Naphtali and Dan

The apportionment of the land of Canaan to Israel’s 12 tribes continues, with the next-to-last tract being assigned to Naphtali. Its territory lies east of Asher and west of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. To the south are Zebulun and Issachar. The description of the tribe’s borders presents difficulties for scholars, particularly the curious mention of “Judah by the Jordan” in verse 34. Naphtali’s land was far to the north of Judah’s; thus, some, including Matthew Henry, believe this is a reference to an otherwise-unknown town. The list of cities in this passage is also problematic, for while we are told Naphtali inherits 19 cities, only 16 are listed. It is possible that another three can be found among the locales that are mentioned in the description of the tribe’s borders. It is clear that Naphtali covers a large portion of Galilee, a fertile, hilly area. In this region, especially in the cities of Capernaum and Bethsaida, Jesus will do many miracles. It is also thought that the Sermon on the Mount is delivered in the hills of Naphtali.

The final tract of land goes to Dan. This tribe gets a region west of Benjamin in the gap between Judah on the south and Ephraim/Manasseh on the north; its western limit is the Mediterranean. The land includes the Aijalon Valley, the western slopes of the hill country running through Canaan, and a part of the coastal plain. God’s reasons for placing the Danites in this location are not difficult to see, for there are powerful Canaanites on the plain, enemies of Israel who would readily use the road through the Aijalon and into the Judean and Ephraimite hills to invade. The placement of Dan, one of Israel’s largest and strongest tribes (Num. 26), keeps the Canaanites in check. Unfortunately, the Canaanites’ presence also limits the Danites’ use of their territory. But instead of complaining that their territory is therefore inadequate, as the Joseph tribes had done (Josh. 17:14–18), the Danites take matters into their own hands. A portion of the tribe journeys north to the city of Leshem, which sits near the Jordan’s headwaters on the northern frontier of Naphtali, attacks it, captures it, and renames it Dan (Judg. 18). However, the Danites fail to find the place of safety and security they seek, for the rise of powerful enemies such as the Assyrians in the north in later years will put the tribe squarely in the line of fire.