1016. Beth-dagon

Lexical Summary

Beth-dagon: House of Dagon

Original Word: בֵּית־דָּגוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Beyth-Dagown
Pronunciation: bayth-daw-gohn'
Phonetic Spelling: (bayth-daw-gohn')
KJV: Beth-dagon
NASB: Beth-dagon
Word Origin: [from H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and H1712 (דָּגוֹן - Dagon)]

1. house of Dagon
2. Beth-Dagon, the name of two places in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Beth-dagon

From bayith and Dagown; house of Dagon; Beth-Dagon, the name of two places in Palestine -- Beth-dagon.

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW Dagown

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from bayith and Dagon
Definition
"house of Dagon," two places in Pal.
NASB Translation
Beth-dagon (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בֵּיתדָּֿגוֺן Joshua 15:41, בֵּית דָּגֹן Joshua 19:27 proper name, of a location 1. in Judah (house, i.e. temple of Dagon; Assyrian Bit-Daganna COT^{Joshua 15:41, & i. p. 281}) Joshua 15:41 (ᵐ5 Βαγαδιηλ, but ᵐ5^L Βηθδαγων) — name appears in modern Beit Dejân, southeast of Jaffa, but location unsuitable, compare Rob^{BR ii. 232.}

2 in Asher Joshua 19:27 (ᵐ5 Βαιθεγενεθ, but ᵐ5^L Βηθδαγων) perhaps = Beit Dejen, near Akko, compare Di. **Jerome^{opp. (ed. Vallarsl). iii. 38} defines as domus tritici, and says Id.^{ib. 174}): 'sed et usque hodie grandis vicus Capherdago inter Diospolim et Jamnian demonstratur.' [Elsewhere he defines דגון (Id.^{ib. 48}) as 'piscis tristitiae'] (HPS, privately).

Topical Lexicon

Location and Meaning

Beth-dagon, “house of Dagon,” designates two settlements in ancient Israel—one in the Shephelah of Judah (Joshua 15:41) and one in the northern tribal allotment of Asher, near Zebulun and Issachar (Joshua 19:27). Both sites lay on the margins of strong Canaanite–Philistine influence, suggesting shrines dedicated to the deity Dagon once stood there.

Biblical Occurrences

1. Joshua 15:41 lists Beth-dagon among fourteen towns assigned to Judah’s lowland district.
2. Joshua 19:27 locates another Beth-dagon on Asher’s eastern border, “reaching to Beth-dagon, touching Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah-el”.

Historical Setting

The name links each town to Dagon, a major god in coastal Philistia and inland Canaan. Israel inherited these places after the conquest, placing worshipers of Yahweh beside lingering centers of idolatry. Archaeological surveys of the Shephelah and Lower Galilee reveal Philistine pottery layers and Canaanite cultic debris that corroborate the Bible’s picture of mixed populations during the Judges period.

Spiritual Significance

1. Covenant Purity: Beth-dagon reminds readers that the land grant to Israel included territory still marked by foreign worship. The towns illustrate Israel’s calling to uproot idolatry and consecrate every region to the LORD (Exodus 23:24; Deuteronomy 12:2–3).
2. Superiority of Yahweh: Later narratives, such as the defeat of Dagon’s statue before the Ark in 1 Samuel 5:2–4, retrospectively underscore that idols tied to places like Beth-dagon cannot stand before the living God.
3. Missional Perspective: By the time of Christ, the Galilean region once bounded by Asher and Zebulun became the cradle of Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matthew 4:13–16; Isaiah 9:1–2). Former strongholds of Dagon turned into corridors of gospel light, demonstrating God’s redemptive reversal of pagan space.

Theological Themes for Ministry

• Conquest Continues in the Heart: Just as Israel was to dispossess Dagon’s enclaves, believers are called to cast down every idol raised against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).
• Holiness in Borderlands: Beth-dagon lay on tribal borders; ministry today often occurs in “border” contexts where cultures converge. Faithfulness demands discernment, courage, and unwavering allegiance to Scripture.
• Hope for Transformation: Places once devoted to false gods can become testimonies of grace. The history of Beth-dagon anticipates the complete subjection of all nations to Christ (Philippians 2:10–11).

Geographical and Archaeological Notes

• Judah’s Beth-dagon is commonly identified with modern Beit Dajan, southeast of Ashdod, strategically placed on the route linking the coastal plain to the Judean hills.
• Asher’s Beth-dagon is tentatively located at Khirbet Dajun or Tell Beit Dajan in Lower Galilee, near the Jokneam Pass—an area controlling trade between the Jezreel Valley and the coast.
• Surface finds of grain presses and fish motifs align with Dagon’s association with agriculture and, in some traditions, fish. These remnants amplify Scripture’s portrayal of a fertility cult eclipsed by Yahweh’s superior provision.

Applications for Today

Beth-dagon calls the Church to vigilant holiness amid pluralism, confidence in the triumph of God over idols, and expectancy that territories once hostile to truth can become hubs of gospel witness.

Forms and Transliterations

דָּג֥וֹן דָּגֹן֒ דגון דגן dā·ḡō·wn dā·ḡōn daGon dāḡōn dāḡōwn

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 15:41
HEB: וּגְדֵר֕וֹת בֵּית־ דָּג֥וֹן וְנַעֲמָ֖ה וּמַקֵּדָ֑ה
NAS: and Gederoth, Beth-dagon and Naamah
KJV: And Gederoth, Bethdagon, and Naamah,
INT: and Gederoth Beth-dagon and Naamah and Makkedah

Joshua 19:27
HEB: הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֮ בֵּ֣ית דָּגֹן֒ וּפָגַ֣ע בִּ֠זְבֻלוּן
NAS: toward the east to Beth-dagon and reached
KJV: toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth
INT: east side east side to Beth-dagon and reached to Zebulun

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1016
2 Occurrences

dā·ḡō·wn — 2 Occ.