Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. 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. The Israelites displayed a pandemic failure to love their fellow man. Gen. 41; II Sam. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Their spiritual lethargy for the true God made them uncommitted. Observing Christmas and Easter in the name of Christ is no different. THIS IS A PROFILE OF PRACTICES, DOCTRINES, AND SYMBOLS OF BAAL WORSHIP . 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. The practice of Baal worship was wide spread in Bible times and was very evil. YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. This is God's way of showing that Israel abused its prosperity: It used its prosperity for the purposes of idolatry. He was also king of the gods, and, to achieve that position, he was portrayed as seizing the divine kingship from Yamm, the sea god. In popular and syncretistic religion in Israel, Yahweh could be equated with both El and Baal. All Rights Reserved. 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). The Devil is behind a. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. l, b . 33 Bible Verses about Baal Worship, History So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. So the word Poeni can be rewritten as Peyeni or as Payani or as Payan. Archaeologists at Sidon have uncovered a 12th11th-century B.C.E. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. A series of bad years, which were apparently believed to come in seven-year cycles (cf. 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. 1:4; Hab. Molech was another such god. Asherah, mother of the gods, was prevailed upon to intercede with El to gain permission for the building. In Psalms 48:23, Mount Zion is equated with "the recesses of afon" (the phrase quoted above from Isa. Portions of ancient Baal liturgy were adapted to the praise of Israel's God, as the Ugaritic poems have shown. 13:2) such as Baal himself performed in the Ugaritic myth are depicted in the prophetic tirades. 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. You tricked me." . Either you are going to be committed to Him or not. John W. Ritenbaugh 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. Yet, he was in trouble his whole life, from his teenage years on. Sidon is the birth place of Jezabel. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. However, God still holds them responsible because the truth is available. By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14). The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. Worshipers of Baal Killed. Jews nowadays say Ha-Shem [i.e. Today, some evangelicals attempt to prepare the people for what is to come, but their teaching is a mixture of right and wrong. Baal was considered the supreme. In exchange, they would offer information about their unit. The Septuagint (LXX) referred to the latter as a stranger [in the land]. What do we know about the religion surrounding this Canaanite deity, and how did it affect those in the Old Testament? This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity, McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Baal, Baal - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Baal's abode was Mount apn, identified as Jebel el-Aqra ("Mount Baldy") some 30 mi. Ahaz fostered Baal worship (II Chron. In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. Baal was the god of rain, wind, and fertility. Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. God sends a prophet to people who are cold in their relationship with Godspiritually freezing to deaththough they want to stay that way. Despite having the power and support of the king of Israel and his . A god Baal apn was known from Egyptian and Akkadian sources before the discovery of the Ugaritic documents. Today Baal churches preach and teach Baal doctrines; prosperity, harvest, sex and fertility. Whoever is missing shall not live.". And that happened with the Canaanites and Baal. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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! This corrupt blending of a holy God with a pagan goddess became part of everyday religious practice, which is why evil king Manasseh put an Asherah pole . Jer 32:29. One of the rooms in this temple had a bench, where offerings would have been placed, and an altar made of piled and unhewn stones, which recalls the Biblical command to make altars of uncut stones (see Exodus 20:25). In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal's epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. The Bible is full of colorful characters, from Noah to Moses to Jesus. 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). They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. The only trouble is that people like to feel comfortable in moral mediocrity. I appreciate your consideration, and Im sure the Most High does as well! 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). He sends someone long before the real crisis reaches its peak, while it is building. A vivid description of theophany in a thunderstorm is found in Psalms 18:715 (= II Sam. They see themselves as following the way of God, but their religion has deceived them by failing to teach them His truth. 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. Because of their self-procured wealth and affluence, they think they are being blessed with material things. 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. Further, they "followed idols, became idolaters, and . 14:2). He is a loving Master who only is to be obeyed and servedand only on His terms. In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. a little T-shaped mark that stands for the long-A vowel (like a in father). He is often accused of causing their pain. In this regard, Elijah was a type of John the Baptist, and Elisha, a type of Christ. Thus, according to Sakkunyaton, Baal's natural father was Ouranos and Dagn became his foster-father, while El-Kronos effected the transfer. Baal persuaded Asherah to intercede with her husband El, the head of the pantheon, to authorize the construction of a palace. He is the king of the east and governs an army of 66 legions of demons." Did you catch that? Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 spirits. The Aztec people used two calendars. According to the Bible, centers of worship for Canaanite gods such as Molech and the Baal's were set up in Judah and Israel by apostate kings. 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. 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. An example of Israel going after Baal leads to their loss of direction and, ultimately, scattering at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. 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. The events leading up to the Day of the Lord will be unmistakable to those with eyes to see. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. Or about Yahweh? As an example, notice Amos 2:6-7, where Amos chides the Israelites: ". . 1:21), would be catastrophic. This time, Baal puts up a fight and holds Mot off in battle. The Name] instead of prouncing the YHWH word even though the Masoretes added the sheva below the Y and the Qamats below the W. Blending the lies of this world with the truth of God produces a foul mixture called syncretism (James 3:10-13). The building materials, gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, were procured and the architect-builder Koshar was invited to dinner and consultation. 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. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. 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. 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. Meaning of Jezebel: This word can be also pronounced as Isabel. So it was in the northern kingdom of Israel after its division from the kingdom of Judah. The combined letters o and e is joined to pronounce the sound ye. A third is that he is describing somebody teetering on a tightrope and trying to maintain his balance. Did the Ancient Israelites Think Children Were People. 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 ). Baal rejoiced and celebrated with a banquet. ed., 1965); H.B. . because they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals. The prophet Haggai attributed the drought and scarcity in his day to the failure to rebuild the Temple (Hag. Our god is what we give our lives over to. Baal is a Canaanite and Phoeniciandeity and the son of the chief god El. He awakens them to their spiritual and moral responsibilities. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? Through the window, a cleft in the clouds, Baal gave forth his holy voice which convulsed the earth and sent his enemies scurrying to the hills and woods. 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. What will happen will affect the entire world, even though the world will not grasp the spiritual significance. In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. 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. Sidon was well connected by trade by the traders of the Pandya kingdom of Tamil Nadu. With Baal's functions accredited to YHWH, it was natural and fitting that some of Baal's titles would also be taken over. The Semitic original of this name has been recognized in one of Baal's names in Ugaritic: (The name is to be connected with the root dmr, "be strong, brave," and is probably the same as that of Abraham's son Zimrn (damarn), the -n afformative being preserved in the genitive case of the Greek form Demarountos). 33:7) has been made the basis of intriguing speculation by Eissfeldt. At Shittim they attached themselves to Baal-Peor, ate sacrifices for the dead, and indulged in sacred sexual orgies (Num. There is no doubt that prosperity is good, but unless one is properly focused and disciplined, it can also be a demanding master because of its power to distract one into idolatry. 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. He was to be an aid in getting them from their state of being merely "churched" to that of being truly religious and servants of the Most High God. When religion is ungodly, its power is destructive, and every institution in the nation suffers. The written form Moloch (in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament), or Molech (Hebrew), is the word Melech or king, transformed by interposing the vowels of bosheth or 'shameful thing'. Our nation has embraced the old ancient paganism that we read about in the Bible. 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 first mention of Molech is in Leviticus 18:21 in which the . Ashtoreth is mentioned three times in scripture, in 1 Kings 11:5 & 33, 2 Kings 23:13. Historical Background of HoseaBaal and Idolatry. "Christian" religions of this world have mixed the traditions of paganism with some of the truth of God's Word. In the Bible, Baal (also rendered Baal) was an important Canaanite god, often portrayed as the primary enemy of the Hebrew God Yahweh. Everything Joshua* (Yehoshua) did was in accordance with the TaNaKh, which is an acrostic for Torah (=Law/Instruction), Neviim (=Prophets), and Ketuvim (=Writings). Once Elijah began preaching, their conscience pricked them, and it encouraged them to worship the true God. More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications. Baal Worship The Battle for the Israelites' Hearts For nearly a thousand years, a battle raged for the hearts of the Israelite nation. He was the god that provided - food - for the people. 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. Recall the mention in Hosea 10:1 of increasing and embellishing altars just before Israel fell to Assyria. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. She's most famously the mother of Baal, another god who shows up throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites stray after other idols. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God. In a normal good year, when the rains come in due season, there is no hiatus in productivity, for the land yields its increase, the trees produce their fruit, the threshing overlaps, the vintage overlaps the sowing, and there is food aplenty, prosperity, and peace (Lev. Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Texts (1965), 174; W.F. 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. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. For those who think the baptism of John (Yochanan) was something new under the sun recall that he was a Levite as was his father Zechariah (Tsekharya). Given Sidons position on the coast, it is not surprising that the storm god is Sidons most important god. Revelation 2:14 "THE DOCTRINES OF . For those early Hebrews, Baal designated the Lord of Israel, just as Baal farther north designated the Lord of Lebanon or of Ugarit. They used the name of God frequently, saying they trusted Him, but they filled the nation with stealing, lying, and murder. 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. Valimai means strengh, or force or weight. 22:816). The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. 7:1416). Whatever the case, there is no doubt about Elijah's intent: "How long will you keep shifting from one opinion to the other?" He then merely floats, going through the motions, even feeling good about himself as he neglects so great salvation (Hebrews 2:3). 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. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. Sacred sex was a key component. COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604. Note the name of her father, King of the Sidoneans and apparently (Josephus) a priest of Baal as well. Join the BAS Library today. 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. Baal worship is something I associated only with Old Testament Bible days. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? Nevertheless, he was still faithful, and he did his job. Did the Carthaginians Really Practice Infant Sacrifice? So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. Elijah is quite instructive here. 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. Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. But church is where we come to have our minds stretched and measured against Christ's standard.