{
  "id": "dict_003179",
  "term": "Laish",
  "slug": "laish",
  "letter": "L",
  "entry_type": "biblical_proper_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Laish is a biblical proper name most notably used for the city captured by the Danites and renamed Dan. It also appears as a personal name in the Old Testament.",
  "simple_one_line": "A biblical place name best known as the pre-Danite name of the city later called Dan, with a few personal-name uses as well.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical proper name: chiefly the city later renamed Dan; also used for some individuals.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Dan",
    "Tribe of Dan",
    "Judges",
    "Joshua",
    "1 Samuel"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Laish (city)",
    "Phalti",
    "Palti",
    "Dan (city)"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Laish is most often the name of a northern city in Israel’s early history, the place seized by the tribe of Dan and renamed Dan. The Old Testament also uses Laish as a personal name in a few passages.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical proper name for a city and, less commonly, for individuals.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Most notable referent: the city captured by the Danites and renamed Dan",
    "also appears as a father’s name in 1 Samuel",
    "better treated as a biblical proper-name entry than as a theological term."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Laish most commonly refers to the northern city that was attacked by the Danites and renamed Dan. The term also appears as a personal name in a small number of Old Testament passages, so the entry should be treated as a biblical proper name rather than a doctrinal concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Laish is a biblical proper name with more than one referent. Its best-known use is the city in northern Israel described in Joshua and Judges as a secure and unsuspecting settlement that was later seized by members of the tribe of Dan and renamed Dan. Scripture also uses Laish as a personal name, notably in connection with Phalti (also spelled Palti), the son of Laish, in the Samuel narratives. Because the term identifies people and places rather than a theological doctrine or concept, it is best handled as a biblical proper-name entry with careful attention to context.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In Joshua and Judges, Laish is portrayed as a vulnerable but peaceful city whose security could not protect it from the Danite raid. The narrative explains the later name Dan and helps locate the tribe’s northern settlement story in Israel’s early conquest period. In Samuel, Laish appears as a father’s name in a domestic and political narrative involving Michal and Phalti.",
  "background_historical_context": "Laish became associated with the northernmost territory later linked to Dan, and the city’s renaming reflects tribal settlement history in Israel. The Samuel references show the name was also used in ordinary family naming, not only for geography.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient readers would have recognized Laish primarily as the earlier name of Dan, a significant northern location in Israel’s tribal history. The name also fits normal Hebrew naming patterns as a personal name or patronymic.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 19:47",
    "Judges 18:7, 14, 27, 29"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Samuel 25:44",
    "2 Samuel 3:15"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew לַיִשׁ (Laish), a proper noun used for a place and also as a personal name.",
  "theological_significance": "Laish itself is not a theological doctrine, but the narrative of its capture in Judges illustrates tribal disobedience, strategic compromise, and the historical development of Israel’s northern settlement. It also underscores how biblical place names preserve memory of events and identity.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a proper name, Laish functions referentially rather than conceptually: its meaning depends on context, not on abstract definition. The same term can identify a city or an individual, so careful reading of the passage is required.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse the city Laish with later references to Dan, since the narrative explicitly notes the renaming. Also distinguish the place-name usage from the personal-name usage in Samuel; context determines the referent.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little interpretive dispute about the basic referent in each passage. The main issue is scope: whether the entry is treated as a single proper-name headword with multiple referents or split into separate place-name and personal-name entries.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Laish should not be turned into a doctrinal symbol beyond what the text supports. The entry should remain descriptive, historical, and context-sensitive.",
  "practical_significance": "Laish reminds readers to read biblical names carefully in context and to note when Scripture explains a renamed location. It also shows how a single Hebrew name can serve more than one historical referent.",
  "meta_description": "Laish is the biblical name of the city later renamed Dan, and also the name of a few Old Testament individuals.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/laish/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/laish.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}