דָּתָן
da.tan
Dathan
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Dathan: A Biblical Proper Name Based on the lexical data provided, Dathan (H1885) is a Hebrew proper noun that appears ten times in the biblical text. As a name rather than a common word with semantic range, it functions as a personal identifier without the kind of meaning variations typical of regular vocabulary. The name refers to a specific historical or traditional figure in Israelite tradition. The ten occurrences suggest that Dathan held enough significance in biblical narrative to warrant repeated mention, though the limited frequency indicates he was not a central figure like patriarchs or major prophets. Without access to the specific contexts of these occurrences through the provided data, we can note only that the name's preservation across multiple biblical passages indicates its importance to the textual tradition's authors and audience. The lexical entry itself—providing only the transliteration, definition as a personal name, and occurrence count—reflects how biblical lexicons treat proper nouns: as identifiers whose significance lies in their narrative contexts rather than in word meaning or etymological content. Understanding Dathan's actual role and importance would require examination of the specific biblical passages in which he appears.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences across the text
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.
Numbers 16:1Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men.
Numbers 16:12Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t come up!
Numbers 16:24“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram!’ ”
Numbers 16:25Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
Numbers 16:27So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
Numbers 16:27So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
Numbers 26:9The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah when they rebelled against Yahweh;
Numbers 26:9The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are that Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah when they rebelled against Yahweh;
Deuteronomy 11:6and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben—how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, their tents, and every living thing that followed them, in the middle of all Israel;