NOTE:
This post has been withdrawn. The post has been published in my book, Rereading the Biblical Text: Searching for Meaning and Understanding. The approach taken in the book is to compare how different translations have approached difficult texts in the Old Testament. The goal of the book is to invite readers to reread the biblical text in light of the new understanding of the intent of the original writer of the text. You can order the book from Amazon.
Rereading the Biblical Text
Visit my Amazon author’s page to purchase the book (click here).
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
A Note About This Post:
Before “Understanding Genesis 14:14: ‘As Far as Dan’” was withdrawn for publication, “Understanding Genesis 14:14: ‘As Far as Dan’” was read by 4975 readers. “Understanding Genesis 14:14: ‘As Far as Dan’” was also shared 10 times by readers who enjoyed reading the post. You can read “Understanding Genesis 14:14: ‘As Far as Dan’” and other articles on problems in Bible translation by reading my book Rereading the Biblical Text: Searching for Meaning and Understanding. Below is the content of the book:
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments – Page xi
Abbreviations – Page xii
Introduction – Page xv
SECTION 1 — THE PENTATEUCH
Chapter 1. The Creation of Animals in Genesis 2:19 – Page 3
Chapter 2. The Serpent Was Right (Genesis 3) – Page 7
Chapter 3. The Seed of the Woman (Genesis 3:15) – Page 11
Chapter 4. Were They Really Giants? (Genesis 6:4) – Page 17
Chapter 5. “As Far as Dan” (Gen 14:14) – Page 20
Chapter 6. Abraham and the Promises of God – Page (Genesis 12:7) – Page 23
Chapter 7. The Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:8) – Page 26
Chapter 8. The Rape of Bilhah (Genesis 35:22) – Page 29
Chapter 9. Miriam, a Leader in Israel (Exodus 15:20) – Page 32
Chapter 10. Azazel (Leviticus 16:8-10) – Page 35
Chapter 11. Understanding Numbers 24:24 – Page 38
SECTION 2 — THE HISTORICAL BOOKS
Chapter 12. The Levite and His Concubine (Judges 19:1–30) – Page 43
Chapter 13. The Sacrifice of Jephthah’s Daughter (Judges 10:6–12:7) – Page 47
Chapter 14. The Fate of Jephthah’s Daughter (Judges 10:6–12:7) – Page 4750
Chapter 15. The Virginity of Jephthah’s Daughter (Judges 10:6–12:7) – Page 54
Chapter 16. Who Went Back to the City? (Ruth 3:15) – Page 59
Chapter 17. Was Ruth Barren? (Ruth 4:13) – Page 59
Chapter 18. King Saul: Little in His Own Eyes (1 Samuel 15:17) – Page 63
Chapter 19. How Old Was Saul? (1 Samuel 13:1) – Page 64
Chapter 20. David and Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4) – Page 67
Chapter 21. David’s Sons Were Priests ((2 Samuel 8:18) – Page 70
Chapter 22. “Him that Pisseth against the Wall” (1 Samuel 25:22) – Page 72
Chapter 23. Whose Cloak Did Ahijah Tear? (1Kinga 11:4–7) – Page 78
Chapter 24. The Challenges of Parenthood (2 Kinga 21:25–26) – Page 82
SECTION 3 — THE WISDOM AND POETICAL BOOKS
Chapter 25. Psalm 8:5: In Search of a Better Translation – Page 87
Chapter 26. Understanding Psalm 17:14 – Page 90
Chapter 27. Jezebel’s Wedding Song (Psalm 45:1–17) – Page 93
Chapter 28. Psalm 100:3: In Search of a Better Translation – Page 99
Chapter 29. Sons or Children? (Psalm 127:3-5) – Page 103
Chapter 30. Proverbs 29:18 – Page 106
Chapter 31. “Black and Beautiful” or “Black but Beautiful”? (Song of Songs 1:5) – Page 108
SECTION 4 — THE PROPHETICAL BOOKS
Chapter 32. The Use of Gender Inclusive Language (Isaiah 9:1) – Page 115
Chapter 33. “You Have Increased Their Joy” (Isaiah 9:3) – Page 118
Chapter 34. Who Will the Messiah Strike? (Isaiah 11:4) – Page 120
Chapter 35. The Way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3) – Page 122
Chapter 36. “All Their Goodliness” (Isa 40:6) – Page 126
Chapter 37. The Proclaimer of Good News (Isaiah 40:9) – Page 129
Chapter 38. The Problem of Divorce in the Old Testament (Isaiah 50:1) – Page 132
Chapter 39. Beulah Land (Isaiah 62:4) – Page 135
Chapter 40. The Balm of Gilead (Jeremiah 8:22) – Page 138
Chapter 41. The Mother of Seven (Jeremiah 15:9) – Page 142
Chapter 42. The Coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:25–27) – Page 144
Chapter 43. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel (Daniel 9:25–27) – Page 148
Chapter 44. The Knowledge of God (Hosea 4:1) – Page 152
Chapter 45. The Word “Hesed” in the Book of Hosea (Hosea 4:1) – Page 154
Chapter 46. The Word “Justice” in Amos (Amos 5:24) – Page 157
Chapter 47. “What the Lord Requires” (Micah 6:8) – Page 160
Bibliography – Page 165
Index of Subjects – Page 169
Index of Authors – Page 171
Index of Scriptures and Other Ancient Documents – Page 173
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>Oh! And all this time, I thought that Dan was a person. ;-)Just kidding. Nice post, Claude.
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>Hello!Reading Wegners book about “textual criticism of the bible” I got to that passage Gen.14:14. In my opinion it is important to accept what the bible says about itself. Jesus himself called the pentateuch for the book of Moses Mk.11:26In Exodus 17:14 and 34:27 and Deut.31:19 Moses is instructured to write down the words in a book. I suppose he did!I think scholars too often neglect what the Scritures say themselves!Of course didnot Moses write about his own death. Conform Jewish tradition it was Joshua that completed the pentateuch … but so much speaks for Moses as the author. Why should we neglect this? It might be okay for non-believers, but there i no reason to do so for us that love God and his word!Bless!Dutch fellow, living in Sweden
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…45Do not think that I will accuse you before the FATHER. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. 46If you had believed Moses, you would believe ME, because he wrote about ME. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”…
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Dear Pastor Baker,
When I come before the Father, I will come with a clear conscience. How could Moses have said that Abraham pursued his enemies “as far as Dan” when Dan was not born yet. Dan was a son of Jacob and by the time Abraham fought against his enemies, Jacob was not born yet (and neither was Isaac, Jacob’s father).
If you have a better interpretation, let me know. Explain to me how Abraham could speak of Dan since Dan was born more than 400 years after Abraham.
Claude Mariottini
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The bible says in 2 Peter 1:21: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST”. Moses was the instrument, the Holy Ghost the author and He makes no mistakes. Better fr men to admit that they simply do not understand, and humbly come before the Lord in prayer, asking for His wisdom and understanding.. There is a natural meaning and a spiritual meaning and that which is natural came first.
I never cease to be amazed at the scholarly to question or disbelieve the Word of God, or to have the audacity to call themselves Christians while they engage themselves in “textual criticism”, particularly in cases where their logic fails them, as it should. The bible is a spiritual book THAT INTERPRETS ITSELF.. Your degree will avail you nothing; the anointing everything. That is where you must begin.
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Dear Friend,
I understand your feeling, but humbly, you are wrong. First, you say that as a scholar I do not believe the Word of God. How can you say that, you don’t know me. I believe that Word of God, but I am also honest in dealing with problems such as Genesis 14. Second, ask yourself, “how could Abraham go as far as Dan if Dan would not be born until hundreds of years after Abraham?” If you can give an honest answer to this question then you would have the right to criticize me for what I wrote.
Claude Mariottini
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Very honest and excellent work researching it. Thank you.
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Mr. Bookman,
Thank you for your nice words and thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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However I just researched this and found that the ktav vehakabala explain this, that it is a different Dan. Also radak at the end and shadal reason that this must be a different city. If you read Hebrew you can see these on sefaria. That’s where I found them. Shadal makes a very interesting point that we don’t ever find an erased and replaced word in the old testament so he reasons it must be a different Dan. We will find for example they went to x which is y. I am not the expert he is but I take his word.
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Mr Bookman,
Many ancient and contemporary scholars have proposed that the Dan of Genesis 14:14 is a different city. They have proposed that this Dan was Dan-jaan, a city mentioned in 2 Samuel 24:6. As I mentioned in my post, this view should be rejected. Josephus in his Antiquities 1:10 mentioned that this Dan was located near one of the sources of the Jordan. In addition, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint, and the Targum Onkelos follow the Masoretic Text. The reason scholars have proposed Dan to be a different city is to avoid the problem of the anachronism that exists in this passage, since there was no city of Dan at the time of Abraham.
Claude Mariottini
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I read your post. It’s not dan yaan that they are proposing, but another one.
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Mr. Bookman,
The problem I see with this proposal is that there is no other city named Dan at the time of Abraham. It is an argument from silence.
Claude Mariottini
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