Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. 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. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. Even those who have vaguely heard of the name Baal in the Bible know it doesnt have a good connotation. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. 26:1920). At the foundation of every community is a way of life that its people live and teach their children. . God sends a prophet to people who are cold in their relationship with Godspiritually freezing to deaththough they want to stay that way. When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. Most often, it condemns Baal worship. 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. 6:30; II Kings 16:3233) are associated with him. YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. This is not brand new, but it is picking up speed. Today Baal churches preach and teach Baal doctrines; prosperity, harvest, sex and fertility. God wants to transform us from people who are bent on pleasing ourselves to people who show concern for others. 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). Rejection of God's Law. 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) There was tremendous evil to overcome. Ahab accommodated his wife's idolatry to the point of building a . She's most famously the mother of Baal, another god who shows up throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites stray after other idols. The sequel to this action is furnished by the group of texts which recount Baal's confrontations with Mot. Looking at these two definitions we can say . The Sidonians were the inhabitants of ancient Sidon, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea in modern Lebanon. Sometimes the leadership of the nation of Israel tolerated and embraced the deities of other nations. 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 ). The variant form Hadad (hdd) is attested to only once in Ugaritic. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Because Canaan depended on rain to grow crops and survive, he was numero uno. Superstitious fear and sexual rites on the one hand fought against faith and loyalty on the other. 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. Baal was also worshipped by various communities as a local god. Those familiar with the Biblical text will recall that Sidon was an influential, wealthy Phoenician city when the kings of Israel and Judah ruled during the Iron Age. A third is that he is describing somebody teetering on a tightrope and trying to maintain his balance. Sidons Phoenician Temple. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. 3:8; Ps. 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 Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. . 14:2). Elijah had to take drastic measures to prevent Baal worship from completely eradicating the worship of the true God (I Kings 18:20-40). What will happen will affect the entire world, even though the world will not grasp the spiritual significance. Baal's objection to the window somehow concerned his three daughters and the sea-god (Yamm), but the text is broken at this point. But what was its real effect on the participants and the nation? And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. Another idea is that it pictures a person shifting his weight from one foot to the other, indicating a degree of lameness. They also worshiped him as a fertility god who provided children. For a while, both sidesthe Confederate and the Unionaccepted those turncoats and took their information. 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 Kingdom of Israel fell below the historian's radar. Baal was considered the supreme. All Rights Reserved. (The Book of Amos) (Part Two). In many cases, when the king or the nation had wandered from the way, the prophets were sent to correct them (e.g., II Samuel 12:1-15; I Kings 18:17-19; II Kings 21:10-15). All 450 prophets of Baal do not escape the slaughter that takes place after that. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Its is right up there with the thought that we know where Jesus was born, or that one can see a descendant of the original burning bush, etc.. There was, therefore, continuity in Sidons population from the Bronze to the Iron Age. 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. In other words, prosperity turns people's heads. Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Texts (1965), 174; W.F. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 demons. Baal's worshipers appeased him by offering sacrifices, usually animals such as sheep or bulls (1 Kings 18:23). This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. Baal, god worshipped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon. In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. If it is of men, it will not work very long. "They built for themselves high places in all their cities . Christ warned the Pharisees: "For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the traditions of men." 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. 410; reconstructed text) which after the great "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" presents six other "weather-gods," numbered two through seven. Sidon is the birth place of Jezabel. One idea is that he means, "How long are you going to hop from branch to branch? How many pagan ideas have we let seep in? Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated divided means. 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. The Masoretic text has the 4 letters YHWH with a sheva under the Y, pronounced yuh, and a Qamats below the W, i.e. Now another presentation that the Phoenicians who are also connected with the Canaanites had traded with the trading mariners of Kerala, India. 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. Prepare to Meet Your God! They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead. 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. One such deity who gripped Israel for a period of time was Baal. l /), or Baal (Hebrew: baal), was a title and honorific meaning 'owner', 'lord' in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity.From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods. The tablets, although closely attached to the worship of Baal at his local temple, probably represent Canaanite belief generally. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. 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. ed., 1965); H.B. This is no different from what Israel was doing when Amos wrote back in 760 BC. With Baal's functions accredited to YHWH, it was natural and fitting that some of Baal's titles would also be taken over. The sum of what Elijah said is actually spiritually dangerous, due to the fact that God is judging. While they gave lip service to the Creator, they adopted most of the Canaanitish religion with its lewd immorality, and in actual practice, patterned their life after it. It disturbed them. Baal was different from his adherents merely in that he was above them. 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. Alan, how said anything about John baptizing Jesus? A general understanding about the bamah and . A complex religion with traditions and gods from all over the ancient Middle East, Baal worship offered something for everyone. Tamil is connected with the Phoenician. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14). Worshipers of Baal Killed. They think that what they are doing is right, but they are deceived. 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. The Israelites rejected the law of God and relied on the traditions of Gentile nations. This life-and-death struggle pitted the worship of Baal against the worship of Jehovah. Child sacrifice was a fundamental aspect of Baal worship. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in the temples. The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Now the word isai, simply means music in Tamil. For instance, Amos 2:7 describes a deliberate act of ritual prostitution in a pagan temple: "A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name." Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus.