Dagon

corn; a fish

Dagon

(a fish), apparently the masculine, (1 Samuel 5:3,4) correlative of Atargatis, was the national god of the Philistines. The most famous temples of Dagon were at Gaza, (Judges 16:21-30) and Ashdod. (1 Samuel 5:5,6; 1 Chronicles 10:10) The latter temple was destroyed by Jonathan in the Maccabaean wars. Traces of the worship of Dagon likewise appear in the names Caphar-dagon (near Jamnia) and Beth-dagon in Judah, (Joshua 15:41) and Asher. (Joshua 19:27) Dagon was represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish. (1 Samuel 5:5) The fish-like form was a natural emblem of fruitfulness, and as such was likely to be adopted by seafaring tribes in the representation of their gods.

Dagon

Fish-god, a national idol of the Philistines, with temples at Gaza, Ashdid, etc., 1 Chronicles 10:10. The temple at Gaza was destroyed by Samson, Jud 16:21-30. In that at Ashdod, Dagon twice miraculously fell down before the ark of God; and in the second fall his head and hands were broken off, leaving only the body, which was in the form of a large fish, 1 Samuel 5:1-9. See Joshua 15:41; 19:27. There were other idols of like form among the ancients, particularly the goddess Derceto of Atergatis; and a similar form or "incarnation" of Vishnu is at this day much worshipped in India, and like Dagon is destined to be prostrated in the dust before the true God.

Little fish; diminutive from dag = a fish, the fish-god; the national god of the Philistines (Judges 16:23). This idol had the body of a fish with the head and hands of a man. It was an Assyrio-Babylonian deity, the worship of which was introduced among the Philistines through Chaldea. The most famous of the temples of Dagon were at Gaza (Judges 16:23-30) and Ashdod (1 Samuel 5:1-7). (see FISH.) 1. (n.) The national god of the Philistines, represented with the face and hands and upper part of a man, and the tail of a fish.

2. (n.) A slip or piece.

DAGON

da'-gon (daghon; apparently derived from dagh, "fish"): Name of the god of the Philistines (according to Jerome on Isaiah 46:1 of the Philistines generally); in the Bible, Dagon is associated with Gaza (Judges 16) but elsewhere with Ashdod (compare 1 Samuel 5 and 1 Maccabees 10:83; 11:4); in 1 Chronicles 10:10 there is probably an error (compare the passage 1 Samuel 31:10). The god had his temple ("the house of Dagon") and his priests. When the ark was captured by the Philistines, it was conducted to Ashdod where it was placed in the house of Dagon by the side of the idol. But on the morrow it was found that the idol lay prostrate before the ark of the Lord. It was restored to its place; but on the following day Dagon again lay on the ground before the ark, this time with the head and both hands severed from the body and lying upon the miphtan (the word is commonly interpreted to mean "threshold"; according to Winckler, it means "pedestal"); the body alone remained intact. The Hebrew says: "Dagon alone remained." Whether we resort to an emendation (dagho, "his fish-part") or not, commentators appear to be right in inferring that the idol was half-man, half-fish. Classic authors give this form to Derceto. The sacred writer adds that from that time on the priests of Dagon and all those that entered the house of Dagon refrained from stepping upon the miphtan of Dagon. See 1 Samuel 5:1-5. The prophet Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:9) speaks of an idolatrous practice which consisted in leaping over the miphtan. The Septuagint in 1 Samuel indeed adds the clause: "but they were accustomed to leap." Leaping over the threshold was probably a feature of the Philistine ritual which the Hebrews explained in their way. A god Dagon seems to have been worshipped by the Canaanites; see BETH-DAGON.

LITERATURE

Commentaries on Judges and 1 Samuel; Winckler, Altoriental. Forschungen, III, 383.

Max L. Margolis

1016. Beth-dagon -- "house of Dagon," two places in Palestine
Beth-dagon. 1015, 1016. Beth-dagon. 1017 . "house of Dagon," two places
in Palestine. Transliteration: Beth-dagon Phonetic Spelling ...
/hebrew/1016.htm - 6k

1712. Dagon -- a god and an idol of the Philistines
... 1711, 1712. Dagon. 1713 . a god and an idol of the Philistines. Transliteration:
Dagon Phonetic Spelling: (daw-gohn') Short Definition: Dagon. ...
/hebrew/1712.htm - 6k

Dagon Before the Ark. Judg 5:4,5
... I SAMUEL Hymn 26 DAGON before the ark. Judg 5:4,5. John Newton 8,8,8,8. DAGON before
the ark. Judg 5:4,5. When first to make my heart his own,. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 26 dagon before the.htm

The Ark among the Philistines
... The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the temple of Dagon
in Ashdod and set it up by the side of Dagon. When the ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/the ark among the philistines.htm

The History of Saul
... Then the Philistines took the ark of God and set it in their temple of Dagon,
by their god Dagon, in Ashdod. On the morn, the next ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the history of saul.htm

Strength Profaned and Lost
... Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice
unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/strength profaned and lost.htm

The Ark of the House of Obed-Edom
... They had carried it and set it in insolent triumph in the Temple of Dagon, as if
to proclaim that the Jehovah of Israel was the conquered prisoner of the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the ark of the house.htm

How Alexander Honored Jonathan after an Extraordinary Manner; and ...
... Jonathan pursued them as far as Ashdod, and slew a great many of them, and compelled
the rest, in despair of escaping, to fly to the temple of Dagon, which was ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how alexander honored.htm

Blessed be that First Day of Thine, Lord, Wherewith this Day of ...
... There rose from the Rib [430] a hidden power, which cut off Satan as Dagon: for
in that Ark a book was hidden that cried and proclaimed concerning the Conqueror ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn iii blessed be that.htm

Three Decisive Steps
... The crowning disaster of the day was "the ark of God was taken." The Philistines
carried it away to Ashdod, and set it in the house of Dagon, their idol. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/three decisive steps.htm

The Destruction that came Upon the Philistines, and Upon
... the ark of the Hebrews captive, as I said a little before, they carried it to the
city of Ashdod, and put it by their own god, who was called Dagon, [1] as one ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 the destruction that.htm

A Jealous God
... Dagon can stand with Bel, and Bel with Ashtaroth; how should stone, and wood, and
silver, be moved to indignation; but because God is the only living and true ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 9 1863/a jealous god.htm

Dagon (9 Occurrences)
... The most famous of the temples of Dagon were at Gaza (Judges 16:23-30) and Ashdod
(1 Samuel 5:1-7). (see FISH.). Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...DAGON. ...
/d/dagon.htm - 12k

Dagon's (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Dagon's house. (1 Samuel 5:2), or Beth-dagon, as elsewhere
rendered (Joshua 15:41; 19:27), was the sanctuary or temple of Dagon. ...
/d/dagon's.htm - 7k

Beth-dagon (2 Occurrences)
Beth-dagon. Bethdagon, Beth-dagon. Beth-da'gon . Easton's Bible
Dictionary House of Dagon. (1.) A city in the low country ...
/b/beth-dagon.htm - 8k

Ashdod (21 Occurrences)
... It was one of the chief seats of the worship of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:5). It belonged
to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:47), but it never came into their actual ...
/a/ashdod.htm - 17k

Threshold (28 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 5:4 When they arose early on the next day morning, behold, Dagon was fallen
on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh; and the head of Dagon...
/t/threshold.htm - 18k

Threshhold (12 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon had
fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD: and the head of ...
/t/threshhold.htm - 10k

Bethdagon (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary House of Dagon. ... It is identical with the modern ruined
village of Tell D'auk. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BETH-DAGON. ...
/b/bethdagon.htm - 8k

Downward (10 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). 1 Samuel 5:3 When they of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold,
Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh. ...
/d/downward.htm - 10k

Doorstep (11 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 5:4 And when they got up early on the morning after, Dagon had come down
to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord; and his head and his ...
/d/doorstep.htm - 10k

Trunk (3 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 5:4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was
fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Jehovah; and the head of ...
/t/trunk.htm - 9k

Who was Dagon in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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What were the emerods God afflicted the Philistines with in 1 Samuel 5? | GotQuestions.org

Dagon: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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