Deuteronomy 33:22

דן גור אריה DAN IS A LION’S CUB — He, too, lived close to the border, and therefore it compares him to a lion (Sifrei Devarim 355:12). יזנק מן הבשן HE SHALL LEAP FROM BASHAN — Understand this as the Targum has it: (“His land drinks of the rivers that flow from Bashan”) — for the Jordan issued from his territory (ירדן = ‎ירד דן, “It comes down from Dan”) — from the cave of Pameas that is identical with Leshem which is in the territory of Dan (cf. Bekhorot 55a), as it is said, (Joshua 19:47) “And they called Leshem, Dan”, but its spurting (זנוק) and gushing forth (the source of the river) was from Bashan. — Another explanation is: Just as a gush of water issues from one place and divides itself afterwards into two directions, similarly the tribe of Dan took a portion in two places: first they took in the northwest, Ekron and its adjoining parts, and this did not suffice them, so they came and fought against Leshem, which is Pameas. and is in the north-east, — because the Jordan issued from the cave of Pameas which is in the east of the land of Israel and goes from north to south and ends at the extremity of the Salt Sea which is in the east of Judah who took his territory in the southern part of the Land of Israel, as is set forth in the Book of Joshua, and that is the meaning of what is said, (Joshua 19:47) “And the border of the children of Dan went forth from them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem … [and possessed it and dwelt therein]”, i.e., their border went forth from all that direction in which they first took their inheritance (Sifrei Devarim 355:13).

וּלְדָ֣ן אָמַ֔ר דָּ֖ן גּ֣וּר אַרְיֵ֑ה יְזַנֵּ֖ק מִן־הַבָּשָֽׁן׃

And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp, that leaps from Bashan.