DAGON

(Daʹgon).

Probably a fertility god whose worship is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia but was brought westward at an early date. At Ras Shamra in Syria, a temple for Dagon and one for Baal were found in the same vicinity, and in the Ras Shamra texts Baal is often referred to as the ‘son of Dagon.’ The existence of cities called “Beth-dagon” (likely named after the god Dagon) in the territories of Judah and Asher suggests that the worship of this deity was well established in Canaan at the time of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. (Josh. 15:41; 19:27) It is believed that the Philistines adopted Dagon worship from the Canaanites.

Authorities are not in agreement as to the derivation of the name “Dagon.” Some associate the name “Dagon” with the Hebrew word dagh (fish), while others favor linking the name with the Hebrew word da·ghanʹ (grain). That the idol may have been half man and half fish is suggested by 1 Samuel 5:4, where it is stated concerning the fallen Dagon: “Only the fish part [literally, the Dagon] had been left upon him,” his head and the palms of his hands having been cut off. The implication is that the remaining part of the image was associated with the meaning of “Dagon” and this word has, therefore, been variously rendered “fish portion” (Le), “fish-stump” (Da), “fishy part” (Yg) and “fish part” (NW).

Dagon at times figures in the Biblical narratives. By bracing himself against the two middle supporting pillars, Samson caused the collapse of a house at Gaza used for Dagon worship, killing the Philistines who had assembled there. (Judg. 16:21-30) At the house of Dagon in Ashdod the Philistines deposited the sacred ark of Jehovah as a war trophy. Twice the image of Dagon fell on its face before the Ark. The second time the idol itself was broken. Perhaps in order not to defile the place where the pieces of their god had lain, the priests and others entering the temple of Dagon at Ashdod were careful not to tread upon the threshold. (1 Sam. 5:2-5) By experiencing the painful effects of piles and the ruining of their land by jerboas, the Philistines came to recognize that the hand of the God of Israel had been hard against them and their god Dagon. (1 Sam. 5:6, 7; 6:5) When King Saul was discovered among the slain at Gilboa, the Philistines cut off his head. After informing the houses of their idols as well as the people back home, they fastened Saul’s skull to the house of Dagon.—1 Sam. 31:8-10; 1 Chron. 10:8-10.

It may be that the Philistines carried idols of their god Dagon into battle.—2 Sam. 5:21.