סַרְגּוֹן
Sargon, an Assyrian king
Definition
Sargon is the name of an Assyrian king mentioned in the Old Testament. The name refers specifically to Sargon II, who reigned from 722–705 BC and was the founder of the Sargonid dynasty. In the Bible, he is noted as the Assyrian ruler who sent his commander-in-chief, the Tartan, to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod, as recorded in Isaiah 20:1. This single biblical reference connects a specific historical figure to the prophetic ministry of Isaiah, providing a concrete anchor point for the geopolitical events surrounding Judah.
Biblical Usage
The word סַרְגּוֹן (Sargon) is used only once in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 20:1. It appears in a historical context introducing a prophecy. The verse states: 'In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it.' Its usage is strictly as a proper noun identifying the monarch who dispatched his military force, setting the stage for Isaiah's symbolic act of prophecy that follows.
Etymology
The name סַרְגּוֹן (Çargôwn) is of foreign (Akkadian) derivation. It is not a native Hebrew word but a transliteration of the Akkadian name Šarru-ukīn, meaning 'the king is legitimate' or 'true king.' This etymology reflects the common practice of the biblical authors phonetically rendering the names of foreign rulers. The name entered the Hebrew text through direct contact with Assyrian imperial administration and records.
Semantic Range
The mention of Sargon in Isaiah 20:1, while brief, is theologically significant. It grounds Isaiah's prophecy in a verifiable historical event, demonstrating God's sovereign oversight of international powers. The prophecy against Ashdod and, by implication, against those who trusted in alliances with Egypt or Ethiopia (Isaiah 20:3-6), uses the concrete action of a known king to underscore a message of judgment and a call for Judah to trust in God alone. Understanding this name connects divine revelation to world history.
In its original context, the name Sargon would have evoked the power and threat of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the dominant superpower of the 8th century BC. For Isaiah's audience, Sargon II was a contemporary and formidable ruler. The biblical record of his campaign against Ashdod is corroborated by Assyrian inscriptions, which detail Sargon's conquests. This cultural context highlights the Bible's engagement with real historical figures and events, not in a mythic vacuum.
There are no direct Hebrew synonyms for this proper name of a foreign king. Other Assyrian kings mentioned in the Bible, such as תִּגְלַת פִּלְאֶסֶר (Tiglath-Pileser, H8407) and סַנְחֵרִיב (Sennacherib, H5576), are distinct historical figures from different reigns.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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