Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima," — 2 Kings 17:30 (ASV)
Succoth-benoth probably represents a Babylonian goddess called Zir-banit, the wife of Merodach. She and her husband were, next to Bel and Beltis, the favorite divinities of the Babylonians.
Nergal, etymologically “the great man” or “the great hero,” was the Babylonian god of war and hunting. His name forms an element in the Babylonian royal title, Nergal-shar-ezar or Neriglissar. The Assyrian inscriptions connect Nergal in a very special way with Cutha, of which he was evidently the tutelary deity.
Ashima is ingeniously conjectured to be the same as Esmun, the Asclepius of the Cabiri or “great gods” of the Phoenicians.