The Good and Evil Serpent (110 page)

And concerning Dan he [Moses] said:

Dan [is] a lion’s cub;

He shall leap from the dragon-snake [or from Bashan (
].
⁹¹

This passage provides additional evidence that
in biblical Hebrew also meant “a dragon-snake.” In the parallel tradition in Genesis 49:15, Dan is compared to a
and a
; hence, as in Deuteronomy 33:22, Dan is compared to a type of “snake.” The
parallelismus membrorum
, which seems synonymous, indicates that “lion’s cub” is followed in the second line by another powerful creature. Perhaps help comes from iconography, since an abundance of iconographical images shows lions and snakes appearing together. The translator of the Septuagint again chose to transliterate, or perhaps knew the name of the snake (
).
⁹²

As just translated, the Hebrew makes eminent sense; there is every reason to speculate that
denoted “dragon-snake” in biblical Hebrew. Perhaps the author is saying that Dan is like an agile lion’s cub that jumps from a snake. Little sense is provided by the usual rendering that indicates Dan is “a lion’s cub” that shall leap from Bashan (a place).

Albright offered a similar interpretation. He emphasized that
denoted a serpent. He suggested the following translation of Deuteronomy 33:22,

Dan is a young lion

Which attacks
= Akkad.
sanāqu]
a viper [
bāŝān
].
⁹³

No doubt should remain that
denotes a snake in biblical Hebrew. Research published in the late 1940s by Frank Moore Cross, Jr., and David Noel Freedman should eliminate any conceivable hesitation.
⁹⁴
They offered this insightful rendering of Deuteronomy 33:22,

Dan is a lion’s whelp

Who shies away from a viper.
⁹⁵

Their note underscores much of what has just been argued; it deserves quoting in full:

Contrary to the usual view, there is no natural association between Dan and Bashan. Professor Albright has suggested to the writers the rendering
bdsdn
= serpent, viper; cp. Proto-Sinaitic and Ugaritic
btn
, “serpent,” and Arabic
btn
, “viper.” Hebrew
peten
is possibly a very early Aramaic loanword, ultimately derived from the same root. We read
mibbdsdn
for metrical reasons; in any case, the article is not expected in early Hebrew poetry.
bdsdn
may have a similar meaning (“sea-dragon”) in Ps 68 23; cf. also Ugaritic 67:I:1. It is interesting to note that in Gen 49 17 Dan is described as a viper.
⁹⁶

There is now available abundant evidence that
signifies a type of snake in early biblical Hebrew; it denoted a mythical snake-like monster: a “dragon-snake.”

3.	“snakes of the earth” Deut 32:24	P for Israel 97
	“snakes of the dust” Mic 7:17	P for Israel