I. Name

Dagon is the Hebrew form of the name of the god Dagan, who was an important Mesopotamian and West Semitic deity. Dagon occurs as a Philistine deity in the Hebrew Bible, specifically as the god of Ashdod (1 Sam. 5.1–7 and 1 Macc. 10.83–84; Judg. 16.23 [Gaza]; 1 Chr. 10.10 [Beth-Shan?]). The LXX also reads the name Δαγων instead of Nebo (Nabû) in Isa. 46.1.

The etymology of the name Dagan is uncertain. Etymologies based on dāg, ‘fish’, dāgān, ‘grain’, and on a root meaning ‘be cloudy’ (Arabic dajj or dajana) ar…