1712. Dagon

Lexicon

Dagon: Dagon

Original Word: דָּגוֹן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Dagown
Pronunciation: dah-GOHN
Phonetic Spelling: (daw-gohn')
Definition: Dagon
Meaning: Dagon

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Dagon

From dag; the fish-god; Dagon, a Philistine deity -- Dagon.

see HEBREW dag

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from dag
Definition
a god and an idol of the Philistines
NASB Translation
Dagon (12), Dagon's (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

דָּגוֺן proper name, masculine: 1 Samuel 5:4 god & idol of Philistines (compare Assyrian Dagan, Dakan(nu), name perhaps non-Shemitic COT Judges 16:23 Dl^{Pa 139} Sayce^Rel. Babylonian 188 f. but see Jen below) **oldest tradition (Jerome) seems to waver between דָּג fish and דָּגָן grain, as explanation of דָּגוֺן, see בית. — god of Ashdod, except Judges 16:23 (Gaza) & 1 Chronicles 10:10 (but compare below); — דגון אֱלֹהֵיהֶם Judges 16:23 compare דגון אֱלֹהֵינוּ 1 Samuel 5:7, ׳בֵּית ד1Samuel 5:2,5; 1 Chronicles 10:10 (here hardly original compare "" 1 Samuel 31:10 & We Dr); ׳כֹּהֲנֵי ד 1 Samuel 5:5, ׳מִפְתַּן ד 1 Samuel 5:5; as name of image ׳(אֵצֶל) ד 1 Samuel 5:2; 1 Samuel 5:3; 1 Samuel 5:4, דגון נֹפֵל 1 Samuel 5:3; 1 Samuel 5:4, נִשְׁאַר עָלָיו ׳רַק ד 1 Samuel 5:4 (but sense difficult; We proposes דָּגוֺ only his fish, i.e. fishy part, was left upon him, see also Dr; — but was Dagon a fish-god ? compare works cited above & Scholz^{G-tzendienst 238 ff.}, Baud in PRE^{2iii. 460 ff.} especially Jen^{Kosmol. 449 ff.}) see בֵּית דָּגוֺן p. III.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from דָּג (dag), meaning "fish."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There are no direct corresponding Strong's Greek entries for Dagon, as it is a specific proper noun related to a Philistine deity and does not have a direct Greek equivalent in the New Testament.

Usage: Dagon is mentioned in the context of Philistine worship and is notably referenced in the narratives involving the Ark of the Covenant and Samson.

Context: Dagon was a major deity of the Philistines, a people who were frequent adversaries of Israel in the Old Testament. The name Dagon is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word for "fish," suggesting that the deity may have been represented with fish-like features, possibly as a merman. This association with fish could symbolize fertility and abundance, aligning with Dagon's role as a god of grain and agriculture.

Dagon is prominently featured in the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel 5, where the Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines and placed in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. The following morning, the statue of Dagon is found fallen on its face before the Ark, and on the subsequent day, it is discovered with its head and hands severed, lying on the threshold (1 Samuel 5:2-4, BSB). This event underscores the supremacy of the God of Israel over the Philistine deity.

Another significant mention of Dagon occurs in the story of Samson. After Samson is captured by the Philistines, he is brought to the temple of Dagon in Gaza, where the Philistines gather to celebrate their victory. In a final act of strength, Samson pulls down the pillars of the temple, killing himself and many Philistines, thus demonstrating the power of the God of Israel over Dagon (Judges 16:23-30, BSB).

The worship of Dagon highlights the religious practices of the Philistines and their reliance on deities associated with natural elements and fertility. The biblical accounts serve to contrast the power of the God of Israel with that of the pagan gods, emphasizing the futility of idol worship.

Forms and Transliterations

דָּג֑וֹן דָּג֔וֹן דָּג֖וֹן דָּג֛וֹן דָּג֜וֹן דָּג֥וֹן דָּגֽוֹן׃ דָג֗וֹן דָג֜וֹן דגון דגון׃ לְדָג֥וֹן לדגון dā·ḡō·wn ḏā·ḡō·wn daGon dāḡōwn ḏāḡōwn lə·ḏā·ḡō·wn ledaGon ləḏāḡōwn

Englishman's Concordance

Judges 16:23
HEB: זֶֽבַח־ גָּד֛וֹל לְדָג֥וֹן אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם וּלְשִׂמְחָ֑ה
NAS: sacrifice to Dagon their god,
KJV: sacrifice unto Dagon their god,
INT: sacrifice A great to Dagon their god rejoice

1 Samuel 5:2
HEB: אֹת֖וֹ בֵּ֣ית דָּג֑וֹן וַיַּצִּ֥יגוּ אֹת֖וֹ
NAS: it to the house of Dagon and set
KJV: it into the house of Dagon, and set
INT: and brought to the house of Dagon and set by

1 Samuel 5:2
HEB: אֹת֖וֹ אֵ֥צֶל דָּגֽוֹן׃
NAS: of Dagon and set it by Dagon.
KJV: and set it by Dagon.
INT: and set by Dagon

1 Samuel 5:3
HEB: מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וְהִנֵּ֣ה דָג֗וֹן נֹפֵ֤ל לְפָנָיו֙
NAS: behold, Dagon had fallen
KJV: on the morrow, behold, Dagon [was] fallen
INT: the next behold Dagon had fallen his face

1 Samuel 5:3
HEB: וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־ דָּג֔וֹן וַיָּשִׁ֥בוּ אֹת֖וֹ
NAS: So they took Dagon and set
KJV: And they took Dagon, and set
INT: of the LORD took Dagon and set his place

1 Samuel 5:4
HEB: מִֽמָּחֳרָת֒ וְהִנֵּ֣ה דָג֗וֹן נֹפֵ֤ל לְפָנָיו֙
NAS: behold, Dagon had fallen
KJV: morning, behold, Dagon [was] fallen
INT: the next behold Dagon had fallen his face

1 Samuel 5:4
HEB: יְהוָ֑ה וְרֹ֨אשׁ דָּג֜וֹן וּשְׁתֵּ֣י ׀ כַּפּ֣וֹת
NAS: And the head of Dagon and both
KJV: and the head of Dagon and both
INT: of the LORD and the head of Dagon and both the palms

1 Samuel 5:4
HEB: הַמִּפְתָּ֔ן רַ֥ק דָּג֖וֹן נִשְׁאַ֥ר עָלָֽיו׃
NAS: only the trunk of Dagon was left
KJV: upon the threshold; only [the stump of] Dagon was left
INT: the threshold but of Dagon was left and

1 Samuel 5:5
HEB: יִדְרְכוּ֩ כֹהֲנֵ֨י דָג֜וֹן וְכָֽל־ הַבָּאִ֧ים
NAS: neither the priests of Dagon nor all
KJV: Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come
INT: tread the priests of Dagon all enter

1 Samuel 5:5
HEB: הַבָּאִ֧ים בֵּית־ דָּג֛וֹן עַל־ מִפְתַּ֥ן
NAS: all who enter Dagon's house tread
KJV: nor any that come into Dagon's house,
INT: enter house Dagon's on the threshold

1 Samuel 5:5
HEB: עַל־ מִפְתַּ֥ן דָּג֖וֹן בְּאַשְׁדּ֑וֹד עַ֖ד
NAS: on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod
KJV: on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod
INT: on the threshold of Dagon Ashdod against

1 Samuel 5:7
HEB: עָלֵ֔ינוּ וְעַ֖ל דָּג֥וֹן אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃
NAS: is severe on us and on Dagon our god.
KJV: is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
INT: and on and Dagon our god

1 Chronicles 10:10
HEB: תָקְע֖וּ בֵּ֥ית דָּגֽוֹן׃ ס
NAS: his head in the house of Dagon.
KJV: his head in the temple of Dagon.
INT: and fastened the house of Dagon

13 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1712
13 Occurrences

dā·ḡō·wn — 12 Occ.
lə·ḏā·ḡō·wn — 1 Occ.