TARTAN . The title borne by two Assyr. [Note: Assyrian.] officers, one of whom was sent by Sargon to Ashdod ( Isaiah 20:1 ), while the other, with the Rab-saris and the Rab-shakeh , was sent by Sennacherib to demand from Hezekiah the surrender of Jerusalem ( 2 Kings 18:17 ). The word is a transcription in Heb. of the Assyr. [Note: Assyrian.] tartânu or turtânu , the title borne by the commander-in-chief of the army.
L. W. King.