Hebrew word · H1885

דָּתָן

datan

Dathan

These are two brothers of the tribe of Reuben, grandsons of Pallu son of Reuben (Numbers 26:5–9). In later tradition they are a fixed pair and stand for rebellion.

Appears 10 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the tribe of Reuben living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Num.16.1;

son of: Eliab (H0446H);

brother of: Abiram (H0048) and Nemuel (H5241)

§ Dathan = "belonging to a fountain"

a Reubenite chief, son of Eliab, who, with his brother, Abiram, joined Korah's conspiracy against Moses' authority

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 16:1

Range of meaning

These are two brothers of the tribe of Reuben, grandsons of Pallu son of Reuben (Numbers 26:5–9). In later tradition they are a fixed pair and stand for rebellion.

Against the English

English renderings are uniform. Translations differ only in whether the brothers are fellow subjects with Korah (KJV, WEB, BSB "along with") or his object (YLT "taketh both Dathan and Abiram").

Used elsewhere in the period

Deuteronomy 11:6 and Psalm 106:16–18 mention only Dathan and Abiram being swallowed by the earth, without Korah. Numbers 26:9–11 and Sirach 45:18 name all three. Their complaint in verses 12–14 is political, not priestly: Moses brought them out of "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Egypt!) and now makes himself prince over them.

Where it appears

Numbers · 8

  1. Numbers 16:1 וְדָתָ֨ן and Dathan

    Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted

    Here: The first of the Reubenite leaders. With Abiram he forms a pair that later tradition always names together (Deuteronomy 11:6; Psalm 106:17). The meaning of the name is uncertain.

  2. Numbers 16:12 לְדָתָ֥ן <to> Dathan

    Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come!

  3. Numbers 16:24 דָּתָ֥ן Dathan

    “Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

  4. Numbers 16:25 דָּתָ֣ן Dathan

    So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

  5. Numbers 16:27 דָּתָ֥ן וְדָתָ֨ן Dathan, and Dathan

    So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.

  6. Numbers 26:9 וְדָתָ֣ן דָתָ֨ן and Dathan, [was the] Dathan

    and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron with the followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 11:6 לְדָתָ֣ן to Dathan

    and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 106:17 דָּתָ֑ן Dathan

    The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.