Their commitment went one way, and then it went the other way. Since El and Dagn are distinct deities, this seeming confusion over Baal's paternity needs explanation. "Whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). They were not committed to the side that they were supposed to be on. Sift through the storied history of ancient Israel. 410; reconstructed text) which after the great "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" presents six other "weather-gods," numbered two through seven. They think that what they are doing is right, but they are deceived. Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. Further, they "followed idols, became idolaters, and . In the mysterious tablets of Ugarit, discovered by Claude Schaeffer, Baal is the God of rain, thunder, and extraordinary bolts of lightning. And one of the most famous instances of Israel going head to head with the prophets of Baal comes from 1 Kings 18. Join the BAS Library today. Ginsberg, Kitvei Ugarit (1936); J. Oberman, Ugaritic Mythology (1948); A.S. Kapelrud, Baal in the Ras Shamra Texts (1952); M. Dahood, in: Studi Semitici, 1 (1958), 7578; N. Habel, Yahweh Versus Baal: A Conflict of Religious Cultures (1964); J. Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. you didnt even mention her horrible daughter Athaliah, the only killer queen 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 ). Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead. Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. There was, therefore, continuity in Sidons population from the Bronze to the Iron Age. The Septuagint (LXX) rendered Joshua, the son of Nun, in Greek as Iesous; the same was used for Christs name in the NT. II Kings 17:7-17 catalogs the sins of Israel: Widespread idolatry. It seemed they couldnt border a single person who didnt try to destroy them or convince them to worship their own gods. How could you worship Baal? But if we dont exercise extreme discernment, we may find ourselves doing the same with modern-day baals. The sum of what Elijah said is actually spiritually dangerous, due to the fact that God is judging. In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. All through the Old Testament, the people of Israel fell into Baal and Asherah worship, and it is no different for us today. (Jeremiah 7:8-10). II Kings 17:5-6 relates the ultimate consequence. . Baal worship was the bane of the Ancient Israelites. If you will not be committed to Him, you are going to die.". What do we know about the religion surrounding this Canaanite deity, and how did it affect those in the Old Testament? Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. The second major background factor that we need to grasp somewhat to read Hosea well is the worship of the Canaanite god Baal (s). 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. The latter name (Amarna, Addu) is to be related to Arabic hadda ("break," "crash") with reference to thunder. Ahab accommodated his wife's idolatry to the point of building a . The practice of Baal worship was wide spread in Bible times and was very evil. 74:1314, 89:910, 93:1ff. One interpretation is that it is a localized occurrence, in the sense of it happening just within the little flockthe church. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? Baal persuaded Asherah to intercede with her husband El, the head of the pantheon, to authorize the construction of a palace. Certainly not those of east Asia. In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. The Laodicean evaluates himself, saying, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17). Nyberg had restored it in Deuteronomy 33:12; I Samuel 2:10; II Samuel 23:1; Isaiah 59:18, 63:7; and Hosea 7:16. Take the word isabel; it can be split as isa bel or as isai bel. Elijah says disturbing things. The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. This viewpoint was developed as the basic and final argument against Baalism. God wants to transform us from people who are bent on pleasing ourselves to people who show concern for others. Updated: 12/07/2022 that the southern kingdom of Judah ever had .just like her momma. They were Phoenicians. If Baal triumphed, a seven-year cycle of fertility would ensue; but, if he were vanquished by Mot, seven years of drought and famine would ensue. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. 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. He is the king of the east and governs an army of 66 legions of demons." Did you catch that? By the time of the prophet Hosea (mid-8th century bce) the antagonism to Baalism was so strong that the use of the term Baal was often replaced by the contemptuous boshet (shame); in compound proper names, for example, Ishbosheth replaced the earlier Ishbaal. It was under the Sol Invictus cult that CHRISTIANITY as a religion BEGAN TO BE ACCEPTED AND GROW, but THERE WAS A BIG PRICE THE EARLY ROMAN CHURCH HAD TO PAY. Various forms of Baal worship are still going on in the Catholic church; even though these pagan idols were incorporated into Catholicism centuries ago, the worship of the sun still exists to this day. That there were minor Baalim also at Ugarit is indicated by a god list in Akkadian (see Ugaritica, 5, p. 44 ll. Since Baal was, like almost all ancient deities, a fertility god, the human act of intercourse demonstrated that they wanted Baal to prosper them. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? In their spiritually unaware state, they will be incredulous at God's punishment for "such a little bit of sin." None of the foolish practices of the heathen could bring the rains; only YHWH could and did (Jer. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. It is not known to what extent the Canaanites considered those various Baalim identical, but the Baal of Ugarit does not seem to have confined his activities to one city, and doubtless other communities agreed in giving him cosmic scope. One would think that, if altars increase during this period of prosperity, then religion is flourishing. Canaanite worship often took place in open-air sites at the tops of hills, referred to in the Bible as "high places." . This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. The combined letters o and e is joined to pronounce the sound ye. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. This chapter reports on the behavior of the people placed in Israel after Israel's conquest and deportation by Assyria between 722-720 BC. Archeological excavations have dated information about Baal back as far as the second millennium BC, and the spread of Baal worship caught fire in Egypt in 1400 BC. They were straddling the fence in a precarious state of imbalance, attempting to combine the worship of God with the more popular worship of Baal and Asherah. Next both Mot and Baal appear reconstituted and reactivated and again in conflict. The Macedonian Cleopatra planned to send her son to India through the Red Sea. When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. When the rain failed, it was inevitable that some would question YHWH's power and resort to Baal. COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604. So-called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. 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. Who Was Baal? She gives life to 70 other gods in the Canaanite pantheon. In Hebrew, it is rendered Yehoshua, and in Aramaic, Yeshua. For example, Christmas and Easter are traditions of men, but they are lies. The bird cannot make up its mind where it wants to settle down, so it just keeps hopping around. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. Note the name of her father, King of the Sidoneans and apparently (Josephus) a priest of Baal as well. These Israelites were lethargic in terms of true, spiritual matters. Ashtoreth is mentioned three times in scripture, in 1 Kings 11:5 & 33, 2 Kings 23:13. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. BAAL WORSHIP AND SEMITIC RACISM This term was used as a title and name of various local deities worshipped as guardians, heroes, and kings. However, God shows there is a possible harmful, secondary effect: As people become financially secure, their attention is diverted from His purpose to vain and unimportant things. In Psalms 48:23, Mount Zion is equated with "the recesses of afon" (the phrase quoted above from Isa. The events leading up to the Day of the Lord will be unmistakable to those with eyes to see. Elijah was sent by God, and he was fulfilling the responsibility of a prophet, to prod the people to whom he was sent to their responsibilities. To become moral, we must kill our selfish egos through the use and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. The building materials, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, were procured and the architect-builder Koshar was invited to dinner and consultation. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". 14:13). They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. 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. The word "Baal" derives from the Semitic stem "bel", meaning "lord". Anyway she changed her mind and sent his son to Libya etc BAAL-WORSHIP AMONG THE GENTILES.The evidence is hardly of such weight as to justify us in speaking of a worship of Baal. If it is of men, it will not work very long. 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). Payment of the full tithe to the food stores of the Temple, some thought, would guarantee that YHWH would open the windows of heaven and pour down overflowing blessings (Mal. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baals own temple in the city of Ugarit. In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications. Either you are going to be committed to Him or not. Because Baal was neither alive nor a moral force, his worshippers felt they could communicate with him only by ritual actions that portrayed what they were asking him to do. . Baal was a false god the feckless Jewish King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, attempted to force upon the nation of Israel during the time of Elijah the prophet (see 1 Kings 18). ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. Assyria, a kingdom known as much for its innovative weapons as for their brutal implementation, conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 718 BC. Notice the dramatic change of attitude in the people. Once Elijah began preaching, their conscience pricked them, and it encouraged them to worship the true God. Silapadikaram, a Tamil Classic, mentions more than 200 musical instruments. Ritual prostitution only served to erode the family, eventually leading to the destruction of the nation. They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. It will be far more terrible than anything ever seen on this earth! 33 Bible Verses about Baal Worship, History So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. Isa. Our god is what we give our lives over to. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova. Because of their self-procured wealth and affluence, they think they are being blessed with material things. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble." (the Middle Bronze Age). He was the god that provided - food - for the people. 3:23). . Elijah's work was to reveal the true God to Israel in a time of growing national crisis. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. 3:8; Ps. They were afraid of God, but they did not really change their way of life. In Tamil Nadu, the following words payachi paarai, Peyazhwar, payans, pai (meaning devil) are currently in use. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. What was the rationale behind this perverse, immoral act? The ancient Tamils had connections with the Syrians and Sidon. 27:1). 29:35, 32:26; Nah. (verses 9-11). 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. Baal is a Canaanite and Phoeniciandeity and the son of the chief god El. Before descending to the realm of death, Baal copulates with a heifer and begets a male offspring. Lastly, he replaced God with golden calves in Bethel and Dan. No doubt, we cant cover the breadth of verses on Baal here, but we should note that Baal becomes a big player in the book of Judges and during the time of the kings when Israel appears to succumb most to the foreign pantheons. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. The laws given to Moses by God expressly forbade the Jews to do what was done in Egypt or in Canaan. 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). Baal was different from his adherents merely in that he was above them. Scott Broberg Fig Tree Ministries. In the mythology of Canaan, Baal, the god of life and fertility, locked in mortal combat with Mot, the god of death and sterility. Baal & Asherah. In spite of the fact that the word is used as the theophorous element in personal names, such as Eshbaal, Merib-Baal, Jerub Baal, it was long believed that the term remained an appellation and did not become a proper name, except in the case of the Mesopotamian Bel and in late theological speculation. a little T-shaped mark that stands for the long-A vowel (like a in father). FREE ebook: Israel: An Archaeological Journey. Baal's abode was Mount apn, identified as Jebel el-Aqra ("Mount Baldy") some 30 mi. 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. But Jezebels religion is not Jewish whereas the religion of the Tamils is more like that of the Jews. For this reason, God shows that the preacher, not the civil authority, is the most vital part of the community. ed., 1965); H.B. Baal Worship JezaBel can be respelLt as JezaVel ~ JezaVAl ~ IezaVAL ~ Isaval-lavi ~ an expert in music. Since you mentioned John baptizing Jesus. So it was in the northern kingdom of Israel after its division from the kingdom of Judah. 55:613; Jer. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baals epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. But it could have existed long before that, when God established the law, including laws against eating pork, since pig slaughter and sacrifice were a hallmark of Baal worship. In contrast, the church has had periods of strength and weakness all throughout its historyit goes through cycles of rallying around truth and then gradually letting it slip. He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. God sends a prophet to people who are cold in their relationship with Godspiritually freezing to deaththough they want to stay that way. The Israelites fell into the worship of this idol(Numbers 25:3,5,18; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10). 2:11; 3:7; 8:33), while the singular of the word in combination with other terms apparently designated minor or local gods, such as Baal-Berith, Baal-Gad, Baal-Hamon, Baal-Hazor, Baal-Hermon, or, in the feminine form, a goddess, Baalat-Beer, Baalat-Gebal. (The suggestion that Jer. His overall conduct may not be too bad, but his poor self-analysis persuades him that he has no urgent need to seek God any further. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. ADD. But their carnality and their fear of men persuaded them to worship Baal, because they wanted to be friends with their fellow Israelites. 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. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. Or about Yahweh? Baal's sister-consort Anath demanded that Mot release her brother. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 spirits. Jer 32:29. The association of the name Baal-Zephon with Israel's exit from Egypt (Ex. 4:12; Hos. Despite Gods efforts to dissuade them, the Israelites engaged with the Canaanite culture a little too much and adopted their practices, including Baal worship. In this article, well discuss what Scripture has to say about Baal, what we know from history about Baal, and why this ultimately matters to us today. All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. In Psalms 89:13 afon and yamin, in parellelism with Tabor and Hermon, hardly designate the directions north and south; yamin is almost certainly a corruption of Amana, the southern portion of the Taurus mountains, the alteration of amanah to yamin being occasioned by the misunderstanding of afon as the direction rather than the name of the holy mountain. For those early Hebrews, Baal designated the Lord of Israel, just as Baal farther north designated the Lord of Lebanon or of Ugarit. It disturbed them. You tricked me." He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. "But there was no voice. 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. Not only do the Jews have to deal with the abomination of Zeus and Antiochus Epiphanes IV (Daniel 8), but the Greek pantheon later gets repeated in the Roman pantheon, and practices from both the Greeks and Romans still exist today. Nevertheless, despite the biblical tendency to avoid the use of the word as a proper name, it is now quite clear that by pre-Israelite times the term had become the usual name of the weather-god of Syria-Palestine. Now the word isai, simply means music in Tamil. Baal worship spread rapidly when the king of Israel, Ahab, married Jezebel, the princess of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31-32). 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). He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. 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. Who were the Sidonians of the Iron Age (c. 1200586 B.C.E.)? 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. It is urgent that we understand what is involved here because it reveals the cause of God's anger that led to Israel's defeat and scattering. You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. 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. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. Only the individual could decide which side he would be on, because Elijah made it clear, "God does not want you the way you are. This god also, apparently according to Canaanite lore, defeated El and had associations with the sun and thunder. Most of them were just saving themselves and making themselves comfortable in their situation. 14:2). (Iron Age) temple. After a textual gap, there is a report that Baal's corpse has been found. The worship of Baal extended in this region to the Jews, Canaanites and the Phoenicians. 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." A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. 131; Sanh. A complex religion with traditions and gods from all over the ancient Middle East, Baal worship offered something for everyone. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. God set up the Levites within Israel to function as the teachers of His way of life, and He sent the prophets as watchdogs on the Levites and civil leaders. Can we stop with the Yahweh pronunciation once and for all? Hope Bolingeris an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, and the author 21+ books. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. Evil practices never go away. There are indications that Baal and other gods and goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon were associated in the minds of their worshipers with certain heavenly bodies. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: And the plague brake in upon them. All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind. Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 26:46). They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. In the Old Testament, many of the kings and eventually the whole nation of Israel rebelled against God and chose opposing belief systems. For a while, both sidesthe Confederate and the Unionaccepted those turncoats and took their information. 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. 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!