Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:
(fish). National male idol of the Philistines (1 Chron. 10:10). Noted temples at Ashdod (1 Sam. 5:1-7); Gaza (Judg. 16:23); Beth-dagon (Josh. 15:41); and in Asher (Josh. 19:27). Represented with human hands and face and a fish’s body.
Concise Bible Dictionary:
The national god of the Philistines, whose principal temples were at Gaza and Ashdod. The name has been traced by some to dag, a fish; others however associate the fish-god with EA, the water-god; and trace Dagon to dagan “corn” as a god of agriculture. This was the idol that fell to pieces before the ark of Israel, and it was in its temple subsequently that the Philistines hung the head of Saul. A representation of a god found at Khorsabad has the head and hands of a man, and the body and tail of a fish (Judg. 16:23; 1 Sam. 5:2-7; 1 Chron. 10:10).
Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:
Meaning:
from 1709; the fish-god; Dagon, a Philistine deity
Jackson’s Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names:
the fish-god (from its fecundity)
Potts’ Bible Proper Names:
An excellent fish; fish-god:―a Philistine deity [BETH-DAGON], 1 Chron. 10:10. {Piscis excellens}
From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Judges 16:23. The lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god.
Dagon was the national god of the Philistines. The name is derived from dag, a fish. Dagon is the diminutive of dag, and signifies “little fish”; not so much, however, in reference to size, as to the affection entertained for it; so that some would render it, “dear little fish.” From the description given in 1 Samuel 5:4, the idol is supposed to have been a combination of the human form with that of a fish. “And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.”
Omitting the words supplied by the translators [“the stump of”] and we find that the human part, consisting of the head and hands, was cut off, while dagon, or the fish part, remained. This description is corroborated by ancient traditions. The Babylonians believed that a being part man and part fish emerged from the Erythraean Sea, and appeared in Babylonia in the early days of its history, and taught the people various arts necessary for their well-being. Representations of this fish god have been found among the sculptures of Nineveh. The Philistian Dagon was of a similar character. The deity is supposed to have been intended to represent the vivifying and productive powers of nature. The fish was an appropriate image to be used for this purpose, by reason of its rapid and enormous multiplication.
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