Joshua 19 · Verse 47

Joshua 19:47

And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

Joshua 19:47, King James Version

Joshua 19:47 in other translations

BSB	(Later, when the territory of the Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem, captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)
WEB	The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their forefather.
ASV	And the border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
YLT	And the border of the sons of Dan goeth out from them, and the sons of Dan go up and fight with Leshem, and capture it, and smite it by the mouth of the sword, and possess it, and dwell in it, and call Leshem, Dan, according to the name of Dan their father.
DARBY	And the border of the children of Dan ended with these; and the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and took possession of it, and dwelt in it, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
BBE	(But the limit of the children of Dan was not wide enough for them; so the children of Dan went up and made war on Leshem and took it, putting it to the sword without mercy, and they took it for their heritage and made a place for themselves there, giving it the name of Leshem-dan, after the name of their father, Dan.)
Webster	And the border of the children of Dan, went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt in it, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

What does Joshua 19:47 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

47. the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem--The Danites, finding their inheritance too small, decided to enlarge its boundaries by the sword; and, having conquered Leshem (Laish), they planted a colony there, calling the new settlement by the name of Dan (see on Jud 18:7).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 47 Went out too little for them - This is certainly the meaning of the passage; but our translators have been obliged to add the words too little to make this sense apparent. Houbigant contends that an ancient copyist, meeting frequently with the words ויצאהגבול vaiyetse haggebul, in the preceding history, became so familiarized to them that he wrote them here instead of ויאץ הגבול vaiyaats haggebul, and the border of the children of Dan was Strait for them. It was on this account that they were obliged to go and fight against Leshem, and take and possess it, their former inheritance being too strait for their increasing population. And called Leshem, Dan - This city was situated near the origin of Jordan, at the utmost northern extremity of the promised land, as Beer-sheba was at that of the south; and as after its capture by the Danites it was called Dan, hence arose the expression from Dan even to Beer-sheba, which always signified the whole extent of the promised land. Some suppose that Leshem was the same with Caesarea Philippi, but others with reason reject this opinion. It must be granted that the whole account given in this verse refers indisputably to a fact which did not take place till after the death of Joshua. It is another of the marginal or explicative notes which were added by some later hand. The whole account of this expedition of the Danites against Leshem is circumstantially given in the book of Judges, chapter 18, and to that chapter the reader is referred.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Joshua 19:17-51

Joshua waited till all the tribes were settled, before he asked any provision for himself. He was content to be unfixed, till he saw them all placed, and herein is an example to all in public places, to prefer the common welfare before private advantage. Those who labour most to do good to others, seek an inheritance in the Canaan above: but it will be soon enough to enter thereon, when they have done all the…

Read the full comment on Joshua 19:17-51 →

Joshua 19:47 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֵּצֵ֥אvai.ye.Tze'and it went outH3318

גְבוּל\־ge.Vul-[the] territory ofH1366

בְּנֵי\־be.nei-[the] descendants ofH1121

דָ֖ןdanDanH1835

מֵהֶ֑םme.Hemfrom <the> them

וַיַּעֲל֣וּvai.ya.'a.Luand they went upH5927

בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] descendants ofH1121

דָ֠ןdanDanH1835

וַיִּלָּחֲמ֨וּvai.yi.la.cha.Muand they waged warH3898

עִם\־'im-withH5973

לֶ֜שֶׁםLe.shemLeshemH3959

וַיִּלְכְּד֥וּvai.yil.ke.Duand they capturedH3920

אוֹתָ֣הּ\׀'o.Tah<obj.> itH853

וַיַּכּ֧וּvai.ya.Kuand they struckH5221

אוֹתָ֣הּ'o.Tah<obj.> itH853

לְפִי\־le.fi-to [the] mouth ofH6310

חֶ֗רֶבChe.rev[the] swordH2719

וַיִּֽרְשׁ֤וּvai.yir.Shuand they took possession ofH3423

אוֹתָהּ֙'o.Tah<obj.> itH853

וַיֵּ֣שְׁבוּvai.Ye.she.vuand they dweltH3427

בָ֔הּVahin <the> it

וַיִּקְרְא֤וּvai.yik.re.'Uand they calledH7121

לְלֶ֙שֶׁם֙le.Le.shem<to> LeshemH3959

דָּ֔ןDanDanH1835

כְּשֵׁ֖םke.Shemaccording to [the] name ofH8034

דָּ֥ןdanDanH1835

אֲבִיהֶֽם\׃'a.vi.Hemancestor theirH1

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Joshua 19:47

Judges 1:34-35
And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.
Judges 18:1-29
In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there. When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the coast.
Jud 1:34,35; 18:1-29
called Leshem.
Jud 18:7,27,29
Laish.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Joshua 19:46
And Me–jarkon, and Rakkon, with the border before Japho.
Joshua 19:47
And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.
Joshua 19:48
This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Read all of Joshua 19

Joshua 19:47 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y faltóles término á los hijos de Dan; y subieron los hijos de Dan y combatieron á Lesem, y tomándola metiéronla á filo de espada, y la poseyeron, y habitaron en ella; y llamaron á Lesem, Dan, del nombre de Dan su padre.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et la frontière des fils de Dan se terminait par elles. Et les fils de Dan montèrent et combattirent contre Léshem, et la prirent, et la frappèrent par le tranchant de l’épée, et en prirent possession et y habitèrent; et ils appelèrent Léshem, Dan, du nom de Dan, leur père.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und die Grenze der Kinder Dan ging später weiter als diese; denn die Kinder Dan zogen hinauf und stritten wider Leschem, und nahmen es ein und schlugen es mit der Schärfe des Schwertes, und sie nahmen es in Besitz und wohnten darin; und sie nannten Leschem Dan, nach dem Namen ihres Vaters Dan.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	et ipso fine concluditur. Ascenderuntque filii Dan, et pugnaverunt contra Lesem, ceperuntque eam: et percusserunt eam in ore gladii, et possederunt, et habitaverunt in ea, vocantes nomen ejus Lesem Dan, ex nomine Dan patris sui.