i.  20).
D.
Dab'a-reli.    See  DABERATH.
Dab'be-sheth,  in  A.  Y.  Dabbasheth  [hump
of  a  camel].
A  town  on  the  boundary  line  of  Zebulon
(Josh.  xix.  11).  Conder locates  it  at  Dabsheh,
near  Jokneam.
Dab'e-rath,  in  A.  V.  once  Dabareh  errone
ously  (Josh.  xxi.  28)  [probably  pasture  landj.
A  city  within  the  territory  of  Issachar,
given  with  its  suburbs  to  the  Gershonites
(Josh.  xix.  12  ;  xxi.  28  ;  1  Chron.  vi.  72  ;  War  ii.
Dagon


153


Damascus


21,  3 ;  Life  62).  It  has  been  identified  as  the
village  of  Deburieh  at  the  base  of  mount
Tabor,  on  the  northwestern  side  of  the  hill.
Da'gon  [the  name  probably  has  no  refer
ence  to  either  fish  or  grain].
The  national  god  of  the  Philistines.  At
Gaza,  at  Beth-dagon.  and  especially  at  Ash-
dod,  he  had  a  temple  (Judg.  xvi.  21,  23 ;  1
Sam.  v.  1-7 ;  1  Chron.  x.  10).  Jonathan
Maccabseus,  after  defeating  the  Philistines,
drove  them  into  the  temple  of  Dagon  in
Ashdod,  and  set  fire  both  to  the  city  and  the
temple  (1  Mac.  x.  84 ;  xi.  4).  Dagon  was
worshiped  to  some  extent  in  Phoenicia  and
also  in  Assyria.  The  idol  is  considered  to
have  had  the  head,  arms,  and  upper  parts  of
human  form  (1  Sam.  v.  4),  while  the  lower
parts  tapered  away  into  the  tail  of  a  fish.
Diodorus  Siculus  (ii.  4)  mentions  an  idol,
called  Dercetus.  of  similar  form,  as  having
existed  at  Ashkelon,  another  Philistine  town.
It  is  questionable  whether  the  image  of  a
man  with  the  extremities  of  a  fish,  which
was  found  at  Khorsabad,  represents  Dagon.
Da-la'iah.    See  DELAIAH.
Da'leth.
The  fourth  letter  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet.
The  English  letter  D  has  the  same  origin,
and  represents  it  in  anglicized  Hebrew  names.
