Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. (Judges 16:23)
This usually was accompanied by a great feast or celebration.
Unto Dagon.
Not much is known about this deity. Various explanations have been given for the meaning of the name. Some have derived it from the Hebrew and Canaanite word dagan, meaning “grain.” If so, Dagon would be one of the many agricultural deities of Palestine. But the name may also be a derivative of the word dag, “fish.” Both explanations are ancient. The fact that coins have been unearthed in the Philistine city of Ashkelon with the image of a deity represented as half man and half fish leads us to accept the latter explanation (see PP 567). Reference is made to Dagon’s head and hands in 1 Sam. 5:4.
Our god hath delivered.
Most ancient nations attributed their victories to the might of their national deity.