Dan shall provide justice for his peopleThe tribe of Dan is one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after Jacob's son Dan. This phrase suggests a role of leadership and judgment within the tribe. Historically, the tribe of Dan was known for its struggles in securing its allotted territory, as described in the Book of Judges. The mention of providing justice indicates a responsibility to uphold righteousness and fairness, possibly through leaders or judges arising from the tribe. This aligns with the role of Samson, a judge from the tribe of Dan, who delivered Israel from Philistine oppression.
as one of the tribes of Israel
This phrase emphasizes Dan's inclusion and equality among the tribes of Israel. Despite its challenges and eventual migration to the northern part of the land, Dan remains an integral part of the nation. The tribe's role in providing justice is not isolated but is part of the collective identity and mission of Israel. This reflects the unity and diversity within the nation, where each tribe has a unique contribution to the whole. The mention of Dan in the context of justice may also foreshadow the eschatological role of the tribes in the future, as seen in the prophetic visions of Ezekiel and Revelation, where the tribes are restored and play a part in God's ultimate plan.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
DanDan is one of the twelve sons of Jacob, making him one of the patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. The tribe of Dan is known for its role in the history of Israel, including its later struggles with idolatry.
2.
JacobThe father of Dan and the other patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. In
Genesis 49, Jacob is on his deathbed, blessing his sons and prophesying their futures.
3.
Tribes of IsraelThe descendants of Jacob's twelve sons, each forming a tribe. These tribes collectively form the nation of Israel.
4.
JusticeThe concept of justice is central to this verse, indicating Dan's role in providing fairness and righteousness among the people.
5.
ProphecyJacob's words in
Genesis 49 are prophetic, speaking to the future roles and characteristics of each tribe.
Teaching Points
Role of JusticeAs believers, we are called to uphold justice in our communities, reflecting God's character. Dan's role reminds us of the importance of fairness and righteousness.
Prophetic FulfillmentUnderstanding the prophetic nature of Jacob's blessings can deepen our appreciation for God's sovereignty and the unfolding of His plans throughout history.
Guarding Against IdolatryThe tribe of Dan's later struggles with idolatry serve as a warning to remain faithful to God and avoid the pitfalls of turning to false gods or worldly distractions.
Leadership and ResponsibilityDan's calling to provide justice highlights the responsibility of leaders to act with integrity and fairness, a principle applicable to all areas of life.
Legacy and InfluenceOur actions and decisions can have lasting impacts on future generations, just as the tribes' characteristics influenced Israel's history.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Genesis 49:16?
2.How does Genesis 49:16 reflect God's justice through the tribe of Dan?
3.What role does Dan play in Israel's future according to Genesis 49:16?
4.How does Genesis 49:16 connect with other biblical themes of justice and judgment?
5.In what ways can we seek justice in our communities like Dan?
6.How can we apply the principles of justice from Genesis 49:16 today?
7.What is the significance of Dan judging his people in Genesis 49:16?
8.How does Genesis 49:16 relate to the role of justice in the Bible?
9.Why is Dan's role as a judge important in the context of Jacob's blessings?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 49?
11.Why is Dan excluded from Revelation's 144,000 list?
12.What is the significance of the Tribe of Judah?
13.Why is Dan excluded from Revelation's 144,000 list?
14.What are Jacob's prophecies in the Bible?What Does Genesis 49:16 Mean
Dan shallJacob is speaking prophetically over each of his sons inGenesis 49. When he turns to Dan—the firstborn of Rachel’s maid Bilhah (Genesis 30:6)—he looks beyond the boy standing before him to the future tribe that will spring from him. Although Dan will be one of the smaller clans (Numbers 1:38–39), God assigns them a distinctive calling. This reminds us that divine purpose is not measured by size or prestige; the Lord delights in using what seems modest, just as He later empowers the “least” judge, Gideon (Judges 6:15), and the youngest shepherd, David (1 Samuel 16:11–13).
provide justice“Provide justice” points to Dan’s God-given role of deliverance and adjudication among Israel.
• The name Dan itself means “judge,” and the tribe lives up to that identity through its most famous son, Samson. God raises Samson to “begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5). His exploits—though flawed—illustrate a God-ordained passion to make wrongs right (Judges 15:20; 16:30).
• Later, when idolatry spreads, men of Dan still pursue what they believe is right, even though their zeal becomes misdirected (Judges 18:1–31). The text shows that the desire to judge can slip into self-made standards if not anchored to God’s commands (Exodus 20:3–5).
Through these stories the Lord both affirms Dan’s judicial mission and warns of the need for spiritual faithfulness, echoing Moses’ charge: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22), bold but needing the Lord’s reins.
for his peopleJustice is never a private privilege; it is exercised “for his people.”
• Samson’s strength is aimed at freeing Israel, not at personal glory (Judges 14:4, although he often forgets).
• When God raises any deliverer—Ehud, Deborah, Gideon—He does so “for the sake of His great name and because it pleased the LORD to make you His own” (1 Samuel 12:22). Dan’s mandate fits that redemptive pattern.
The phrase also reminds every believer of our duty to seek the good of the covenant community (Galatians 6:10;Micah 6:8), guarding against the drift toward selfish agendas.
as one of the tribes of IsraelJacob’s words underline Dan’s full membership in God’s covenant family.
• Though born to a concubine, Dan’s lineage receives an equal territorial allotment (Joshua 19:40–48). God’s promises do not hinge on human pedigree but on His sovereign choice (Romans 9:10–13).
• In Ezekiel’s millennial vision Dan is listed first among the tribes receiving land (Ezekiel 48:1), a gracious affirmation after centuries of waywardness.
• While the tribe is absent from the sealed 144,000 inRevelation 7, the Lord’s prior inclusion of Dan inGenesis 49 assures us that God’s purposes for each tribe ultimately serve His larger redemptive plan—one body, many members (1 Corinthians 12:12–14).
summaryGenesis 49:16 celebrates God’s intention to use the tribe of Dan as an instrument of justice within Israel. Though small and sometimes wayward, Dan is called to act decisively on behalf of the covenant people, demonstrating that the Lord equips even unlikely servants to defend righteousness. The verse affirms Dan’s full place among the tribes and highlights the timeless truth that God assigns each believer a role in safeguarding and blessing His people.
(16, 17)
Dan.--In passing on to the sons of the handmaids it was necessary to assure them of an independent rank among their brethren. The four tribes descended from them did always hold an inferior position, but Jacob by his words to Dan prevented their ever becoming subject states. Playing, then, upon the name Dan (a
judge)
,he says that he shall judge his people as a distinct and separate tribe, possessed of all those rights of self-government and tribal independence which this rank implied. It seems also that Dan's symbol was a serpent, and from this Jacob prophesies that though too weak a tribe to take the foremost place in war, yet that Dan should not be without military importance; and this was especially the case in the days of Samson. The word rendered
adderis more exactly the
arrow-snake,which lies in wait in the "path," a narrow track, and springs upon its prey as it passes. A horse bitten in this way would rear and throw its rider, who would then be in the power of his assailant.
Verses 16-18. -
Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. With a play upon his name, the firstborn son of Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah, is described as one who should occupy an important place and exercise highly beneficial functions in the future commonwealth, enjoying independence and self-government as one of the tribes of Israel (Herder, and others), and performing the office of an administrator among the People not of his own tribe merely, but also of all Israel, a prediction pointing perhaps to the transient supremacy enjoyed by Dan over the other tribes in the days of Samson (Onkelos,
et alii).
Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. The
שְׁפִיפון, from the Syriac
שֶׁפַפ, to glide (Gesenins), from
שׁוּפ, to sting (Kalisch),
שָׁפַפ, to bite (Furst), was the horned serpent,
cerastes, of the color of sand, and marked with white and black spots, which was exceedingly dangerous to passers-by, its bite being poisonous and fatal. The allusion has been almost unanimously explained as pointing to Samson (
Judges 16:28), but the tribe in general appears not to have been entirely destitute of the treacherous and formidable characteristics here depicted (
Judges 18:27). "It is certainly observable that the first introduction of idolatry in Israel is ascribed to the tribe of Dan (
Judges 18.), and that in the numbering of the tribes in
Revelation 7. the name of Dan is omitted. From these or other causes many of the Fathers (Irenaeus, Ambrose, Augustine, Theodoret) were led to believe that Antichrist should spring from the tribe of Dan" ('Speaker's Commentary').
I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. To discover in this beautiful and tender ejaculation of the dying patriarch an apprehensive sigh lest his strength should be exhausted before his benediction was completed (Tuch), or a prayer that God might speedily effect his painless dissolution (Hengstenberg), or a device for dividing his benedictions, and separating the group of Judah from that of Joseph (Lange), is surely to fail in seizing its hidden spirit. It is doubtful if even the usual interpretation, that Jacob here expresses his hope and expectation that God would help and succor his descendants (Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, and others), exhausts its rich significance. That, speaking in their name, he does anticipate the deliverance of Jehovah" In thy help do I hope, O Jehovah! - is apparent; but nothing surely can be more natural than to suppose that the dying patriarch, at the moment when he was formally transmitting to his children the theocratic blessing, had his thoughts lifted up towards that great salvation, of which all these material and temporal benedictions pronounced upon his sons were but the shadows and the types, and of which perhaps he had been incidentally reminded by the mention of the biting serpent, to which he had just likened Dan ('Speaker's Commentary'). It is noticeable that this is the first occurrence of the term salvation (
יְשׁוּעָח, from the root
יָשַׁע, unused in Kal, to be roomy or spacious, hence in the Hiphil to set free or deliver).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Danדָּ֖ן(dān)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1835:Dan -- 'judge', a son of Jacob, also a place in Northern Israelshall provide justiceיָדִ֣ין(yā·ḏîn)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1777:A straight course, sail directfor his peopleעַמּ֑וֹ(‘am·mōw)Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5971:A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flockas oneכְּאַחַ֖ד(kə·’a·ḥaḏ)Preposition-k | Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 259:United, one, firstof the tribesשִׁבְטֵ֥י(šiḇ·ṭê)Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7626:Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribeof Israel.יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃(yiś·rā·’êl)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478:Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc
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OT Law: Genesis 49:16 Dan will judge his people as one (Gen. Ge Gn) 
