Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, And say, 'As your god, Dan, lives;' And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives;' They will fall, and never rise up again."
"As the way of Beersheba liveth ..." This is another instance of swearing by, or worshipping a false god, a fact deduced from the terminology employed here.  Smith observed that, "The word he (lives) is used in both lines, always used in Hebrew to swear by false gods and nonsacral objects, Ha was used when oaths were taken in the name of the true God."[45]  In this light, it must be true that both the god of Dan, and the way of Beersheba are references to false deities.