בֵּית־דָּגוֹן

# Beth-dagon: A Place Name in Biblical Geography Beth-dagon (Hebrew: בֵּית־דָּגוֹן) is a compound place name appearing twice in the Hebrew Bible. The name combines "beth" (house/temple) with "Dagon," indicating a sanctuary or settlement dedicated to the deity Dagon. As a proper noun, it functioned as a geographical marker for a specific location rather than a common descriptive term. The limited textual evidence—only two occurrences—suggests Beth-dagon was a minor settlement in biblical geography rather than a major urban center. Its rarity in the biblical record makes it impossible to determine its exact historical importance or the duration of its significance. The name's structure, however, reflects the religious geography of ancient Canaan, where settlements were often named after local sanctuaries or deities. Without additional contextual information from the biblical passages where it appears, the specific tribal territory, time period, or religious practices associated with this location cannot be determined from the lexical data alone.