People like to feel comfortable. She gives life to 70 other gods in the Canaanite pantheon. Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. In the formative stages of Israels history, the presence of Baal names did not necessarily mean apostasy or even syncretism. Who was Baal And Why Was The Worship Of Baal A Constant - YouTube One such deity who gripped Israel for a period of time was Baal. 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. Baal - Wikipedia YHWH's victory over the waters is connected either with the rescue of Israel at the Exodus (Ps. Who were the Sidonians, and what do we know about their religion? 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." In some cases, they attempted to attach this practice to worship of the Lord (Ezek 23:39). The handle displays an impression of a ship with the leonine dragon Uumgal, the storm god Adads attendant, next to it. 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). Elijah was dealing with the same thing here, albeit spiritually. In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Baal transformed into Zeus, who transformed into Jupiter, etc. Besides the names Baal and Haddu, the Ugaritic texts furnish a variety of other titles, such as "Mighty Baal" (aliyn bl) and "Prince, Lord of Earth" (zbl bl ars). 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. There are several ideas as to exactly what Elijah meant by "How long will you falter between two opinions?" This full-body immersion was required for converts (giyur) to the sect called The Way (HaDerech) in Acts whether a Pharisaic/Saddusaic Jew or a Gentile proselyte (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_to_Judaism). Many of the practices mentioned were most probable common to the worship of all the Baals; a few others are certainly specific. You have a cuddly little Baal idol in your child's bedroom without even suspecting it. For seven days a fire burned inside the building, and when it subsided, the house was plated with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. The violence and injustice in Israelite society ultimately stemmed from the false teaching proclaimed from the pulpits. He is a loving Master who only is to be obeyed and servedand only on His terms. He describes Israel as a luxuriant grape vine sending runners in every direction, indicating a bountiful crop. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them (2 Kings 21:3). 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. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. . 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. l, b . In an Akkadian catalogue of Ugaritic deities Baal apn is listed as dIM be-el hurn a-zi, "Storm-God, Lord of Mount azi" (see above; az [z] i being the Hurrian name of Mount apn which survives in the Greek and Latin Kasios/Casius as the name of the storied mountain of the gods). Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Asherah, another popular deity in Canaan, was the goddess of motherhood and fertility . The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk.". Baal - the pagan idol in your garden. By Pat Franklin Child Sacrifice, Transgender Issues and Baal Worship Baal Worship The Battle for the Israelites' Hearts For nearly a thousand years, a battle raged for the hearts of the Israelite nation. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Blending the lies of this world with the truth of God produces a foul mixture called syncretism (James 3:10-13). In the El-Amarna letters Canaanite clients addressed the Egyptian king as "My Baal, my Addu." He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. 106 a ). How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? Koshar twice recommended that a window be installed and Baal twice vetoed the suggestion, although Koshar insisted that Baal would have to reconsider. Sacred sex was a key component. Your email address will not be published. Sun worship came from the ancient pagan religion of Baal. Does the Bible Mention What to Give Up for Lent? Study the god Baal, Baal worship, and the presentation of Baal in the Bible. In Hebrew, it is rendered Yehoshua, and in Aramaic, Yeshua. Human-Ram Deity from Sidon. Doumet-Serhal explains the significance of the handles iconography: The dragon epitomizes the most fundamental ancient mythical perception of the Mesopotamian storm god. A falling away is taking place right now. 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. Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. Though it hurts, the pain is indicative of rescue and cure. Baal persuaded Asherah to intercede with her husband El, the head of the pantheon, to authorize the construction of a palace. Baal is said to be one of the first of Solomon's 72 demons. A vivid description of theophany in a thunderstorm is found in Psalms 18:715 (= II Sam. They were Canaanites and shared numerous similarities, including many of the same gods, with their close neighbors in the southern Levantwho were also predominantly Canaanite. Photo: Courtesy of Claude Doumet-Serhal. Baal God Origin & Biblical Significance | Who is Baal? Molech was another such god. A large part of this world's appeal is its offer of financial security. * Jesus is a transliteration of the Latin; it is NOT a translation! Some of Judah's kings spent years tearing down shrines and high places to foreign gods (II Chronicles 34:1-7). Omissions? In the El-Amarna letters the logogram for the weather-god is conventionally read Addu, but that it is sometimes to be read Baluis indicated by the addition of the phonetic complement-lu, as well as by the names like Mut dIm written syllabically as mu-ut-ba-a-lum. Possibly even more treacherous than this was a parallel development: mixing the worship of Yahweh and Baal. Even now some ancient Jews (white and black) live in Cochin, Kerala, India. ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. In the Ugaritic mythological texts Balu (bl) is the name of the god which is used more than twice as often as his next most frequent name, Haddu (hd). To accommodate Baal ideology to Yahwism required some radical transformations. 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. Yet Sidon was a significant site before this period, too. The principal pillars of Baalism were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both heterosexual and homosexual) and pantheism . Separating Fact from Myth: Asherah and Idol Worship - Steppes of Faith When we see that our thoughts and ways are not His, we should reform and repent. 9:20 presents a parallel is mistaken since the Ugaritic text mentions the sea-god and not Death (Mot) in connection with the window.) Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. Baal's objection to the window somehow concerned his three daughters and the sea-god (Yamm), but the text is broken at this point. Recall the mention in Hosea 10:1 of increasing and embellishing altars just before Israel fell to Assyria. 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. Israel "feared other gods" (verse 7). 1:711). The summer drought did not mean that YHWH had died (like Baal), nor did the return of the rains signal the resurrection. Baal, Ashtoreth and Molech - God's Old Testament rivals Remember, this falling away sets the stage for the man of sin, who will have tremendous influence over humanity. Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. In the Bible, the followers of the one true God encounter other gods, or previously worshipped idols themselves. Updated: 12/07/2022 Like ancient Israel, we can easily fall back into our former ways. Baal Worship Idolatry Part 2 - YouTube Baalism in Canaanite Religion and Its Relation to Selected Old - Bible 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. So-called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. In short, Scripture has nothing positive to say about Baal. . Indeed, throughout its history, the most important god at Sidon was the storm godknown during the Phoenician period as Baal or Bel. 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. 57 Bull Baal. What Does the Bible say About Baal | Bible | Idols | PDF | Quiz All rights reserved. He was overseeing a tevilah (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism#Full-body_immersion_.28Tvilah.29) in a mikveh (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikveh). In the Bible, Jezebel is notorious for persecuting the worship of Yahweh and for demanding that the Israelites worship Baal. Canaanite Religion in the Bible - wilrens.org Whether it turns out to be the falling away remains to be seen. The beliefs and practices of the Canaanites were not only detestable, but they also . What is so interesting is that, by verse 36, God is no longer reporting on the Samaritans but is addressing Israel. In the mysterious tablets of Ugarit, discovered by Claude Schaeffer, Baal is the God of rain, thunder, and extraordinary bolts of lightning. Once Elijah began preaching, their conscience pricked them, and it encouraged them to worship the true God. 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. These Israelites were lethargic in terms of true, spiritual matters. By submitting to Him, we take a small step in being transformed into what He is. Asherah - New World Encyclopedia Can we stop with the Yahweh pronunciation once and for all? This establishes the fact that the Cannanites (Phoenicians) has connections with the Tamil speaking ancient Kerala mariners. Elijah says disturbing things. Baal was simply the title (literally, Lord) of the pagan god Molech. 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 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 . A DSS fragment has it spelled Iaw in Greek (iota-alpha-omega), which is consistent with Yahoah; see ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/lxxjewpap/4QLevB.jpg. 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. Even those who have vaguely heard of the name Baal in the Bible know it doesnt have a good connotation. If it is of men, it will not work very long. 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. Their reverence for Him was mere intellectual accommodation intended to appease Him. Now that He has announced Israel's imminent calamity, God begins to show how His punishment would alter the lives of the people. 2 Kings 10:18-28 NKJV - Worshipers of Baal Killed - Bible Gateway Their spiritual lethargy for the true God made them uncommitted. That there were minor Baalim also at Ugarit is indicated by a god list in Akkadian (see Ugaritica, 5, p. 44 ll. Top 10 Sacred Prostitutes - Listverse The lesson for us becomes clear, because Jesus says the same thing (Matthew 6:24; 12:25). BIBLIOGRAPHY: W. Hermann, in: DDD, 13238; M.S. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. Anath then dismembered Mot, scattered and burned the pieces, and gave them to the birds. They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. 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. Baal was the god of agriculture and fertility in Canaan, becoming a fallen angel and a demon. 1:21), would be catastrophic. 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 then merely floats, going through the motions, even feeling good about himself as he neglects so great salvation (Hebrews 2:3). 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 myths also tell of Baals struggle to obtain a palace comparable in grandeur to those of other gods. II Kings 17:5-6 relates the ultimate consequence. Speech is completely original and produced exclusively by Grace Digital Network Music licensed through Artlist.io Footage licensed through Filmpac.com and S. Isaiah 29:13 clarifies what God means: "Therefore the LORD said: 'Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.'" Baal Peor, or the Baal of Peor, was a local deity worshiped by the Moabites. Discovered in a farmer's field in northeastern Egypt, this inscribed monument bears the name of one of the few pharaohs actually named in the Old . No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV). In the first encounter, Baal is invited to a banquet at which he is to be both guest and main course. 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. Horrendous and repulsive aspects of the worship sexual excesses and perversions (Isa. 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.. Molech was an ancient god worshiped by the people neighboring Israel during Old Testament times. Baal - World History Encyclopedia They believed by their actions they could control and manipulate the Gods. 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. Apparently in anticipation of developments the artisan god Koshar had cast furnishings of gold and silver. Who is Baal in the Bible? - The Truth Mission All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind. 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. They simply evolve. 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." Huffmon, Amorite Personal Names in the Mari Texts (1965), 174; W.F. Hope Bolingeris an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, and the author 21+ books. 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). The bird cannot make up its mind where it wants to settle down, so it just keeps hopping around. Nevertheless, he was still faithful, and he did his job. Alan, how said anything about John baptizing Jesus? 2008 The Gale Group. Moloch | Definition & Facts | Britannica Jehu's massacre of the Baal worshipers (II Kings 10:1828) did not eradicate bull worship (II Kings 10:31). 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. 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. Murder and sexual immorality was a part of Baal worship. Apostasy is a defection from trutha forsaking of one spiritual approach in favor of another. that the southern kingdom of Judah ever had .just like her momma. Baal was different from his adherents merely in that he was above them. 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. Elijah prepared the way for Elisha, who had a double portion of Elijah's spirit and did many more miracles. guilty of adopting the ghastly Canaanite practice of child sacrifice. Tamil is connected with the Phoenician. He began to prophesy in a time of immediate crisis, one that would become far worse before it ever improved. What the Bible says about Baal Worship ( From Forerunner Commentary ) 1 Kings 12:26-33 The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God. Learn about the Canaanite-Phoenician deities who were called Baal, which means Lord. And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 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. Drought and the Fall of the Hittite Empire. Ashtaroth is mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament. Canaanite worship often took place in open-air sites at the tops of hills, referred to in the Bible as "high places." . Psalm 68 may have been written, in part, as a polemic against Baal worship wherein it is indicated in verse 4 that YHWH is the one who rides the clouds. He wanted people to like him, which is understandable. This second, universal interpretation is a better fit because, when we look at the whole passage, the events and personalities are worldwide in scope. Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. ; Job 3:8, 7:12, 9:13, 26:1213, 38:811, 40:25). The Name] instead of prouncing the YHWH word even though the Masoretes added the sheva below the Y and the Qamats below the W. 4:12; Hos. Sidons Storm God. Who were the Sidonians of the Bronze Age (c. 30001200 B.C.E.)? For those early Hebrews, Baal designated the Lord of Israel, just as Baal farther north designated the Lord of Lebanon or of Ugarit. Then stood up Phinehas, and exe Then they linked up with Baal Peor, attending funeral banquets and eating idol food. With Baal's functions accredited to YHWH, it was natural and fitting that some of Baal's titles would also be taken over. When a person is freezing to death, he feels a pleasant numbness that he does not want to end. 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. Whatever the case, there is no doubt about Elijah's intent: "How long will you keep shifting from one opinion to the other?" Baal was a fertility and earth god of the ancient cultures and was later exported to Egypt where he was worshipped as the storm god. Verse 15 points out that the people "rejected [God's] statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them." Baal worship was the bane of the Ancient Israelites. He may have replaced the Sabbath with Sunday worship. Observing Christmas and Easter in the name of Christ is no different.