H3919a H3919a
Laish, the original name of the northern city Dan before the Danites conquered and renamed it
Laish was the original name of the northernmost city in Canaan before the Danite tribe conquered it and renamed it Dan. The book of Judges describes Laish as a peaceful, unsuspecting city inhabited by Sidonians living in security—until the Danite raiders destroyed it and rebuilt it as their tribal center. The name Laish (meaning 'lion') appears in parallel with Leshem in Joshua's account of the same conquest, representing the pre-Israelite Canaanite settlement.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Laish appears four times in the Danite conquest narrative. Danite spies found 'the people of Laish' living securely in Sidonian fashion (Judg 18:7). They reported finding the land around 'Laish' (Judg 18:14). The Danites conquered and burned 'Laish' (Judg 18:27). They rebuilt the city and 'called the name of the city Dan, after Dan their father, but the name of the city was Laish formerly' (Judg 18:29). The Septuagint renders it Laisa, while Spanish Lais, French Layish, and German Layish preserve phonetic approximations of the Hebrew consonants. 4×
AR["لَايِشَ", "لَايِشُ"]·ben["লায়িশ", "লায়িশে"]·DE["Layish", "zu-Layish"]·EN["Layish", "to-Layish"]·FR["Layish", "à-Layish"]·heb["ליש", "לישה"]·HI["लैश", "लैशाह"]·ID["Layis", "ke-Layis"]·IT["Layish", "a-Layish"]·jav["Lais", "dhateng-Lais"]·KO["라이샤", "라이샤로", "라이샤를"]·PT["Layish", "a-Layish"]·RU["Лаиш", "в-Лаиш"]·ES["Lais", "a-Lais", "de-Lais"]·SW["Laishi"]·TR["Layish", "Layish'e", "Layiş", "Layiş'in"]·urd["لایش"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. לַ֫יִשׁ n.pr.loc. (on meaning lion, cf. RSSem i. 156 (om. 2nd ed.));—former name of Dan., in extreme north of Canaan, Ju 18:7, 14, 27, 29 (v. דָּן p. 192 b); 𝔊 Λαισα; = לָשֶׁם q.v.; cf. BuhlGeogr. § 124.