Bible Explorer · Event · c. 1180 BC
Six hundred armed men of the tribe of Dan migrate northward from Zorah and Eshtaol seeking an inheritance; arriving in the hill country of Ephraim, they strip Micah’s household shrine of its carved image, ephod, and molten idol, and persuade Jonathan son of Gershom to become their priest; marching north, they surprise and burn the tranquil city of Laish, rebuild it as Dan, and establish an unauthorized sanctuary that endures throughout the Judges era.
Date: c. 1180 BC · Note: Historical narrative illustrating religious and tribal dislocation before the rise of the monarchy.
Judges 18:1-31