TARTAK . An idol introduced by the Avvites into Samaria when Sargon of Assyria transported them thither ( 2 Kings 17:31 ). This deity is mentioned along with another called Nibhaz , and, according to the Babylonian Talmud, was worshipped in the form of an ass. In Assyro-Babylonian mythology no such deity is at present provable; moreover, the geographical position of the Avvites is uncertain, and their city may have been in one of the western States of Asia. The Greek text ‘A’ replaces Tartak by Naibas , but this may be merely a corruption of Nibhaz .
T. G. Pinches.