From Dan to Beersheba


From Dan to Beersheba is a biblical phrase used nine times in the Hebrew Bible to refer to the settled areas of the Tribes of Israel between Dan in the North and Beersheba in the South. The term contributed to the position that was used by British politicians during negotiation of the British Mandate for Palestine following World War I.

Biblical verses

It is found in the biblical verses:
1. during the Battle of Gibeah at the end of the Book of Judges
2. during the "Calling of Samuel"
3. during the war between Ish-bosheth and his brother-in-law David following the death of Saul
4. during the rebellion of David's son Absalom
5. / 6. / on David's census of Israel and Judah
7. following David's census of Israel and Judah
8. following Solomon's ascent to the throne
9. during Hezekiah's passover

Modern history

During the peace negotiations following World War I, "from Dan to Beersheba" – as defined by George Adam Smith’s The Historical Geography of the Holy Land – contributed to the British proposal for the area of Palestine to be carved out of the Ottoman Empire as a League of Nations mandate. On 13 September 1919, a memorandum was handed from Lloyd George to Georges Clemenceau which stated that British Palestine would be "defined in accordance with its ancient boundaries of Dan to Beersheba".