And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
Succoth-benoth. - i:e., 'the tents or booths of the daughters,' similar to those in which the Babylonian damsels celebrated impure rites (Amos 2:8). Havernick, however, ('Introduction,' p. 86; cf. Hengstenberg, 'Beitr.,' sec.
160) considers this an anomalous and as yet unexplained form of expression, which must have not a Hebrew, but an Assyrian origin.
Nergal. The Jewish writers say this idol was in the form of a cock; and it is certain that a cock is often seen associated with a priest on the Assyrian monuments (Layard, 'Nineveh and Babylon,' p. 538). But modern critics, looking to the astrological character of Assyrian idolatry, generally consider Nergal as the planet Mars, the god of war. It was most natural that "the men of Cuth," when transplanted to Samaria, should carry the worship of their favourite deity with them into their new country. The name of this idol formed part of the appellation of two of the king of Babylon's princes (Jeremiah 39:3).
Ashima - an idol under the form of an entirely bald he-goat.