{
  "id": "dict_005080",
  "term": "Sargon",
  "slug": "sargon",
  "letter": "S",
  "entry_type": "biblical_historical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Sargon was the name of Assyrian kings; the clearest biblical reference is to Sargon king of Assyria in Isaiah 20:1, usually identified as Sargon II.",
  "simple_one_line": "An Assyrian king named in Isaiah 20:1, usually identified as Sargon II.",
  "tooltip_text": "An Assyrian ruler named in Isaiah 20:1; important for the historical setting of the prophets.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Assyria",
    "Isaiah",
    "Isaiah, Book of",
    "Kings, Books of",
    "Sennacherib",
    "Shalmaneser",
    "Ashdod"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Assyrian Empire",
    "Hezekiah",
    "Samaria",
    "Prophetic history"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Sargon is a biblical-historical proper name, best known from Isaiah 20:1, where he is named as king of Assyria. He is usually identified as Sargon II, an Assyrian ruler whose campaigns help explain the geopolitical setting of Isaiah and the other prophets.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Assyrian king named in Isaiah 20:1.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Biblical mention: Isaiah 20:1",
    "usually identified with Sargon II",
    "useful for understanding Assyrian pressure on the nations in the Old Testament",
    "not a doctrinal term."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Sargon is best known in Bible study as the name of an Assyrian king, most likely Sargon II, who is explicitly mentioned in Isaiah 20:1. The term belongs more naturally to a biblical-historical or people-and-places category than to a theological term. An entry on Sargon should focus on his role in the Assyrian context of the Old Testament rather than on doctrine.",
  "description_academic_full": "Sargon is the name of an Assyrian ruler, and in Scripture the clearest reference is to Sargon king of Assyria in Isaiah 20:1, generally understood to be Sargon II. He is significant because he helps locate Isaiah's prophecy within the larger Assyrian dominance of the ancient Near East and the pressure that empire placed on surrounding nations. Since this is a historical proper name rather than a doctrinal concept, it belongs in a biblical-historical category rather than among theological terms. A publishable treatment should keep the focus on the biblical text and the historical setting it illuminates.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Isaiah 20:1 names Sargon king of Assyria in connection with the events surrounding Ashdod and the wider Assyrian military presence in the region. His mention confirms the historical rootedness of Isaiah's ministry and the geopolitical realities assumed by the prophets.",
  "background_historical_context": "Sargon is usually identified with Sargon II of Assyria, a major imperial ruler whose reign belonged to the period of Assyrian expansion and consolidation. His name is important in biblical studies chiefly because it anchors Isaiah 20:1 in real imperial history.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The biblical text itself treats Sargon as a foreign imperial ruler, part of the broader Assyrian threat that shaped the experience of Israel and Judah. Later Jewish interpretation generally reads such figures as part of the historical backdrop to prophetic judgment and covenant faithfulness.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Isaiah 20:1"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "The wider Assyrian context in 2 Kings 17–19 and Isaiah 7–39 helps frame Sargon’s place in the prophetic era."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The name appears in Hebrew as סַרְגוֹן (Sargon), a transliterated foreign royal name.",
  "theological_significance": "Sargon has no direct doctrinal content, but his mention in Scripture supports the historical reliability and concrete setting of the prophetic books.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "This entry concerns a named historical ruler rather than an abstract concept. Its significance is evidential and contextual: it helps readers locate the prophetic message within actual events and empires.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not make Sargon into a theological category or build doctrine from his name alone. The biblical text gives only a brief historical reference, so the entry should not overstate what Scripture explicitly says. The common identification with Sargon II is historically plausible and widely accepted, but the biblical verse itself simply names Sargon king of Assyria.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters identify the biblical Sargon with Sargon II of Assyria. The main point of the entry is the historical setting of Isaiah 20:1, not a disputed theological issue.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should remain descriptive and historical. It should not be used to support speculative chronology, allegory, or doctrinal claims beyond the reliability of the biblical historical setting.",
  "practical_significance": "Sargon helps Bible readers see that the prophets spoke into real political events. That strengthens confidence in the concreteness of Scripture and aids interpretation of Isaiah's message in context.",
  "meta_description": "Sargon is the Assyrian king named in Isaiah 20:1, usually identified as Sargon II, and is important for the historical setting of the prophets.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/sargon/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/sargon.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}