1:711). The worship of Baal in Syria-Palestine was inextricably bound to the economy of the land which depends on the regularity and adequacy of the rains. Sidons Storm God. Or about Yahweh? Thus, IF one is to pronounce the Tetragrammaton according to the masoretic vowel-markings, then it should probably be pronounced something like yuh-WAH or yuh-HWAH. Baal was the god of rain, wind, and fertility. Another idea is that it pictures a person shifting his weight from one foot to the other, indicating a degree of lameness. In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. After a sortie against the sea-god, Baal returned to his house and ordered Koshar to install a window; Koshar laughed, reminded Baal of the debate, and complied. What Is Coptic and Who Were the Copts in Ancient Egypt? But what was its real effect on the participants and the nation? This is a prophet's job, a hallmark of a prophet of God. Whether it turns out to be the falling away remains to be seen. Certainly not those of east Asia. This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. Now that He has announced Israel's imminent calamity, God begins to show how His punishment would alter the lives of the people. Of special interest is the designation Aliy (ly) which is twice applied to Baal in the Krt Epic: Before the discovery and recognition of this name in Ugaritic, H.S. The prize of the victory was kingship over the gods and the enthronement ritual guaranteed the natural order of life and the welfare of the society. One of the rooms in this temple had a bench, where offerings would have been placed, and an altar made of . 57 Bull Baal. The word bal, common Semitic for "owner, master, husband," became the usual designation of the great weather-god of the Western Semites. Ugaritic texts tell of other fertility aspects of Baal, such as his relations with Anath, his consort and sister, and also his siring a divine bull calf from a heifer. But not all years are good, and in a bad year, or a series of bad years, when the rains fail, the skies become like iron, the land like brass, and man's toil is futile for the earth will not yield its increase (Lev. Baal's response to Mot's invitation to come and be devoured is abject surrender: "Thy slave am I, thine eternal." And one of the most famous instances of Israel going head to head with the prophets of Baal comes from 1 Kings 18. Molech was another such god. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968); Albright, Arch Rel; S.M. The conflict of Yahwism and Baalism reached a crisis with Elijah's challenge to Baal's prophets to settle the question whether it was Baal or YHWH who really supplied the rain (I Kings 18). It was this Israelite worship of Baal which was challenged by the Hebrew prophet Elijah in his famous conflict with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in I Kings 18, when he challenged the. 28:2); Hezekiah attempted to eliminate it; Manasseh his son again gave it royal support (II Kings 21:3); and Josiah in his turn purged the Temple of YHWH of the utensils made for Baal and Asherah (II Kings 23:4). Revelation 2:14 "THE DOCTRINES OF . Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Jehu's massacre of the Baal worshipers (II Kings 10:1828) did not eradicate bull worship (II Kings 10:31). In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. Worship of Baal was also carried out right on the housetops of the people, from where sacrificial smoke to their god was frequently seen to rise. The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . The most prominent idol that they worshiped was Baal. So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. Sidons Phoenician Temple. Unlike Egypt and Mesopotamia, which depend on irrigation, the Promised Land drinks water from the rain of heaven (Deut. In addition to Baal still influencing religions and pagan practices today, we must take note of what happened to the Israelites and vigilantly watch our churches. The word "Baal" derives from the Semitic stem "bel", meaning "lord". I know the firstborn of Creation through and for Him everything was made would appreciate it! YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree; and there they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations had done whom the LORD had carried away before them." This is exactly what God warns us to flee, and the only way to come out of it is by developing and maturing in our relationship with God. One was 260 days and was used for . A large part of this world's appeal is its offer of financial security. You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. Even now some ancient Jews (white and black) live in Cochin, Kerala, India. Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, Asherah, mother of the gods, was prevailed upon to intercede with El to gain permission for the building. In the Bible, the followers of the one true God encounter other gods, or previously worshipped idols themselves. None of the foolish practices of the heathen could bring the rains; only YHWH could and did (Jer. Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. Hosea exposes the problem between God and Israel. The Hebrew scriptures speak frequently of the Baal of a given place or refers to Baalim in the plural, suggesting the evidence of local deities, or lords, of various locales. The violence and injustice in Israelite society ultimately stemmed from the false teaching proclaimed from the pulpits. Baal, of course, could not talk to them, but if he could, he would probably have said basically the same thing, so the people were in a very uncomfortable situation. Knowledge of Baals personality and functions derives chiefly from a number of tablets uncovered from 1929 onward at Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), in northern Syria, and dating to the middle of the 2nd millennium bce. In some cases, they attempted to attach this practice to worship of the Lord (Ezek 23:39). Although Baal is mentioned almost 100 times in the Bible, he is best known from the narratives of I and II Kings which include the story of the Phoenician princess Jezebel (d. c. 842 BCE), who encouraged his worship, and her struggle with the prophet Elijah, champion of the cult of Yahweh. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. He is the king of the east and governs an army of 66 legions of demons." Did you catch that? Baal was a god of prosperity, god of harvest, sex and fertility. Paul, in: Biblica, 49 (1968), 3436; U. Oldenburg, The Conflict Between El and Bal in Canaanite Religion (1969). Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. While it is acceptable to say that it was in what is now Jordan, to point to a particular cave and say, This is it. is ridiculous. Baal was considered the supreme. The building materials, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, were procured and the architect-builder Koshar was invited to dinner and consultation. Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. Claude Doumet-Serhal of the British Museum details recent excavations at Sidon in her article SidonCanaans Firstborn, published in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. JezaBel can be respelLt as JezaVel ~ JezaVAl ~ IezaVAL ~ Isaval-lavi ~ an expert in music. Alternate titles: Baal Shamen, Baal Shemin, Baalim. This life-and-death struggle pitted the worship of Baal against the worship of Jehovah. He awakens them to their spiritual and moral responsibilities. While much about Molech's nature and origin are uncertain, the Bible mentions Molech on eight occasions, providing some context regarding the problems associated with this ancient god. We may not sacrifice our children on altars for everyone to see; instead, we sacrifice them behind closed doors at a doctor's . 26:46). When religion is ungodly, its power is destructive, and every institution in the nation suffers. Doumet-Serhal explains the significance of the handles iconography: The dragon epitomizes the most fundamental ancient mythical perception of the Mesopotamian storm god. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. For instance, Hezekiahs son rebuilds the shrines of Baal and the Canaanite goddess Asherah that Hezekiah had torn down: He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. And Asherah and Baal led the way together (Judges 3:7, 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 23:4). Christ's purpose is to cure, not merely to comfort, so pain will be often involved when dealing with a prophet. Baal in Smith's Bible Dictionary Baal (2) the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Despite having the power and support of the king of Israel and his . They become "settled on their lees," as it says in Zephaniah 1:12. A religion with such a beginning was doomed to fail, bringing the nation down with it. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. Join the BAS Library today. Gray, The Legacy of Canaan (rev. In popular and syncretistic religion in Israel, Yahweh could be equated with both El and Baal. Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. That there were minor Baalim also at Ugarit is indicated by a god list in Akkadian (see Ugaritica, 5, p. 44 ll. a little T-shaped mark that stands for the long-A vowel (like a in father). In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. The triumph of Baal recounted in the myths and perhaps reenacted in ritual drama gave assurance of help in the present and the future as in the past. The Canaanites worshiped Baal as the sun god and as the storm godhe is usually depicted holding a lightning boltwho defeated enemies and produced crops. The basis for this view was the fact that in biblical usage the plural of the term, with the article, "the Baalim," appears to designate minor local gods (Judg. El is praised for his wisdom in granting the request since now it is insured that Baal will give his rain in season. linked to Molech (also called Milcom in the Bible). All Rights Reserved. Baal is a Canaanite and Phoeniciandeity and the son of the chief god El. Learn about the Canaanite-Phoenician deities who were called Baal, which means Lord. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. We are seeing the same thing today, but at times, it is harder to recognize because we are accustomed to it, and it is not happening overnight. The Sovereign Creator is not a God who allows His favor to be bought with crumbs. He was the god that provided - food - for the people. Either you are going to be committed to Him or not. Isai is music in Tamil and Vallavi means an expert. In mythological texts from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 B.C.E) city-state of Ugarit, she is called "the creatress of the gods"; her consort at Ugarit, the god El, is . Thus in any year anxiety about the rainfall would be a continuing concern of the inhabitants which would suffice to give rise to rites to ensure the coming of the rains. Recall God's wrath when Aaron made a golden calf at the urging of the Israelites in the wilderness and proclaimed a feast to the Lord (Exodus 32:1-5). This connects with the curse of Laodiceanism because God shows in the Laodiceans what can happen spiritually as people increase materially. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. The Baal-worship so often alluded to and described in Holy Writ might, perhaps, be better styled Cid-worship, moon-worship, Melek ()-worship, or Hadad-worship, according to places and circumstances.Many of the practices mentioned were most probably common to the worship . This chapter reports on the behavior of the people placed in Israel after Israel's conquest and deportation by Assyria between 722-720 BC. The worship of Baal penetrated Jewish religious life during the period of the Judges ( Judges 3:7 ), became common in Israel during the rule of Ahab ( 1 Kings 16:31-33 ), and also influenced Judah ( 2 Chronicles 28:1-2 ). There was, therefore, continuity in Sidons population from the Bronze to the Iron Age. They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. Learn more about Biblical Sidon and Sidonian religion in Claude Doumet-Serhals article SidonCanaans Firstborn in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Isaiah 14:13 alludes to this divine abode as "the Mount of Assembly in the recesses of afon" (har moed be-yarkete afon), the latter phrase being the equivalent of Ugaritic mrym pn or rrt pn, the height or fastness of apn. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. And she has taken over many so-called churches. Anyway she changed her mind and sent his son to Libya etc The Bible speaks of the destruction of Baal's temples and the idols associated with him. Baal was simply the title (literally, Lord) of the pagan god Molech. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). The songs of His Temple would ordinarily be happy and joyous songs of praise to God, but He will turn the songs of their templesung to Baal in the name of the Lordto wailing, for the numbers of the dead will be unimaginable. Indeed, throughout its history, the most important god at Sidon was the storm godknown during the Phoenician period as Baal or Bel. This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. Most modern translations use "false," "deceitful," or "faithless," and none of these are wrong, including "divided." north of Ugarit. For those early Hebrews, Baal designated the Lord of Israel, just as Baal farther north designated the Lord of Lebanon or of Ugarit. Such evil cunning. In the books of Kings and Chronicles, we can read the record of a given king who turned away from God and served the Baals, and the foolishness sounds quick and casual because we are reading a summary. Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." In Hebrew, it is rendered Yehoshua, and in Aramaic, Yeshua. (From Forerunner Commentary). Baal & Asherah. ; Job 3:8, 7:12, 9:13, 26:1213, 38:811, 40:25). The actual worship of Ba'al was carried out in terms of imitative magic whereby sexual acts by both male and female temple prostitutes were understood to arouse Ba'al who then brought rain to make Mother Earth fertile (in some forms of the myth, represented by a female consort, Asherah or Astarte). Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: And the plague brake in upon them. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. For example, Christmas and Easter are traditions of men, but they are lies. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. At one point in A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton, he deals with soldiers who left the service of their armyeither the Confederate army or the Union army. Baal's sister-consort Anath demanded that Mot release her brother. Perhaps the clearest example of this is Jeremiah, who moaned and complained to God, "This is more difficult than You ever told me it would be. Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). The ancient Tamils had connections with the Syrians and Sidon. Child sacrifice was a fundamental aspect of Baal worship. Before we explore what Scripture says about Baal, lets establish a brief depiction of the Canaanite deity. They simply evolve. However, before the war was over, both sides were summarily executing anybody who did this because those traitors could not be trusted. Baal was different from his adherents merely in that he was above them. As an example, notice Amos 2:6-7, where Amos chides the Israelites: ". The Devil is behind a. Asherah was a fertility goddess. . God's difference from us is that He is holy; He is moral and we are immoral. The Canaanites worshiped Baal as the sun god and as the storm godhe is usually depicted holding a lightning boltwho defeated enemies and produced crops. Updates? guilty of adopting the ghastly Canaanite practice of child sacrifice. They were primarily devoted to the worship of Baal and Asherah (or Asherim, Asheroth). Ashtar the Awful (ttrr) was then nominated to replace Baal, but when he ascended the throne, his feet did not reach the footstool nor his head the top and so he declined to reign on the heights of apn and descended from Baal's throne, but ruled over all El's earth. was furnished by Harvard University excavations in the form of personal names containing Baal as the theophorous element, such as bybl, "Baal is my father," bl zmr, "Baal sings" or "Baalis strong," bl zkr, "Baal remembers," bl mny, "Baal is my answer," etc. Issuing a challenge to his enemy Mot (death), who presumed to rule gods and men, Baal dispatched his messengers to Mot's infernal, filthy abode, warning them not to get close to Mot's rapacious jaws. In exchange, they would offer information about their unit. Today, music performers entice young and old in the practice of the worship of Baal-Peor Scholars previously associated the theonym with solar cults and with a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions have . The tablets, although closely attached to the worship of Baal at his local temple, probably represent Canaanite belief generally. Valimai means strengh, or force or weight. 25:111; Ps. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism#Full-body_immersion_.28Tvilah.29, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_to_Judaism. I appreciate your consideration, and Im sure the Most High does as well! Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 11:1011). Most often, it condemns Baal worship. Baal persuaded Asherah to intercede with her husband El, the head of the pantheon, to authorize the construction of a palace. Ahab accommodated his wife's idolatry to the point of building a . Corrections? They were afraid of God, but they did not really change their way of life. (Jeremiah 7:8-10). Yet such fluidity in the use of the term baal did not prevent it from being attached to a god of distinct character. 1:21), would be catastrophic. God's first command to destroy any forms of idol worship came early in the Bible in Exodus 34:13. . We need to be reminded of it because it can have a detrimental effect on us. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. After a textual gap, there is a report that Baal's corpse has been found. He did not like the position God put him in. The name Baal in the Bible is most commonly associated with the Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility, the rain, the sun, and the storm. . The lesson for us becomes clear, because Jesus says the same thing (Matthew 6:24; 12:25). that the southern kingdom of Judah ever had .just like her momma. Reuben Alcalay, a famous Hebrew lexicographer, stated that Yehoshua is closely related to Let there be So, lets be intellectually honest and start using the proper English translation: Joshua. The eschatological traits were taken over with the Canaanite myths. Who Was Baal? What was the rationale behind this perverse, immoral act? (the Iron Age). Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Despite Gods efforts to dissuade them, the Israelites engaged with the Canaanite culture a little too much and adopted their practices, including Baal worship. *Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR". Updated: 12/07/2022 Today,. And that happened with the Canaanites and Baal. Assyria, a kingdom known as much for its innovative weapons as for their brutal implementation, conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. The word bel can be transformed into vel or val. The worship of Moloch, which was practiced at a special site (outside the walls of Jerusalem in the valley of Ben-Hinnom) called Topheth, became firmly established in the time of King Manasseh, his son Amon, and at the beginning of Josiah's reign. The latest archaeological discoveries shed light on Biblical Sidon and provide a window into the Sidonians polytheistic religion and worship practices during the Bronze and Iron Ages. "They built for themselves high places in all their cities . Baal's resurrection followed Mot's demise, the good news being transmitted through a dream of El: The fields were still parched from the drought and again Anath and Shapsh set out to find Baal. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. The Assyrians deported the population en masse from its homeland in Canaan, transplanting it virtually in toto to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. Jews nowadays say Ha-Shem [i.e. This is not brand new, but it is picking up speed. Smith, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (1994). Your email address will not be published. There was tremendous evil to overcome. Baal Worship Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Israel "feared other gods" (verse 7). If you will not be committed to Him, you are going to die.". In the Hebrew language, Baal as a noun means "lord or possessor." As a verb, it means "to have dominion over or be lord over." Additionally, the local deity (near Israel) "Baal," was a god of rain and fertility. In other words, God is saying that He was driven to defeat and scatter Israel because they were guilty of exactly the same sin as the Samaritans! 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova.