Tartak
“Prince of darkness; or Intense darkness”
Summary
Tartak was one of the gods worshipped by the Avvite colonists who were settled in Samaria after the Assyrian deportation of the northern Israelites.
☩Biblical Context
After the Assyrian king Shalmaneser conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and deported its population, he resettled the land with colonists from various parts of his empire. These colonists brought their native gods with them. The Avvites (or Avites), one of these transplanted peoples, 'made Nibhaz and Tartak' as their objects of worship. This mixing of pagan worship with remnants of Israelite religion created the syncretistic religious culture of Samaria.
☩Nature of Tartak
The exact nature of Tartak remains uncertain. According to Rabbinical tradition recorded in the Talmud, Tartak was worshipped under the form of a donkey. Some scholars have suggested a Persian origin for the name, meaning either 'intense darkness,' 'hero of darkness,' or referring to the underworld, possibly connecting it with a planet of ill fortune such as Saturn or Mars. The Carmanians, a Persian Gulf people, worshipped Mars alone and sacrificed donkeys to him, which may relate to the Jewish tradition about Tartak's form.
Related Verses1 mention
2 Kings· 1 verse
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Tartak," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Tartak," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Tartak," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Tartak," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).