{
  "id": "dict_003963",
  "term": "Nergal",
  "slug": "nergal",
  "letter": "N",
  "entry_type": "named_false_god",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Nergal was a Mesopotamian deity named in Scripture as one of the false gods introduced into Samaria during the Assyrian resettlement. The Bible mentions him descriptively, not doctrinally.",
  "simple_one_line": "Nergal is a named pagan deity mentioned in 2 Kings 17:30.",
  "tooltip_text": "A Mesopotamian false god mentioned in the account of Samaria’s idolatrous mixed worship.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "idolatry",
    "false gods",
    "2 Kings 17",
    "syncretism",
    "Assyrian exile"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Baal",
    "Molech",
    "Ashtoreth",
    "Assyria",
    "Samaria",
    "idolatry"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Nergal is a named false god from Mesopotamian religion. In Scripture he appears in the record of the idolatrous worship introduced into Samaria after the Assyrian conquest.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A Mesopotamian deity mentioned in 2 Kings 17:30 as part of the syncretistic worship brought into Samaria.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Named false god, not a biblical doctrine",
    "Appears in 2 Kings 17:30",
    "Associated with pagan worship in Mesopotamia and the Assyrian world",
    "Included in Scripture as an example of idolatry and syncretism"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Nergal was a false god worshiped in the ancient Near East, especially in Mesopotamian settings. In 2 Kings 17:30, the men of Cuth made Nergal as part of the mixed and idolatrous worship introduced into Samaria. The term is biblical in occurrence, but it is a named deity rather than a theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "Nergal is the name of an ancient Mesopotamian deity and appears in Scripture as part of the record of pagan worship. In 2 Kings 17:30, the people brought into Samaria by the king of Assyria are said to have made various gods, including Nergal, showing the syncretistic and idolatrous religion that stood opposed to the worship of the LORD. Scripture mentions Nergal descriptively, not to endorse or develop a doctrine about this deity, but to identify the false gods associated with the nations. As a result, the term belongs best in a category for named false gods or ancient deities rather than as a doctrinal theological concept.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The only explicit biblical reference is in 2 Kings 17:30, where Nergal is listed among the gods made by the peoples resettled in Samaria. The passage emphasizes the unfaithfulness of mixed worship and the Lord’s rejection of idolatry.",
  "background_historical_context": "Nergal was known in the ancient Near East as a Mesopotamian deity. In the Assyrian era, foreign populations and local cults often mixed, and Scripture uses this background to highlight the spread of pagan worship after the northern kingdom’s exile.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Second Temple Jewish readers would have recognized Nergal as part of the broader world of pagan gods opposed to the God of Israel. The name functions in Scripture as a marker of idolatry, not as an object of theological reflection.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "2 Kings 17:24-31, especially 2 Kings 17:30"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew form transliterates the name of a Mesopotamian deity. The biblical text preserves the foreign proper name rather than translating it.",
  "theological_significance": "Nergal illustrates Scripture’s consistent condemnation of idolatry and syncretism. His mention in the Bible reinforces the exclusivity of the LORD as the only true God.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Biblically, a false god is not a true deity but a created or imagined object of worship. Nergal stands as a historical example of the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of idol worship.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat the biblical mention of Nergal as approval, endorsement, or theological development. The passage is descriptive and polemical, not devotional. Avoid speculative claims beyond the biblical text and basic ancient Near Eastern background.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little interpretive dispute about the biblical reference itself. The main editorial question is category fit: Nergal is best treated as a named false god or ancient deity, not as a doctrinal term.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Scripture presents the worship of Nergal as idolatry. He has no divine authority, no salvific value, and no place in biblical worship. The entry should remain strictly descriptive and anti-idolatrous in tone.",
  "practical_significance": "Nergal serves as a warning against religious compromise and mixing the worship of God with pagan beliefs or practices. The passage calls readers to exclusive loyalty to the LORD.",
  "meta_description": "Nergal was a Mesopotamian false god named in 2 Kings 17:30 as part of the idolatrous worship introduced into Samaria.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/nergal/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/nergal.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}