Dagon, God of the Philistines

Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines, depicted as a merman. He was traditionally believed to be the father of Baal and the predecessor of other pagan gods worshipped by the Philistines.

1 Samuel chapter 4 recounts that the two sons of High Priest Eli were defeated and killed in battle with the Philistines, and the Ark of the Covenant was carried by the Philistines to their temple dedicated to Dagon. The next day, when people came to worship Dagon, they found the statue of Dagon fallen face down before the Ark of the Covenant, as if bowing down. The Philistines then set the statue upright again, placing it back next to the Ark. On the third day, when they came to worship, they found that Dagon’s statue had its head and hands broken off, lying prostrate before the Ark of the Covenant.

1 Chronicles 14:11-12: “So the Philistines came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. David said, ‘God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the bursting of waters’; therefore the name of that place was called Baal-perazim. And the Philistines left their gods there, and David gave command, and they were burned with fire.”

In ancient Middle Eastern foreign armies, priests, diviners, and portable sacred objects would accompany the troops to inquire of idols or invoke them in battle. Idols were only abandoned in the most critical situations. Here, the word “gods” (or “idols”) in the original text refers to “gods” in the plural. The Philistines carried the images of their gods with them, hoping this would guarantee victory.

In the past, the Ark of the Covenant of the Israelites was captured by the Philistines but was returned unharmed (1 Samuel 6:2) because the Philistines were forced to give it back. Now, the Philistines’ idols were captured by David, unable to protect themselves, and were burned with fire. This proves that idols made by human hands are utterly false, and only the God of Israel is the true God.