and Eshtaol, and the camp of Dan thereabouts, of which we read in the story of Samson. And near there was the valley of Eshcol, whence the spies brought the famous bunch of grapes. Japho, or Joppa was in this lot. 2. Of what they got by their own industry and valour, which is mentioned here (Jos 19:47), but related at large, Jdg 18:7, etc.

Thimnathah - Probably the same as Timnah. See on Jos 15:57 (note).

Ekron - A well-known city of the Philistines and the metropolis of one of their five dynasties.

And Eltekeh,.... Eltekeh was a city given to the Levites, Jos 21:23; and supposed by some to be the same with Eltekon in the tribe of Judah given to the Danites, Jos 15:59,

and Gibbethon was in the hands of the Philistines in the reign of Asa, Kg1 15:21; and in the same place Jerom (t) calls Gabatha a city of the strangers, or Philistines; and which lie places near Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah:

and Baalath is not the same with Baalah, Jos 15:29; but the Baalath rebuilt by Solomon, Kg1 9:18; called by Josephus (u) Baleth, and spoken of by him as near to Gazara in the land of the Philistines; of these two last cities, the Talmudists (w) say that their houses belonged to Judah, and their fields to Dan.

(t) De loc. Heb. fol. 92. C. (u) Antiqu. l. 8. c. 6. sect. 1. (w) T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 18. 3.

OF DAN. (Jos 19:40-48)

the seventh lot came out for the tribe . . . Dan--It lay on the west of Benjamin and consisted of portions surrendered by Judah and Ephraim. Its boundaries are not stated, as they were easily distinguishable from the relative position of Dan to the three adjoining tribes.