Dan: Antichrist’s Tribe and Lineage?

In the following post I quoted from some early Christian sources showing how certain Christians believed that the antichrist would arise from Dan: Dan: The Tribe of Antichrist.

Here I will share the biblical verses, which would have led these Christian writers to conclude that Dan is the tribe of the antichrist.    

To begin with, Jacob prophesied that Dan would be a serpent lying in the path to bite at people:

“Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent (nachash) by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse’s heels So that its rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation (lishuataka), O YHWH!” Genesis 49:16-18

It is intriguing that the the father of the nation states that he has been waiting for God's salvation, after predicting Dan’s future. The word for salvation comes from the same term from which Jesus’ name is derived, namely, yeshuah:

Strong's Hebrew 3444

yeshuah: Salvation, deliverance, victory

The patriarch wasn’t the only one to connect Dan with serpents, vipers and horses:

“‘We looked for peace, but no good came; And for a time of health, and there was trouble! The snorting of His horses was heard from Dan. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones; For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it, The city and those who dwell in it. For behold, I will send serpents (nachashim) among you, Vipers which cannot be charmed, And they shall bite you,’ says the Lord.’” Jeremiah 8:15-17

It should be noted at this point that the Hebrew word for serpent is the same one used for the evil being that tempted Adam and Eve to sin and subsequently die:

“Now the serpent (nachash) was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’…

“And YHWH God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ So YHWH God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.’” Genesis 3:1-5, 13-15

According to the New Testament, that serpent was Satan/Devil himself:

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9

“He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;” Revelation 20:2

Dan is also likened to a lion who leaps from Bashan:

“Of Dan he said, ‘Dan is a lion’s whelp, That leaps forth from Bashan.’” Deuteronomy 33:22

Bashan is associated with the individuals that sought the life of the righteous sufferer of Psalm 22:

“Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They open wide their mouth at me, As a lion that tears and roars.” Psalm 22:12-23

Note the association of Bashan with a lion again.

This Psalm is viewed as a prophecy of the Messiah’s sufferings by both Jewish (cf. Pesiqta Rabbati) and Christian sources (cf. Matt. 27:37-44; John 19:23-24; Heb. 2:12).  

Related to what is said of Dan, the Devil is likened to a predatory lion:

“Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

“In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

Dani is also mentioned in connection with Abram taking 318 of his soldiers to go out to rescue his nephew Lot who had been kidnapped by four pagan rulers:

“And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

“Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.” Genesis 14:5-16

Suffice it to say, these depictions of Dan are not at all positive.

This negative portrayal of Dan is further complicated from the fact that his name being omitted in the list of the twelve tribes of Israel mentioned in John’s Apocalypse:

“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.” Revelation 7:1-8

These are some of factors, which led some Christian writers to associate Dan with the antichrist.

The rabbinic sources don’t help the matter since they attribute darkness and idolatry to the tribe of Dan.

For instance, the following passage, where Jeroboam built two golden calves and placed one in Dan, which resulted in the nine and half tribes sinning against YHWH,

“Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.’ So the king took counsel, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ And he set one in Bethel, and one he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, to sacrifice to the calves which he had made. And he had the priests of the high places, which he had made, stand in Bethel. Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.” 1 Kings 12:25-33 

Was used in the Talmud to blame Dan for spreading the darkness of idolatry throughout the world.

וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ישעיה לג, טו): אֹטֵם אָזְנוֹ מִשְׁמֹעַ דָּמִים. (בראשית יד, יד): וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר הֵן הוֹרִיקוּ פָּנִים כְּנֶגֶד אַבְרָהָם, אָמְרוּ חֲמִשָּׁה מְלָכִים לֹא יָכְלוּ לַעֲמֹד בָּהֶם וְאָנוּ יְכוֹלִים לַעֲמֹד בָּהֶם. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר אַבְרָהָם הוֹרִיק פָּנִים כְּנֶגְדָן, אָמַר אֵצֵא וְאֶפֹּל עַל קִדּוּשׁ שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם. אַבָּא בַּר זַבְדָא אָמַר בִּכְלֵי זַיִן הוֹרִיקָן, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (תהלים לה, ג): וְהָרֵק חֲנִית וּסְגֹר לִקְרַאת רֹדְפָי. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ בַּאֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת הוֹרִיקָן, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (תהלים סח, יד): וְאֶבְרוֹתֶיהָ בִּירַקְרַק חָרוּץ. רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר בְּפָרָשַׁת שׁוֹטְרִים הוֹרִיקָן, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (דברים כ, ח): מִי הָאִישׁ הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ. חֲנִיכָיו, בַּעֲלֵי חֲנִיכָתוֹ, שְׁמָם אַבְרָם כִּשְׁמוֹ. שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת, רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ בְּשֵׁם בַּר קַפָּרָא, אֱלִיעֶזֶר לְבַדּוֹ הָיָה, מִנְיַן אֱלִיעֶזֶר שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת. וַיִּרְדֹּף עַד דָּן, שֵׁם עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים הִיא, וּמַכָּה מִלְּפָנֶיהָ וּמֵאַחֲרֶיהָ, מַכָּה מִלְּפָנֶיהָ, וַיִּרְדֹּף עַד דָּן, וּמַכָּה מֵאַחֲרֶיהָ (ירמיה ח, טז): מִדָּן נִשְׁמַע נַחְרַת סוּסָיו. 

“Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive” – that is what is written: “He seals his ears from hearing of bloodshed” (Isaiah 33:15). *The righteous will not accept the prospect of bloodshed, so they take action against that eventuality. 

“He marshaled [vayarek] his disciples” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Yehuda says: Their faces turned pale [horiku] towards Abraham. They said: ‘Five kings could not overcome them, and [you think] we will be able to overcome them?’ Rabbi Neḥemya said: Abraham turned pale [horik] towards them. He said: ‘Shall I go and fall [in battle] in sanctification of the name of the Omnipresent?’

Abba bar Zavda said: He armed them with weapons, just as it says: “Unsheathe [harek] a spear to block my pursuers” (Psalms 35:3).

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: He showered them with jewels and gems, as it says: “Its pinions with shimmering [yerakrak] gold” (Psalms 68:14).

Rabbi Levi said: He emptied [horikan] their ranks through the passage about the officers, as it says: “[Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say:] Who is the man who is fearful and faint hearted? Let him go and return to his house” (Deuteronomy 20:8). *The assembled force of three hundred and eighteen men was depleted due to this warning, until only Eliezer remained. 

“His disciples [ḥanikhav]” – they bore his name [ḥanikhato]. Their name was Abram, like his name. *Upon their conversion, they took his name as their own, or they referred to themselves as “sons of Abram,” as all converts do. 

“Three hundred and eighteen” – Reish Lakish in the name of bar Kappara: It was Eliezer alone. The numerical value of Eliezer is three hundred and eighteen.

“And he gave chase until Dan” – that is the name of an idol. See I Kings 12:28–29. It was preceded and followed by a blow. It was always a place of misfortune, from beginning to end. It was preceded by a blow: “And he gave chase until Dan.” He had to stop his pursuit when he reached Dan, due to its ill-fated status. And it is followed by a blow: “The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan” (Jeremiah 8:16). The Babylonians, on their way to destroy Jerusalem, were referred to as approaching from Dan. (Bereshit Rabbah 43 [Gen. R. xliii.], The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah, 2022; emphasis mine)

And:

North, from there darkness emerges to the world, and corresponding to it, the tribe of Dan. Why? It is because it brought darkness to the world with idol worship. Yerovam crafted two golden calves, and idol worship is darkness, as it is stated: “Their actions are in the dark” (Isaiah 29:15). Yerovam circulated throughout Israel and it was only the tribe of Dan that accepted it from him, as it is stated: “The king consulted, and he crafted two golden calves…and he placed one in Dan” (I Kings 12:28–29). That is why the Holy One blessed be He commanded that Dan would encamp in the north. That is what is written: “The banner of the camp of Dan is to the north…” (Numbers 2:25). With it, the tribe of Asher, which illuminates the darkness, as it is stated: “And of Asher he said: Blessed…and he dips his foot in oil” (Deuteronomy 33:24). Likewise it says: “And those who encamp with it, the tribe of Asher” (Numbers 2:27). With it, Naphtali, who is filled with blessing in order to provide sustenance, just as it is written: “Naphtali, his desire is satisfied, [and full with the blessing of the Lord]” (Deuteronomy 33:23). Likewise it says: “and the tribe of Naphtali” (Numbers 2:29). “All those counted for the camp of Dan…they shall travel last by their banners (Numbers 2:31), as anyone who engages in idol worship goes backward and not forward. That is why it is stated: “The Lord founded the earth with wisdom, established the heavens with understanding” (Proverbs 3:19). (Bamidbar Rabbah 2 [Num. R. ii.], The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah 2022; emphasis mine)

It is apparent that the Holy Bible doesn’t present a very flattering picture of the tribe of Dan.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that specific Christians concluded from this negative depiction of Dan that this must be the tribe which the antichrist would arise from, seeing that he is the very embodiment and personification of evil.