The name Dagon seems one r short of forming the mythical creature of a dragon, but don’t let the lack of the letter r fool you. This fish god from Assyria, worshipped also by the Philistines and Babylonians, wreaked havoc throughout the biblical narrative. Even the Israelites themselves fell prey to the worship of this merman-ish idol.
In this article, we’ll dive into the meaning and history of this god, especially in the biblical text. Then we’ll discuss the downfall of Dagon and how this idol literally ends up falling prostrate in worship of the one true God. Let’s explore.
What Does Dagon Mean in the Bible?
The name Dagon derives from the word “dag” which means fish. As we can see, the Assyrians decided to take the quite literal route of calling it as they saw it. Most depictions we have of this god include a colorful bottom half of a fish and a top half of a man. Yes, it would seem they worshipped a merman. But don’t let the silly imagery fool you. This idol caused many nations, including Israel, to turn away from the Lord.
According to the mythology of Dagon, Dagon was the father of Baal. Many of us will recognize the name Baal from either Sunday school classes, or a simple perusal through the Old Testament. Other nations worshipped Baal and caused Israel to stumble by having the nation incorporate the practices into their daily lives.
Many polytheistic nations had different purposes for each god. Dagon took charge of crop fertility. “Dagan” can also mean grain. We know Philistia bordered the Mediterranean, as did the Babylonian and Assyrian Empires (Babylon technically inhabited several bodies of water), so it would make sense as to why they would craft their god after a fish. As fishing remained an important part of their lifestyle.
Who Is Dagon in the Bible?
We see Dagon appear on three separate occasions in the Bible. I plan to reserve one for a later section, so let’s explore two of the instances where he shows up in the narrative.
Judges 16:23: “Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”
The Philistines manage to capture the strong judge Samson and turn him into a prisoner. To celebrate they issue a sacrifice to their god Dagon. Perhaps because Samson had previously lit some of their crop fields on fire (Judges 15), part of Dagon’s supposed jurisdiction.
1 Chronicles 10:10: “They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.”
King Saul dies in battle. When the Philistines find him they strip him of his armor, a practice of war in Ancient times, and put his head in the temple of Dagon. By doing this, they attempt to show that their god had won over the king of Israel. We don’t really know how much of a part that Dagon plays in mythology when it comes to war, but sometimes gods had overlapping duties in Ancient mythos.
Also, although not mentioned, Dagon would’ve played a big role in the story of Jonah. The Ninevites, Assyrians, would’ve worshipped Dagon. God didn’t transport the prophet inside a large fish by accident. They would’ve paid better attention to Jonah knowing he’d traveled in a large Piscean vessel.
How Was Dagon Worshipped?
We don’t really know much about Dagon worship because we don’t have much documentation of it. However, we can analyze Baal and Asherah worship (both deities within Dagon’s pantheon) to get some hints. As mentioned in the text, it seems they incorporated animal sacrifice into their worship of Dagon. We also know from a text I’ll explore in a moment that they crafted Dagon out of stone. Many cultures would often bathe and clothe their deities, but such practices predominantly started in Ancient Egypt. We don’t have a clue if they did the same with Semitic gods.
We know the prophets of Baal would cut themselves (1 Kings 18) and raved to get their god to speak with them. Perhaps Dagon worshipped involved some bloodshed as well. We can assume, since Dagon had jurisdiction over the crops, that those who worshipped this deity gave crop offerings as well. But again, most of this falls under speculation due to a lack of historical detailing.
What Happened to Dagon in the Bible?
The third, and final mention of Dagon, ends up humiliating the so-called god. After the Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant, a housing vessel for the Lord, they place it in the temple of Dagon. Let’s see what happens next.
1 Samuel 5:1-5 “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.”
Dagon literally bows before Yahweh. In fact, the second time it happens, his head and hands get cut off, an Ancient way of removing or cutting off the lifeforce of the supposed deity housed inside the idol.
The Philistines thought they had won, but our God claims the ultimate victory. We don’t have any clues as to what happened next with Dagon. We can assume, as the Babylonians fell to Persia that Dagon worship didn’t continue, or if it did, it would be under the guise of a Persian god such as Oannes.
What Can We Learn from Dagon in the Bible
It may seem odd to glean lessons for a pagan deity. But we can still learn from what this entity represented and how to avoid it. First of all, we discover that God is in control and wields power over any nation. No fish-god can stand against him, as proven in the story of the Ark and Dagon.
Secondly, we can learn historically about how many cultures borrowed gods from one another. The Persians likely had a form of Dagon when they took over. The Greeks as well, and so on. Satan often likes to use the same tricks, just under different names. We have to watch and stay vigilant for such things.
Finally, we know that we need to be careful about what we let infiltrate our lives. The Bible doesn't really mention if the Israelites engaged in Dagon worship. But we know they dabbled in Baal and Asherah, gods in Dagon's pantheon. So we can assume they threw a little Dagon in there. What may seem innocuous can turn out to be insidious, so we have to exercise extreme caution.
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Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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