Dan is the first son of Rachel’s servant Bilhah (30.6).

Dan shall judge his people: according to 30.6 Dan’s name is a play on the Hebrew word meaning to judge. There Rachel said “God has judged me,” in which she meant that God had ruled in her favor and given her justice. In this verse Dan governs or rules his own people.

As one of the tribes of Israel: even though the tribe of Dan is small, it rules its people the same as the other tribes. See Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .