The tribe of Dan is homeless, but it was given an inheritance, as specified in Joshua 19:40–46. Its allotted territory was in the south, north of Judah, west of Benjamin. But it had its troubles in securing its inheritance. The Canaanite population was firmly entrenched there, and this was, according to Judges 1:34, an insurmountable obstacle for the Danites; they failed to conquer the territory, in spite of the Lord’s decree (Deuteronomy 7:1–2, Deuteronomy 7:16–24). So the Canaanites (Amorites) drove them into the hill country, into the mountains. This leads them to want to find land where they can settle in order to plant, grow, and eat crops.1 Just like the wayward and discontent Levite in Judges 17:1–13 sought a place to settle, now also the wayward and discontent Danites are looking for another place to settle, even though they already have an allotted inheritance from the Lord. They just refuse to conquer the enemy there, by relying upon the Lord and his strength.
1 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them.