4265. Machaneh-dan
Lexical Summary
Machaneh-dan: Camp of Dan

Original Word: מַחֲנֵה־דָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Machaneh-Dan
Pronunciation: mah-khah-NEH-dahn
Phonetic Spelling: (makh-an-ay'-dawn)
KJV: Mahaneh-dan
NASB: Mahaneh-dan
Word Origin: [from H4264 (מַחֲנֶה - camp) and H1835 (דָּן - Dan)]

1. camp of Dan
2. Machaneh-Dan, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Mahaneh-dan

From machaneh and Dan; camp of Dan; Machaneh-Dan, a place in Palestine -- Mahaneh-dan.

see HEBREW machaneh

see HEBREW Dan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from machaneh and Dan
Definition
"camp of Dan," a place where the Danites stayed
NASB Translation
Mahaneh-dan (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַחֲנֵהדָֿ֑ן proper name, of a location = camp of Dan, name given, Judges 13:25; Judges 18:12, to place where Danites encamped (see Bla).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Form of the Name

Derived from the Hebrew machaneh, “camp,” joined to the tribal name Dan, Mahaneh-Dan means “Camp of Dan.” It designates the temporary base established by the Danites as they prepared to move northward in search of new territory.

Geographical Setting

Mahaneh-Dan lay “west of Kiriath-jearim” (Judges 18:12), on the borderlands between Judah and the original Danite inheritance in the Shephelah. The site is generally placed in the vicinity of modern-day Khirbet-al-Qila or one of the nearby ridges overlooking the Sorek Valley, between Zorah and Eshtaol. The location provided a defensible encampment, access to water, and proximity to the main north–south ridge route.

Biblical Occurrence

Judges 18:12 records a single mention: “They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place is called Mahaneh-Dan to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.” The narrator notes that the name was still in use at the time of writing, suggesting the camp’s enduring reputation among Israel’s tribes.

Historical Background of the Tribe of Dan

Although Joshua assigned Dan a coastal-lowland inheritance (Joshua 19:40-48), persistent Philistine pressure and the tribe’s incomplete conquest left many Danites land-hungry and restless. By the time of the Judges, a contingent resolved to seek territory elsewhere. Their movement northward culminated in the conquest of Laish (renamed Dan) and the establishment of a rival cultic center (Judges 18:27-31). Mahaneh-Dan served as the staging ground for this migration.

Role in the Judges 18 Narrative

1. Rally Point: Six hundred armed Danites gathered at Mahaneh-Dan, bringing families, livestock, and household goods.
2. Strategic Pause: The encampment provided time to assemble supplies, coordinate scouts, and plan the march through Israelite and Canaanite territory.
3. Symbolic Marker: By naming the camp, the Danites declared their unity and intention, turning a temporary bivouac into a landmark of tribal identity and ambition.
4. Point of Departure: From Mahaneh-Dan the group proceeded to the hill country of Ephraim, where they seized Micah’s idols and enlisted his priest, highlighting the moral and spiritual confusion of the period (Judges 18:13-20).

Theological and Ministry Significance

• Partial Obedience and Its Consequences: Dan’s failure to secure its God-given inheritance led to unauthorized expansion, illustrating the cost of incomplete obedience.
• Spiritual Drift in the Era of the Judges: The move from Mahaneh-Dan toward idolatry at Laish underscores the oft-repeated refrain, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
• God’s Sovereign Oversight: Even amid human waywardness, the narrative testifies to God’s continued governance of Israel’s history, preserving His purposes through imperfect people.

Archaeological and Historical Notes

Proposed sites for Mahaneh-Dan share several features: proximity to Kiriath-jearim, vantage over approaches from the coastal plain, and evidence of Iron Age occupation. Surveys near Emmaus-Nicopolis and Tel Qeila have revealed occupation layers compatible with late Bronze and early Iron Age encampments, though definitive identification remains tentative. The persistence of the name in the biblical text suggests that the location maintained a reputation into the united-monarchy era, functioning as a mnemonic of Dan’s migratory episode.

Lessons for Today

Mahaneh-Dan invites reflection on the importance of trusting God’s original assignments, avoiding the allure of easier options, and guarding against the subtle beginnings of idolatry. It also reminds believers that collective decisions made in seasons of transition can chart spiritual trajectories for generations to come.

Forms and Transliterations
דָ֗ן דן Dan ḏān
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Englishman's Concordance
Judges 18:12
HEB: הַה֜וּא מַחֲנֵה־ דָ֗ן עַ֚ד הַיּ֣וֹם
NAS: that place Mahaneh-dan to this
KJV: that place Mahanehdan unto this day:
INT: place he Mahaneh-dan against day

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4265
1 Occurrence


ḏān — 1 Occ.

4264
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