A beloved sister sent me this word to contemplate and I asked my friend Alan to provide the Hebrew understanding:
This word ‘dathan’ is scantily used in scripture, and is most likely an abbreviated form of the verb ‘yah-dah’ (Strong’s # 3034), and in a plural manifestation. The ‘noon’ suffix indicates, “…repetitive manifestation”; hence, plurality. There are several Hebrew forms of this word ‘yah-dah’ and translated as ‘give thanks’ that could easily be associated with the idea of ‘dathan’, though the spelling of these makes the etymology of them difficult, and sometimes a guessing game. The idea of ‘giving thanks’ is easily recognized as the ‘sending forth of gratitude’, and in that context, becomes the foundation of a ‘law’, or ‘statute’. These are all ideas that have been associated with the word ‘dath’, and ‘dathan’. And this is where the Spirit is needed to provide direction and understanding. The general idea of the word ‘dathan’ is without question founded on the letter ‘daleth’, the fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet and where we get the letter ‘d’ in English. The ‘daleth’ is generally recognized as a ‘door’, or doorway, allowing access or denying access to another room or arena or dimension. I have accepted the roll of the ‘daleth’ as that of a portal; an invitation into another dimension, or experience, or level of understanding. When considered in this venue, words that are built around the ‘daleth’ tend to take on a different perspective than what most traditional translating has allowed. I consider a portal to be an invitation into a ‘higher level of understanding’. The ‘daleth’ then becomes an invitation to enter into another realm of thought. Consider the change that takes place in the heart/mind of man when rather than succumbing to fear or dread in the face of God, he instead ‘gives thanks’ (yah-dah; ho-dah; dah-than; etc.) To ‘give thanks unto God’ allows the individual to leave the realm of an inferior influence, and instead enter into the presence of God. That is what I see in the potential of the ‘daleth’; or ‘d’. In this context, I see Dathan fulfilling a role that fits very well into my own understanding of what the Old Testament is all about. Dathan bucked the tide of the religious tradition and regimen as dictated by Moses. As I investigate the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, I find ‘symptoms’ of where the translators followed a particular outline of thought within which to translate. Many of the Hebrew words of the O.T. can credibly be translated into different meanings than what has been prescribed by our English translations, and many of those meanings give great credibility for the words and actions of Yashua as Messiah. Judaism ascribed one level of meanings to the words of the O.T. verses, while Yashua came to considerably different conclusions than did the scribes and lawyers of Judaism. Dathan and Korahk and Abiram, in ‘challenging’ the dictatorial authority of Moses, are critical characters in illustrating this hypothesis. As defense to the actions and words of Dathan and Korahk, consider the words of Moses in another setting. Num. 11:26-29 Numbers 11 is a distressful time for Moses, and for the wanderers, and Moses is learning ‘on the job training’, by trial and error. When the people complain of having nothing to eat but manna, YHVH retaliates in anger and tells them he is going to ram ‘flesh’ down their throats until it “…come out at your nostrils,” Are these responses from YHVH the responses of a patient and loving teacher and leader; a benevolent god? Moses is struggling to manifest a Christ-like authority role in the midst of this stress and strife, and even Moses gets a smart-mouthed and sarcastic attitude towards YHVH. The setting is quite interesting, and Moses is obviously learning what it means to be YHVH. At this point, the thoughts unveiled in Numbers 11:26-29 take on a higher level of understanding; for Moses, and for us all. “And then the quails came.” And according to the words of the next few verses, the wrath of YHVH strikes the people with “…a very great plague.” To which Yashua (Jesus) responded, “To whom of you, when your son asks you for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” [Luke 11:12] My paraphrase, of course. Numbers 12 follows this up with the ‘rebellion’ of Aaron and Miriam. YHVH retaliates by striking Miriam with leprosy. And when Moses sees what this leads to, he also pleads for YHVH to relent. Chapter 13 follows this up with the spying out of the land of Canaan by the twelve. And the following chapters are a recording of similar ‘failures’ of the people to ‘please the demands of YHVH. In chapter 14, YHVH wants to strike the complainers with retributions, all the while Moses is pleading with YHVH to spare the rebellious violators. What is going on here? It seems to me that Moses is learning that YHVH is a very demanding taskmaster, and intolerant of those that don’t comply. Then in chapter 15 we find Moses hearing from YHVH a further set of instructions that seem to be a little more lenient and compromising where the non-compliant people are concerned. Are we seeing in this pageant a tenderizing of the demands of YHVH, or are we seeing a softening of the rigidity of Moses as Commander in Chief? Maybe Moses is beginning to ‘hear’ things in a different understanding than his previous ‘war general’ mind was accustomed to considering? Even their clothing is now being altered to be a reminder to them of who they are, and what their purpose is to be. [Num. 15: 38-40] I realize this is not a very definitive discussion of Dathan. However, most of these scenarios and events strike me as being more metaphorical in nature rather than in literal actions and events. The language of these scenarios very much fits the role of being metaphors. And for those that insist that these are literal actions and events, how could they ever find the courage to leave the realm of Old Testament literal servitude to enter into the Grace relationship that we have embraced in Christ? When did YHVH cease being a vindictive and retaliatory ‘god’ as described by the Jew translators of the Old Testament verses, and become more lenient and dismissive of disobedience and rebellion? At some point I have to follow the leading of the Spirit, and cease being manipulated by the fear of a retaliatory ‘god’. At some point I have to accept Christ, and following the unctions of His Spirit. And that very much requires entering in through a higher portal; the portal of The Cross.