Deuteronomy 33:22

22 And to Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp; he shall leap from Bashan.

Deuteronomy 33:22 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 33:22

And of Dan he said
Of the tribe of Dan, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem:

Dan [is] a lion's whelp;
or like one for boldness, strength, and courage; and was verified in Samson, who was of this tribe; who, when a young lion roared against him, the Spirit of the Lord came on him, and he tore it to pieces, ( Judges 14:5 Judges 14:6 ) ;

he shall leap from Bashan;
not Dan, for he was seated far from that country; but the sense is, he was like to a young lion for its strength, when it leaps from Bashan, as Aben Ezra rightly explains it. Bashan was a mountain in which lions haunted, and from whence they might be said to leap, as they do when they seize on their prey: it may have some respect to the leap of the Danites from the northwest part of the land of Israel, where they were settled, but was not sufficient for them, to the northeast of it, when they went against Leshem, and took it, and called it Dan; see ( Joshua 19:47 ) .

Deuteronomy 33:22 In-Context

20 And to Gad he said, Blessed is he that caused Gad to be enlarged; he shall dwell as a lion and shall tear the arm with the crown of the head.

21 And he saw the best for himself because there the portion of the lawgiver was enclosed; and he came at the head of the people; he shall execute the righteousness of the LORD and his judgments with Israel.

22 And to Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp; he shall leap from Bashan.

23 And to Naphtali he said, Naphtali, filled with grace and full of the blessing of the LORD, shall inherit the west and the Negev.

24 And to Asher he said, Asher, more blessed than the sons, shall be acceptable unto his brethren and shall dip his foot in oil.