← H1711 H1713 →

דָּגוֹן

𐤃𐤂𐤅𐤍

Dagon

H1712 noun

SILEX Entry

Root דגן uncertain; proposed: to be cloudy, to grow grain, to be abundant

Definition

Dagon: the name of a major deity worshipped by the Philistines and other coastal peoples in the southern Levant. In biblical texts, Dagon appears especially as the central cult figure of the Philistine pantheon, associated with principal sanctuaries at Ashdod and Gaza. The semantic range is limited to the proper noun referring to this specific deity.

Semantic Range

Dagon, name of the Philistine deity

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain. While the form contains דָּג ('fish'), modern scholarship debates any etymological link to 'fish.' The name's true origin may lie in an older Semitic root related to 'grain' (cf. Ugaritic dgn), supporting an agricultural rather than aquatic association. However, Hebrew folk etymology or wordplay sometimes connects the name to 'fish,' likely based on surface similarity, not historical origin.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, דָּגוֹן (Dagon) is always used as a proper noun for the Philistine national deity (see Judges 16:23; 1 Samuel 5). Biblical narratives recount the veneration of Dagon by Philistine leaders and describe the placement of seized Israelite religious objects in Dagon's temples, reflecting his primacy. While the KJV and other English traditions have read the name in light of 'fish' due to the apparent root דָּג, this is not supported by extrabiblical evidence; Ugaritic and other ancient Near Eastern texts connect Dagon with grain or agricultural fertility rather than the sea or fish. Artistic depictions and archaeological findings provide limited clues (no definitive evidence of a fish form). The conflation with 'fish-god' arises from later interpretation and is not original. The word does not appear outside proper noun use in the Hebrew Bible and is always specific to the Philistine context. In later Hellenistic sources, Dagon is sometimes assimilated with other deities, and by the Persian and Roman periods, his worship appears to have faded entirely.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from דָּג; the fish-god; Dagon, a Philistine deity; Dagon.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

דגן (d-g-n) — uncertain; cloudiness, grain-growth, abundance

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1712-01 דָּג֑וֹן dagon HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon 12
H1712-02 לְ/דָג֥וֹן ledagon HR/Np to Dagon to Dagon to Dagon 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1712-02 Judges 16:23 לְ/דָג֥וֹן ledagon HR/Np to Dagon to Dagon to Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:2 דָּג֑וֹן dagon HNp of Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:2 דָּגֽוֹן dagon-2 HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:3 דָג֗וֹן dagon HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:3 דָּג֔וֹן dagon-2 HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:4 דָג֗וֹן dagon HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:4 דָּג֜וֹן dagon-2 HNp of Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:4 דָּג֖וֹן dagon-3 HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:5 דָג֜וֹן dagon HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
H1712-01 1 Samuel 5:5 דָּג֛וֹן dagon-2 HNp Dagon Dagon Dagon
← H1711 Hebrew Lexicon H1713 →