{
  "id": "dict_003283",
  "term": "Leshem",
  "slug": "leshem",
  "letter": "L",
  "entry_type": "place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Leshem is a biblical place name associated with territory later linked to Dan; it is not a theological concept.",
  "simple_one_line": "A place name in the tribe of Dan’s northern inheritance, associated with the city later called Dan.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical place name associated with the Danite territory in northern Israel.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Dan",
    "Laish",
    "Tribe of Dan",
    "Joshua",
    "Judges"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Laish",
    "Dan (city)",
    "Tribe of Dan"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Leshem is a biblical place name mentioned in connection with the inheritance of the tribe of Dan. It is commonly associated with the northern city later called Dan.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A town or site in northern Israel tied to the Danite inheritance and often identified with the city known as Laish, later Dan.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "A geographical name, not a doctrine or theological term.",
    "Appears in Joshua 19:47.",
    "Commonly associated with Laish / Dan in northern Israel.",
    "Best treated as a biblical place-name entry."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Leshem is a biblical place name mentioned in Joshua 19:47 in connection with the tribal allotment of Dan. It is commonly associated with the northern city later known as Dan, and functions as a geographical designation rather than a theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Leshem is a place name in the Old Testament, appearing in Joshua 19:47 in the context of the inheritance of the tribe of Dan. Many interpreters and Bible translations connect Leshem with the northern city otherwise known as Laish, which was later renamed Dan after its capture by the Danites (compare Judges 18). Because the term identifies a location rather than a doctrinal idea, it should be classified as a biblical place-name entry rather than a theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Joshua 19:47 places Leshem within the Danite allotment. Judges 18 recounts the Danites’ conquest of Laish and the city’s later renaming as Dan, which is why Leshem is often discussed alongside that northern settlement.",
  "background_historical_context": "The name reflects an early geographic designation in northern Israel. Later biblical tradition and translation history associate the site with Laish/Dan, indicating a place that became significant in the settlement history of the tribes.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Jewish and textual traditions often read Leshem in connection with the Danite migration and the city later called Dan. The name is treated as a real location within Israel’s tribal history, not as a symbolic doctrinal term.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 19:47"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Judges 18:27–29"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew form לֶשֶׁם (Leshem) is a proper place name. In some contexts it is associated with the site called Laish and later Dan.",
  "theological_significance": "Leshem has little direct doctrinal significance, but it contributes to the biblical record of Israel’s territorial inheritance and the settlement history of the tribes.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a place name, Leshem reminds readers that Scripture anchors redemptive history in real geography and concrete historical events.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "The exact relationship between Leshem, Laish, and Dan should be stated carefully. The biblical text clearly presents Leshem as a location, but later identification traditions should not be pressed beyond what Scripture supports.",
  "major_views_note": "Most readers and many translations treat Leshem as the same or closely related site as Laish, later Dan. A minority of treatments may distinguish the terms more cautiously, but the entry remains geographical either way.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Leshem should not be turned into a symbol or doctrine. It is a place-name tied to tribal inheritance and northern settlement history.",
  "practical_significance": "Leshem helps Bible readers follow the geography of Joshua and Judges and see how land inheritance, conquest, and settlement fit into Israel’s history.",
  "meta_description": "Leshem is a biblical place name associated with the tribe of Dan and the city later called Dan.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/leshem/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/leshem.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}