· Translation: KJV

Joshua 19:47The border of the children of Dan went out beyond them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem, and took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and lived therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.

The setting

Northern Israel, ~1400 BC. The tribe of Dan found their assigned territory too small and crowded, so they launched a military campaign 100 miles north to capture the city of Leshem (also called Laish). Modern-day Tel Dan, Israel.

The emotion here: documenting bold initiative with approval

The original word

yatsa (יָצָא) — went out beyond, exceeded boundaries, expanded past limits

Why it matters

Dan's original territory was only about 160 square miles, making them landlocked between stronger tribes

Read with care

What most readers miss in Joshua 19:47

Dan didn't ask permission - they just went and took what they needed for their growing families

Common misconceptionPeople think this shows God's blessing on violence, but it actually shows Dan taking responsibility when their original inheritance proved inadequate for their growing population.

Bible Genome reading

Joshua 19:47 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
Eraconquest
Primary emotiongrowing
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability30%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance30%
Standalone40%
Themes:expansionconquestinitiative

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Joshua 19

Joshua 19:47 comes from the book of Joshua, written during the conquest period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is growing, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include expansion, conquest, initiative. Notable phrases: went up and fought; beyond them.

Your reflection

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