Beth Dagon or Dagan (בית-דגון or בית-דגן) is the name of two biblical cities in
Israel.[1]
A city (
Joshua 15:41) in the territory of the
tribe of Judah "in the plains", that is, the territory below
Jaffa between the
Judean hills and the
Mediterranean. Its site is uncertain, though it may be adjacent to
Latrun.[2] The city was sacked by
Sennacherib during the revolt of
Sidqa, king of
Ashkelon.[3] Beth Dagon appears in
Joshua 15:41 among the list of "the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of
Judah toward the coast of
Edom southward."[4]
It also appears in the
Tosefta (Ohalot 3:4) transcribed as "Beth Dagan".[4]Moshe Sharon writes that this latter spelling, which corresponds exactly to the Arabic name, may have arisen after the village was conquered by
Judea.[4] With
Dagon being a head deity in the
Philistine pantheon of gods, Sharon speculates that under Judean control, his name was changed to Dagan, meaning "wheat", a symbol of prosperity.[4]
Beth Dagon or Dagan (בית-דגון or בית-דגן) is the name of two biblical cities in
Israel.[1]
A city (
Joshua 15:41) in the territory of the
tribe of Judah "in the plains", that is, the territory below
Jaffa between the
Judean hills and the
Mediterranean. Its site is uncertain, though it may be adjacent to
Latrun.[2] The city was sacked by
Sennacherib during the revolt of
Sidqa, king of
Ashkelon.[3] Beth Dagon appears in
Joshua 15:41 among the list of "the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of
Judah toward the coast of
Edom southward."[4]
It also appears in the
Tosefta (Ohalot 3:4) transcribed as "Beth Dagan".[4]Moshe Sharon writes that this latter spelling, which corresponds exactly to the Arabic name, may have arisen after the village was conquered by
Judea.[4] With
Dagon being a head deity in the
Philistine pantheon of gods, Sharon speculates that under Judean control, his name was changed to Dagan, meaning "wheat", a symbol of prosperity.[4]