Nergal
Summary
Nergal was a chief Assyrian and Babylonian deity associated with war and the hunt, worshipped by the men of Cuth who were settled in Samaria.
☩Character and Worship
Nergal was one of the chief deities of Assyria and Babylon, corresponding closely to the classical Mars as a god of war. He was also the god of the hunt, called 'the storm-ruler,' 'the king of battle,' 'the champion of the gods,' and 'the god of the chase.' Astronomically he was identified with the planet Mars.
☩Biblical Reference
Nergal appears in Scripture when the men of Cuth (or Cutha), who were transplanted to Samaria by the Assyrian king, 'made Nergal their god.' The city of Cutha (modern Birs-Nimrud) was especially dedicated to his worship. Some scholars conjecture that Nergal may represent the deified Nimrod, 'the mighty hunter before the Lord.'
References
- 1.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Nergal," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Nergal," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).