שופטים, פרק י״ח, פסוק כ״ט

After a successful conquest, securing a new territory often involves more than just physical rebuilding; it requires establishing a deep, historical identity. Upon capturing their new area, the members of the tribe of Dan solidified their control by rebuilding the city and changing its name to Dan [רלב״ג]. They did this to tie their new home directly to their ancient roots. Although the city was originally known as Laish [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד], the new name given by the tribe took hold and remained permanently for generations to come [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

To ensure the city's legacy was properly understood, it is carefully noted that the city was named specifically after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel, meaning Jacob [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that this detail was included to prevent a historical misunderstanding. Without this clarification, future generations might mistakenly assume that the specific leader of the family who led the conquest just happened to be named Dan, and the city was simply named in his personal honor. Instead, it is made perfectly clear that the city honors the original patriarch of the entire tribe, the son of Jacob [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].