Beth-dagon

Two separate places carry the name Beth-dagon — one a town in the lowland of Judah, the other a marker on the northern border of Asher. The shared name (associated in form with the Philistine deity Dagon) is the only link; the two sit on opposite sides of the country.

A Lowland Town in Judah

In Judah's town list, Beth-dagon appears in a four-name cluster that closes one of the lowland groupings: "and Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages" (Jos 15:41). The setting alongside Gederoth, Naamah, and Makkedah locates this Beth-dagon among the Shephelah towns counted toward Judah's inheritance.

A Boundary Point in Asher

Asher's allotment uses Beth-dagon as a turn in its border line: "and it turned toward the sunrising to Beth-dagon, and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtah-el northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; and it went out to Cabul on the left hand," (Jos 19:27). The boundary pivots eastward at Beth-dagon, then runs into Zebulun's territory, placing this Beth-dagon on the seam between the two northern tribes.