SUCCOTH-BENOTH suk’ əth be’ nŏth (סֻכֹּ֣ות בְּנֹ֔ות, tabernacles of girls). The name of a deity. After defeating Samaria and carrying away hostages, the Assyrians brought in peoples of various regions of Upper and Lower Mesopotamia and settled them in Samaria. There were Babylonians among these peoples who had “Succoth-benoth” as their god (2 Kings 17:30). In non-Biblical sources Sarpanitu occurs as the name of Marduk’s consort; Sarpanitu appears also as Zir-banitu, “seed-creating one.” It is thus possible to observe an etymological similarity between -benoth and -banitu (as well as -panitu); difficulty arises in explaining or relating Succoth to the first element of the Babylonian elements, Sar and Zir. On the basis of limited non-Biblical and Biblical evidence, “Succoth-benoth” appears to be a corruption of Sarpanitu or Zir-banitu. The literal meaning is impossible to determine.

Bibliography J. A. Montgomery, Commentary on Kings, ICC (1951), 473, 474; J. Gray, I and II Kings, “Old Testament Library” (1963), 595.