S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines, and the worship of this pagan god dates back the third millennium BC. According to ancient mythology, Dagon was the father of Baal. He was the fish god...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

This idol had the body of a fish with the head and hands of a man (EBD). 

"The statue of Dagon was like a large man. Some depictions of him made him like a merman, a fish from the waist down. Some scholars have called him a fish god, which seems logical, especially for the Philistines along the coast, but other scholars have disputed it since there’s more evidence he was responsible for crops and grain. Even his name is connected to an old noun for 'grain.'

“Dagon is mentioned in two main parts of the Old Testament. First, in Judges 16 as a part of the Samson account. As a recap, Samson was one of the deliverers (judges) chosen by God, and he beat the Philistines at every turn with his legendary strength. The Philistines couldn’t beat him in battle, so they attacked his weakness, foreign women. The infamous Delilah seduced Samson’s secret out of him, cutting his hair, and he was captured by the Philistines.

“They put out his eyes and put him to work as a slave. In Judges 16, while worshipping Dagon and having a huge party, they decide to bring Samson in to humiliate him and gloat over his defeat. Obviously, this was part of the worship of Dagon.

“For polytheistic cultures, when nations went to war, it was also understood that the gods of the different people groups also fought, and the Old Testament reveals this in many passages both with Israel and other cultures (Elijah with the prophets of Baal is an excellent example: 1 Kings 18). With Samson, the Philistines were making a statement. Dagon had beaten Jehovah, Samson’s God, and therefore, Dagon was mightier than the God of Israel.

“It makes sense that God would respond to Samson’s plea to help him one last time. God’s assistance in killing the Philistines wasn’t about Samson as much as it was to declare which god was stronger. In fact, Dagon wasn’t even real, just a human-made idol. God is reality. He is the only one worthy of worship and glory."

--Britt Mooney

September 11 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report