What does Judges 1:34 mean?
The reports on the failure of the tribes of Israel to drive out the Canaanites from their territories continue (Judges 1:27–33). Dan's small territory was situated on the Mediterranean coast, with the larger tribes of Manasseh to the north, Judah to the south, and Ephraim to the east.The fighting men of Dan seem to have at least engaged in battle with the inhabitants of the land. The text here calls the enemy forces "Amorites," rather than Canaanites. Scholars report that, during the period Judges was written, the names Canaanite and Amorite may have been used interchangeably and somewhat generically of the occupants of Palestine (Joshua 24:15).
As was the case with Judah (Judges 1:19), the people of Dan failed to overcome the Amorites on the plain. They were forced to retreat to the hill country and out of reach of the Amorites.