Dagon is a god of the Philistines, worshipped chiefly at Ashdod. The name probably means , and the first syllable is perhaps the Hebrew dgn, “fish,” in which case Dagon is identical with or at least cognate with Dag, an epithet of the Babylonian water-god Ea (Enki). The Semitic word for fish is tagn. Dagon is the name resulting from removal of the Hebrew root דגן, meaning “fish”. It is also a Semitic word meaning “to decay”. It is mentioned five times in the Bible, in one verse as dagan (in 1 Samuel 5:2, in the Masoretic Text; the Septuagint reads simply dagon), and four times as Dagon (Hebrew: דגון) (in 1 Samuel 5:1–20, in which its idolatrous worship by the Philistines is described).
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spiritual meaning of dagon
The spiritual meaning of Dagon is a god of fertility and the sea, who was worshiped by the Philistines.
According to the Bible, he was an idol that looked like a man with two fish tails and a fish head. He was also said to be able to fly through the air and make storms at sea. In other myths, he is described as having four arms.
Dagon is mentioned in the Bible as being worshiped by pagans, but it’s unclear if this is because they were actually worshipping him or if they were just using the name because it sounded similar to “dag”, which means “fish”. It’s possible that Dagon was actually a form of Baal, another ancient Middle Eastern deity associated with fertility and power over nature.
It’s believed that this god could be related to Zeus in Greek mythology; both are sky gods who are associated with lightning bolts (Zeus) or rainbows (Dagon).
Dagon is a Mesopotamian deity associated with fertility and fishing. He is often depicted as a combination of a man and a fish, with the torso and arms of a man, and the tail of a fish. It is believed that Dagon was originally worshipped in the city of Sidon, where he was considered to be the patron god of fishermen. The word “Dagon” means “fishy one”, which may be why Dagon is often depicted as half-man and half-fish.
The first mention of Dagon in literature occurs in Tablet X of the Epic of Gilgamesh, where Gilgamesh invokes him along with other gods when he prays for protection from a storm at sea. In this passage, Gilgamesh says: “O Father Dagon who dwellest beneath the waves!” The second mention comes from the Bible’s book of Judges (1:16-17), where an angel warns Samson’s mother that her son will die if he touches a harlot. The angel states: “But now your strength is sapped because you have touched her; so you shall not kill her.”
If you have been around Think About Such Things you might be scratching your head a little on why I would want to write about Dagon. I mean why write on a false god in the Bible?
To be honest this isn’t a topic I enjoy especially compared to others like angels, or symbolism. But as I have grown as a Christian and study His word. I realize I miss a lot of things because I don’t understand or know certain stuff.
Learning about the gods and people that the Israelites dealt with really helps us understand the stories we read in the Bible.
For example, Baal was known as the god that controlled weather like rain, and sun. This makes the story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal come alive! When Elijah prayed for rain and it came it was showing the Yahweh was the one true God, not Baal. (1 Kings 18-19) Our God is awesome!
So, you can see that there is a benefit of knowing who these false deities and idols were. With that said…let’s dive in.
meaning of dagon in the bible
Dagon in the Bible: The Fish God
When I was studying on the topic of Samson in the Bible and the topic of mermaids on the Bible and the Biblical meaning of mermaids in dream. This is when I stumbled upon Dagon.
Dagon was often depicted as having the torso of a man and a tail of a fish. Yup, a merman. Here are a couple of pictures
He was chiefly known as a god of fertility and reproductive power. Fish can multiply at quick rates. For example, the gray grouper can produce 340 million eggs in one season. That’s insane!
What Does Dagon Mean?
Many historians have said that the Hebrew dialect of that time shows that the root word for dag means fish and the whole word Dagon or Dagon was a term of endearment… “little fish.”
Not to be confused with being little as small or insignificant but like “my dear little fish.” A term of affection.
But other experts in ancient language believe the name is related to the word, grain.
When looking at the Strongs Concordance you get the basic idea of a fish.
STRONG’S CONCORDANCE:
- Dagon = “a fish”
- a Philistine deity of fertility; represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish
דָּגוֹן Dâgôwn, daw-gohn’; from H1709; the fish-god; Dagon, a Philistine deity:—Dagon.
Who Worshiped Dagon?
In scripture, we see that each time that Dagon is mentioned he is worshiped by the Philistine people. Dagon was considered their chief god.
The Philistines lived on the south coast of Canaan. Being a coastal people the sea was very important to them and relied on it as a source of food.
But interesting enough you see the god Baal more than Dagon. In Canaanite texts, Baal is sometimes mentioned as “The son of Dagon.” So, there is some relationship between the two.
Dagon was known to be worshiped even up to the time of Christ. And we even see reference a Dagon temple in the aprochyla book of 1 Maccabees.
Other Similar False Deities
Many Historians believe Dagon was the first mention of a mermaid type figure in antiquity. And many other nationalities took on similar idols and many of them encompass the idea of fertility.
It is also said that Dagon is connected with the zodiac sign Pisces. These other pagan deities are not mentioned in scripture.
| Ancient People Groups | Name of Fish Like Deities |
|---|---|
| Babylonians | Oannes |
| Assyrians | Atargatis |
| Greeks | Triton |
| Mesopotamian | Ea |
The ancient Babylonians believed that Oannes came out of the Erythrean Sea (the Red Sea) and came to teach them wisdom.
Dagon Bible Verses
There are only two accounts of in scripture that mention Dagon. And both of them are pretty epic. I love how God shows off His power and majesty in both accounts!
The First Account: Samson and Dagon
Judges 16
The first time we hear of Dagon is in the story of Samson. When Samson is captured it says the Philistines worshiped and praised Dagon…
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said:
“Our god has delivered into our hands
Samson our enemy!” – Judges 16:23
But later in the chapter we see that they call for Samson to mock and gloat over their victory. But Samson cried out to the Lord and the Lord answered his prayer. God had the last laugh and showed the Philistines that Dagon was no match for Him!
I also find it interesting that Samson’s weakness with women especially philistine women. And the god they are worshiping is a fertility god. I would not be surprised if these women were influenced by this evil and perverted spirit to tempt Samson.
The Second Account: The Ark of the Covenant and Dagon
1 Samuel 5
I personally love this story so much. In chapter 5 of 1 Samuel you read the account of when the philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and placed it next to Dagon in his temple.
The next morning Dagon’s statue had toppled over. The Philistines put it back up and the following day it fell over again breaking off its head and arms.
The head representing his authority and his arms representing his ability or power. God made it CRYSTAL CLEAR that Dagon had neither!
Then to top it off the Philistines were stricken with tumors. In the King James Version and the Septuagint, it states that these tumors were on their private parts…ouch!
And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. – 1 Samuel 5:9 KJV
Dagon being a “fertility” god could not protect his people and God once again showed He was master over that as well!
Some Key Points
Here are some quick key points about Dagon in the Bible.
- Dagon was half man and half fish (fish god)
- Dagon was worshipped by the Philistines
- There are only two stories in the Bible about Dagon.
- Dagon is no match for God.
Dagon is a false god and idol. On a spiritual level, Dagon is a demonic/evil spirit.
dagon worship today
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.
What Does the Story of Dagon Tell Us about God’s Power?
What Was Dagon in the Bible?
Dagon in the Bible was a Philistine god of fertility and its representation consisted of having the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish. Dagon in the Bible is noted in mythology as the father of Baal, another ancient god whose conjured presence wreaked havoc within the nations surrounding the Jewish habitats and within the Israelites themselves (because of the worship of false gods).
A god is an idol—a representation of a lie—something specifically forbidden by the Lord God in the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3-4). Nations and individuals who did not call the Lord their God instead worshiped man-made gods fashioned from earthen materials (wood, stone, etc.). We can with surety say the creation and worship of these false gods were instituted by the father of lies—the devil (John 8:44).
In Exodus 34:14, God (through Moses) warned the people about what they would do. He said they would go after the other nations’ gods and sacrifice to them even after He told them not to do such a thing, “…for the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.” To say He is jealous means He demands exclusive service and worship.
The Bible introduces the worship of a physical object as a god in the account of Jacob and Rachel in Genesis 31:9, “Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods (teraphim).” According to cultural tradition, the “gods” Rachel stole were those of a family setting alone. Relatives often carried on legacies due to many influences, including cultural norms, family values, and most heinously, lack of faith in God (Romans 1:18-32).
Each new household (the union of a newlywed husband and wife) formed house-god images. Rachel may have performed such an act to take an icon of family associations with her, as the fertility and good fortune of each family fell within the responsibility of these “family gods.” The Bible does give us further details, except it was not right for Rachel to bow to them nor to steal.
What Dagon in the Bible represents instead is a more organized, religious setting. By the time of the Exodus (after the Israelites’ exposure to the Egyptian culture), God’s people were influenced by the belief systems of that country. In turn, they adopted their idols and gods as well.
Where Is Dagon in the Bible?
The first mention of Dagon in the Bible is in the book of Joshua (15:41 and 19:27). In each context, Dagon is used with a town name (Beth-dagon), which identifies the locale as housing a temple (or house) of Dagon.
We gain further knowledge of Dagon in Judges 16:23 during the account of Samson. Samson, called to be a “Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death” (Judges 13:7), was, when young, “stirred by the Spirit of God” (Judges 13:25). Samson, however, fell slave to his lustful desires and wanted an uncircumcised Philistine woman. He dictated to his parents “Get her for me for she is right in my eyes.” But God, in His mighty power, used even that for what led to His glory through Samson’s life (Judges 14:4). At various times during his life, “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him” (see Judges 15:14). God’s power is evident, not Samson’s.
Throughout parries with the Philistines, Samson is led toward his finale after judging Israel for 20 years (Judges 15:20).
The main part of the story takes place in the area around Gaza, where a temple of Dagon was located. This location eventually trapped him into the arms of Delilah, whose love for the Philistines and their way of life eclipsed her “love” for Samson. Samson, formerly unable to be defeated by his foes, falls to her deception and is placed in slavery, where he ground mill for the Philistines. While there, they gouged out his eyes (Judges 16:23).
The Philistines decided to have a celebration to Dagon their god for having secured and subdued Samson. They called for him to entertain them and, Samson, bound between the two pillars on which their temple foundation lay, prayed to the Lord, “Oh, Lord God, please remember me and strengthen me only this once…Let me die with the Philistines” (Judges 16:23-30). God answered His prayer with a show of His strength as Samson pushed the pillars apart, allowing the temple to fall on and kill all the spectators and him.
What Happened between Dagon and the Ark of the Covenant?
Have you ever thought about God having a sense of humor? When reading the story of Dagon in the Bible, we can sense a bit of sarcasm—perfect sarcasm. Twice at least, here and in Isaiah when God spoke of a man who cuts wood for a fire and then bows down to worship it (Isaiah 44:9-20), we see how God deals with false worship. In the Isaiah passage, God said, “He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’”
The Philistines, ever it seemed at war with Israel, took the Ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod, where they set it up beside an idol made to represent Dagon. The next morning, the people of Ashdod rose only to find Dagon had fallen on its face on the ground before the Ark. Twice the people put Dagon back in “his” place and both times they found the same thing—Dagon on its face before the Ark. But the second time the hands and head of the idol were cut off and on the threshold of the heathen temple. “Only the trunk (stump) of Dagon was left to him” (1 Samuel 5:4).
Afterward, “the hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and He terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory” (1 Samuel 5:6). They decided the Ark could not remain with them, but everywhere they took it, the same “curse” fell on the inhabitants with whom the Ark stayed, and those who were not afflicted with tumors died. In each instance, the Philistines referenced the ark as “The Ark of the God of the Israelites” (1 Samuel 5:7-12).
Finally, their priests and diviners told the leaders to return the Ark to Israel along with a guilt offering of tumors and images of their mice that ravaged the land and give glory to the God of Israel. They said perhaps He would lighten His hand off them, their gods, and their land (1 Samuel 6:5).
The ark is finally settled in Israel in the town of Kiriath-jearim under the charge of Eleazar. A lesson begun with the plunder of a holy vessel by the Philistines reaches into the nation of Israel, whom Samuel admonished to put away their Baals and Ashtaroth and serve the Lord only (1 Samuel 7:4).
What Can We Learn from This Story?
Nothing having to do with the holiness of God is to be taken for granted nor treated with anything but reverence. The Philistines learned this the hard way and are no longer in existence as a people.
How now shall we learn to reverence the things of God and bow to His omnipotence? God is God, period, and He will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7).
Addressing the nations in Psalm 2:4, the psalmist says, “He who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”
Psalm 37:13 speaks of nations who hold idols above the Lord. He laughs at the wicked for He knows His day is coming.
No nation can rise above the power of God. Psalm 59:8 states the LORD laughs at them and holds all the nations in derision.
As we ponder how the image of Dagon fell over, that’s how God pushes all lies aside—lies created that “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:23). With a breath God created the heavens and the earth, and with a breath He will vanquish His foes.
If we remain unmoved and unwilling to surrender all to Him, God will give us up to dishonorable passions (author’s paraphrase of Romans 1:24, 26, 28). Idols, whatever they be (a spouse, wealth, status, a false god, etc.) will never, can never sustain us. It’s only in surrender to Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) that we will live a life free from lies.
