Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The Lord calls for the worship of him and his idols to be uprooted and destroyed, and for the people to turn away from his false . Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. And of all the foreign gods the Israelites came into contact with, they appeared to struggle the most with worshipping this one. 26:1920). 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. So the word Poeni can be rewritten as Peyeni or as Payani or as Payan. That Baal appears to be a relative newcomer in the Ugaritic pantheon has been generally recognized, and it may be that Sakkhunyaton's story about Baal's paternity reflects a mythologizing of the process by which Baal was integrated into the family of El. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. The basis of all immorality is selfishness, the exact opposite of what God is. All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. 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). Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. . A prophet's life is not a happy situation. . What was the rationale behind this perverse, immoral act? This is typical Israeliltish syncretism, but it will not work. Baal's 450 prophets worked themselves into a frenzy, cutting themselves, dancing, and chanting to their god. Matthew 5:17Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Most often, it condemns Baal worship. 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. He is a loving Master who only is to be obeyed and servedand only on His terms. He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. *Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and WORSHIPPED AND SERVED THE CREATURE MORE THAN THE CREATOR". Drought and the Fall of the Hittite Empire. The first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. The god of arts and crafts, Kothar, then proceeded to build for Baal the most beautiful of palaces which spread over an area of 10,000 acres. This time, Baal puts up a fight and holds Mot off in battle. 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. Who Was Baal? 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! A general understanding about the bamah and . Extra-biblical evidence for the flourishing Baal cult at Samaria in the ninth and eighth centuries B.C.E. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. When a person is freezing to death, he feels a pleasant numbness that he does not want to end. He could, and did, withhold the rain from one city and lavish it on another (Amos 4:7). 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. Virtually all reference to Baal's consort, the violent "Virgin Anath" with whom Baal copulates by the thousand in one of the Ugaritic mythological fragments has been excluded from the Bible, but the goddesses Ashtart (Judg. Further, they "followed idols, became idolaters, and . Gen. 41; II Sam. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. Sacred sex was a key component. 106 a ). Some scholars believe that the Canaanites also sacrificed pigs and that God prohibited his people from eating pork in part to prevent this horrible cult from being established among them. The name "Baal" shows up seven times in Hosea (2:8, 2:13, 2:16, 2:17 . After a textual gap, there is a report that Baal's corpse has been found. When the rain failed, it was inevitable that some would question YHWH's power and resort to Baal. The Largest Baal Worship Service on the Planet is in America August 27, 2017 by Andy Roman "They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." Daniel 5:4. 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. Learn about the Canaanite-Phoenician deities who were called Baal, which means Lord. Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. Elijah prepared the way for Elisha, who had a double portion of Elijah's spirit and did many more miracles. FREE ebook: Israel: An Archaeological Journey. a little T-shaped mark that stands for the long-A vowel (like a in father). Scholars previously associated the theonym with solar cults and with a variety of unrelated patron deities, but inscriptions have . Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? Israel "walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel." They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. The word "Baal" derives from the Semitic stem "bel", meaning "lord". What made the very name Baal anathema to the Israelites was the program of Jezebel, in the 9th century bce, to introduce into Israel her Phoenician cult of Baal in opposition to the official worship of Yahweh (I Kings 18). In the mythology of Canaan, Baal, the god of life and fertility, locked in mortal combat with Mot, the god of death and sterility. Paul, in: Biblica, 49 (1968), 3436; U. Oldenburg, The Conflict Between El and Bal in Canaanite Religion (1969). 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 Septuagint (LXX) rendered Joshua, the son of Nun, in Greek as Iesous; the same was used for Christs name in the NT. They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. Molech was an ancient god worshiped by the people neighboring Israel during Old Testament times. Baal worship also included, at times, child sacrifice, which we see some Israelite kings engaging with later on. They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. (the Middle Bronze Age), this impressed handle depicts a ship and a leonine dragon, which is the symbol of the Mesopotamian storm god Adad. So it was in the northern kingdom of Israel after its division from the kingdom of Judah. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. The violence and injustice in Israelite society ultimately stemmed from the false teaching proclaimed from the pulpits. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. Our nation has embraced the old ancient paganism that we read about in the Bible. Jesus says, "They are blind leaders of the blind. That there were minor Baalim also at Ugarit is indicated by a god list in Akkadian (see Ugaritica, 5, p. 44 ll. Combine a one-year tablet and print subscription to BAR with membership in the BAS Library to start your journey into the ancient past today! This shows that the Egyptian Cleopatra had maritime connections with the ancient Kerala Tamils. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. Baal Worship Even those who have vaguely heard of the name Baal in the Bible know it doesnt have a good connotation. 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 Sidonians were the inhabitants of ancient Sidon, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea in modern Lebanon. The cosmic character of afon leads to its use as a synonym for "sky" in Job 26:7: "who stretched out afon on emptiness who suspended earth on naught." They clash violently until both are prostrate and the Sungoddess warns Mot not to fight with Baal lest El hear and overthrow him. 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. you didnt even mention her horrible daughter Athaliah, the only killer queen that the southern kingdom of Judah ever had .just like her momma. From Easton's Bible Dictionary:Baal-peor: lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Numbers 25:3; 31:16; Joshua 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. What happens if a person, trying to establish a religion, mixes falsehood with the truth of God? For a while, both sidesthe Confederate and the Unionaccepted those turncoats and took their information. Before we explore what Scripture says about Baal, lets establish a brief depiction of the Canaanite deity. 55:613; Jer. But when a falling away happens around us, perhaps even beginning before we were born, it is easy for our minds to adjust to the point that we almost forget the continuing rebellion against God and His way. Historical Background of HoseaBaal and Idolatry. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. Kings Ahaz and Manasseh, Elijah says disturbing things. Now the word isai, simply means music in Tamil. 3:10; cf. Did the Ancient Israelites Think Children Were People. In the first encounter, Baal is invited to a banquet at which he is to be both guest and main course. 4. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. They simply evolve. Corrections? Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. A solution has been supplied by a tradition ascribed to the ancient Phoenician priest Sakkunyaton (Greek Sanchuniathn) that when El-Kronos defeated Ouranos, he captured in the battle Ouranos' pregnant concubine and gave her to Dagn. "But there was no voice. What will happen will affect the entire world, even though the world will not grasp the spiritual significance. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. The Laodicean evaluates himself, saying, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17). A frequent epithet is "Cloud Rider" (rkb rpt) which has an almost identical parallel in Psalms 68:5. Paul is not writing about apostasy in a small group of people that will give rise to an international personality, but an event on the world scene that creates the right environment to catapult this figure, backed by the power of Satan, to the heights of power. He is often accused of causing their pain. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th-11th-century B.C.E. They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. 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 Psalms 48:23, Mount Zion is equated with "the recesses of afon" (the phrase quoted above from Isa. The association of the name Baal-Zephon with Israel's exit from Egypt (Ex. Moffatt renders this, "They worshipped the Eternal, and they also served their own gods.". They become "settled on their lees," as it says in Zephaniah 1:12. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). Today,. The latter title has a biblical echo in the corrupted form Baal-Zebub (II Kings 1:2ff. (The suggestion that Jer. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/ggenova. Tamil is connected with the Phoenician. The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. The Israelites "caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger" (verse 17). One would think that, if altars increase during this period of prosperity, then religion is flourishing. God's first command to destroy any forms of idol worship came early in the Bible in Exodus 34:13. . If the rains failed and drought and death came upon the land and people, it was not because Mot had mangled Baal and made the glowing sun-goddess destructive; it was rather YHWH's way of meting out merited punishment to a faithless and sinful people (Deut. Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. Next both Mot and Baal appear reconstituted and reactivated and again in conflict. These people, who became known as the Samaritans, feared the Lord but worshipped their own gods. The Name] instead of prouncing the YHWH word even though the Masoretes added the sheva below the Y and the Qamats below the W. Immorality lies in the desire of men to live self-centered lives independent of God, as when Adam and Eve took of the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:1-19). But God. Elijah's work was to reveal the true God to Israel in a time of growing national crisis. 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. Dated to c. 1750 B.C.E. The bird cannot make up its mind where it wants to settle down, so it just keeps hopping around. 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. If you will not be committed to Him, you are going to die.". This god also, apparently according to Canaanite lore, defeated El and had associations with the sun and thunder. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Because of their self-absorption, God's "sudden" punishment will stun the people of the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and the other nations of modern Israel, including some members of the true church. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. Essentially, the Phoenicians were the Canaanites who survived from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age and who were not supplanted by new people groups (Philistines, Israelites, etc.). Depending on the tradition, she was either Baal's mother, lover, or both. The heyday of Baal worship in Israel came in the days of Elijah, when the Phoenician princess Jezebel launched a massive campaign to promote Baal. Who were the Sidonians, and what do we know about their religion? Apostasy is a defection from trutha forsaking of one spiritual approach in favor of another. He is the king of the east and governs an army of 66 legions of demons." Did you catch that? The sequel to this action is furnished by the group of texts which recount Baal's confrontations with Mot. He just goes to sleep as he is freezing to death. Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. (From Forerunner Commentary). In the parallel Ugaritic list, which is unfortunately very fragmentary, the "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" apparently corresponds to Baal apn, while those following are termed simply Baalim (blm). Today Baal churches preach and teach Baal doctrines; prosperity, harvest, sex and fertility. In distress some would naturally revert to the old ways of reviving or reactivating the rain-god prayer, mourning, self-laceration, dancing, and water-pouring (I Kings 18:2628; Hos. The Spread of Baalism. Whether it turns out to be the falling away remains to be seen. . Baal was the title of the "god" worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. Baal is also referred to about 12 times as "the Rider of the Clouds" which undoubtedly testifies to his control over the rain and storms. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 10:1113; 14:22). This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. Yet, he was in trouble his whole life, from his teenage years on. Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." Since Baal was, like almost all ancient deities, a fertility god, the human act of intercourse demonstrated that they wanted Baal to prosper them. Asherah, along with Astarte and Anath, was one of the three great goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon. In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. The prophet Haggai attributed the drought and scarcity in his day to the failure to rebuild the Temple (Hag. Baal's house was constructed in an extraordinary fashion. 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. Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. Not a BAS Library member yet? BAAL-WORSHIP AMONG THE GENTILES.The evidence is hardly of such weight as to justify us in speaking of a worship of Baal. In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. They see themselves as following the way of God, but their religion has deceived them by failing to teach them His truth. Paul, then, is letting the church know that it need not be concerned about missing the end time. I prefer transliterating the sheva with [*] rather than any other English vowel letter, so I prefer Y*HWaH to YuHWaH or to YaHWeH, for that matter. Everything Joshua* (Yehoshua) did was in accordance with the TaNaKh, which is an acrostic for Torah (=Law/Instruction), Neviim (=Prophets), and Ketuvim (=Writings). 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. 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. He views them as personally rejecting Him and His Word. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. "Whatever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). El and Anath mourn violently, mutilating their faces and bodies. 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. One was 260 days and was used for . This describes to a T what Israel did then and their descendants are continuing to do today. . Elijah is quite instructive here. Groves and high places were places of worship erected to Canaanite gods and goddesses. Baal's abode was Mount apn, identified as Jebel el-Aqra ("Mount Baldy") some 30 mi. Ashtoreth is mentioned three times in scripture, in 1 Kings 11:5 & 33, 2 Kings 23:13. Hope Bolingeris an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, and the author 21+ books. 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. The Kingdom of Israel fell below the historian's radar. 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) Molech was another such god. With Baal's functions accredited to YHWH, it was natural and fitting that some of Baal's titles would also be taken over. Second was passing their babies through the fire. Blending the lies of this world with the truth of God produces a foul mixture called syncretism (James 3:10-13). The Semitic word "baal" (meaning '"Lord") was also used to refer to various deities of the Levant. Today, some evangelicals attempt to prepare the people for what is to come, but their teaching is a mixture of right and wrong. This Bible History Daily Article was first published in 2017, British Museum Excavations at Sidon Expose Millennia of History, The Phoenician Alphabet in Archaeology by Josephine Quinn. (verse 8). Ahaz fostered Baal worship (II Chron. Possibly even more treacherous than this was a parallel development: mixing the worship of Yahweh and Baal. 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. 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). He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. ; Job 3:8, 7:12, 9:13, 26:1213, 38:811, 40:25). Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Texts (1965), 174; W.F. Gray, The Legacy of Canaan (rev. In those God calls outthose who, by faith, will voluntarily yield to HimHe is building character based on outgoing love. Though it hurts, the pain is indicative of rescue and cure. 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. Or about Yahweh? All through the Old Testament, the people of Israel fell into Baal and Asherah worship, and it is no different for us today. Further, in biblical usage when applied to the great weather-god, the singular regularly has the article, "the Baal," which suggests that the word was not regarded as a proper name. 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. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. 27:1). 14:2). The ancient Tamils had connections with the Syrians and Sidon. Baal Worship The Battle for the Israelites' Hearts For nearly a thousand years, a battle raged for the hearts of the Israelite nation. The prophet comes along and troubles people by awakening them to their sins, making them feel guilty about their relationships with God and each other. What is so interesting is that, by verse 35, it is clear God is no longer addressing Himself to the Samaritans, but to Israel: [T]he LORD had made a covenant and charged [Israel], saying: "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; but the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. Your email address will not be published. They used the name of God frequently, saying they trusted Him, but they filled the nation with stealing, lying, and murder. And she has taken over many so-called churches. 1:21), would be catastrophic. This viewpoint was developed as the basic and final argument against Baalism. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead. Updates? A major question about II Thessalonians 2 is the scope of the described events. 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). It may be, however, that these extra Baalim are Baal's attendants, mentioned as the seven or eight lads whom Baal is ordered to take with him in his descent into the netherworld. They were Phoenicians. This is God's way of showing that Israel abused its prosperity: It used its prosperity for the purposes of idolatry. Burning incense, worship of the sun, moon, astrology, and ancestor worship are all earmarks of the Baal religion. Although they lived in Israel, Jezebel and her retainers were free to worship Baal. But Jezebels religion is not Jewish whereas the religion of the Tamils is more like that of the Jews. His ministry took place about 150 years before Israel was to fall, becoming the Lost Ten Tribes, so God was beginning to make a powerful witness to them.