The Spread of Baalism. 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. Most modern translations use "false," "deceitful," or "faithless," and none of these are wrong, including "divided." In artistic depictions and archeological finds, Baal took the shape of a bull or ram and had associations with fertility. 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. Today Jezebel has built Baal altars in the name of 'church' and led many to Baal worship. Baal worship is and has always been pagan; today it is replacing the laws and beliefs based upon Judaeo-Christian roots, which honours the GOD of the Bible, His laws and His ways. 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). Groves and high places were places of worship erected to Canaanite gods and goddesses. Sidons Storm God. Baal was simply the title (literally, Lord) of the pagan god Molech. BAAL WORSHIP AND SEMITIC RACISM This term was used as a title and name of various local deities worshipped as guardians, heroes, and kings. A series of bad years, which were apparently believed to come in seven-year cycles (cf. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. (Jeremiah 7:8-10). . Given Jezebels religious fervor in the Bible, one would expect to find evidence of Baal worship at Sidon. This life-and-death struggle pitted the worship of Baal against the worship of Jehovah. 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. In the Hebrew Bible, Moloch is presented as a foreign deity who was at times illegitimately given a place in Israel's worship as a result of the syncretistic policies of certain apostate kings. 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. Join the BAS Library today. 10:1113; 14:22). A god Baal apn was known from Egyptian and Akkadian sources before the discovery of the Ugaritic documents. Baal worship also included, at times, child sacrifice, which we see some Israelite kings engaging with later on. 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. Sidon is the birth place of Jezabel. 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. Baal was different from his adherents merely in that he was above them. The handle displays an impression of a ship with the leonine dragon Uumgal, the storm god Adads attendant, next to it. Updated: 12/07/2022 These Israelites were lethargic in terms of true, spiritual matters. The Masoretic text has the 4 letters YHWH with a sheva under the Y, pronounced yuh, and a Qamats below the W, i.e. In Hebrew, it is rendered Yehoshua, and in Aramaic, Yeshua. 106:28). 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. 410; reconstructed text) which after the great "Weather-god, Lord of Mount azi" presents six other "weather-gods," numbered two through seven. 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. 19:5ff.). 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. The religion of Israel began with a man, Jeroboam I, who changed the true worship of God (I Kings 12:26-33). So the word Jezebel finally means one who is a good musician. 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'. In the Aztec religion, life existed before humans, and civilization was built after the destruction of the fourth sun. What modern-day Baals have we worshipped in place of God? 114) or with eschatological victory (Isa. Baal's abode was Mount apn, identified as Jebel el-Aqra ("Mount Baldy") some 30 mi. Ugaritic texts tell of other fertility aspects of Baal, such as his relations with Anath, his consort and sister, and also his siring a divine bull calf from a heifer. He replaced the Levitical priesthood with men of his own choosing. Notably, an impressed handle found near a Canaanite grave at the site depicts Sidons storm god and a ship. It will be far more terrible than anything ever seen on this earth! When Elijah preached his message, it put the people in a bind because they knew their conscience was telling them that they had to commit themselves to God or to Baal. 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. The triumph of Baal recounted in the myths and perhaps reenacted in ritual drama gave assurance of help in the present and the future as in the past. 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. In those God calls outthose who, by faith, will voluntarily yield to HimHe is building character based on outgoing love. Once Elijah began preaching, their conscience pricked them, and it encouraged them to worship the true God. 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. Did the Ancient Israelites Think Children Were People. One idea is that he means, "How long are you going to hop from branch to branch? The Jordan River (Nahar ha-Yarden) qualified as a mikveh as its flowing living waters originated from a natural spring (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_River). ), from an original Baal-Zebul, which is preserved in this form in the New Testament (Matt. Thus, according to Sakkunyaton, Baal's natural father was Ouranos and Dagn became his foster-father, while El-Kronos effected the transfer. 57:310), perhaps including copulation with animals (Hos. A biblical pharaoh's border monument. With Baal's functions accredited to YHWH, it was natural and fitting that some of Baal's titles would also be taken over. 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). The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. But God. How Is Harry Potter a Literary Christ Figure? The longest of the texts deals with the construction of Baal's house on top of Mount apn. The Sovereign Creator is not a God who allows His favor to be bought with crumbs. This is the crux of our salvation through Jesus Christ. 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. Hope Bolingeris an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, and the author 21+ books. 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. 33 Bible Verses about Baal Worship, History So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel. you didnt even mention her horrible daughter Athaliah, the only killer queen Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). A religion with such a beginning was doomed to fail, bringing the nation down with it. And she has taken over many so-called churches. 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. 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. 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." 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. . Looking at these two definitions we can say . 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. "But there was no voice. We need to be reminded of it because it can have a detrimental effect on us. Check out her books at hopebolinger.comfor clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. 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. But God has a different perspective; He says they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The word "Baal" derives from the Semitic stem "bel", meaning "lord". 8. God's first command to destroy any forms of idol worship came early in the Bible in Exodus 34:13. . Jews nowadays say Ha-Shem [i.e. The motifs of these myths were adopted and adapted in Jewish and Christian eschatology. What will happen will affect the entire world, even though the world will not grasp the spiritual significance. 33:7) has been made the basis of intriguing speculation by Eissfeldt. Another idea is that it pictures a person shifting his weight from one foot to the other, indicating a degree of lameness. The sum of what Elijah said is actually spiritually dangerous, due to the fact that God is judging. Second was passing their babies through the fire. Charles Whitaker 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. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 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. The god Baal was the heathen sun-god spoken of in the Old Testament. First was sexual orgies "under every green tree," where promiscuity and perverted sex acts were the norm. All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind. As a result of their sin, the men of Israel were judged by God. Required fields are marked *. O. Eissfeldt, Beitraege zur Religionsgeschichte des Altertums I (1932); H.L. 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. Superstitious fear and sexual rites on the one hand fought against faith and loyalty on the other. The Sidonians were the inhabitants of ancient Sidon, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea in modern Lebanon. 74:1314, 89:910, 93:1ff. (II Kings 17:35-38). Whatever the case, there is no doubt about Elijah's intent: "How long will you keep shifting from one opinion to the other?" 14:2). Indeed, throughout its history, the most important god at Sidon was the storm godknown during the Phoenician period as Baal or Bel. However, God still holds them responsible because the truth is available. . 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. 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." They clash violently until both are prostrate and the Sungoddess warns Mot not to fight with Baal lest El hear and overthrow him. What the Bible says about In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. In the Old Testament, many of the kings and eventually the whole nation of Israel rebelled against God and chose opposing belief systems. north of Ugarit. 26:1920). Asherah was a fertility goddess. 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. Molech was an ancient god worshiped by the people neighboring Israel during Old Testament times. Who were the Sidonians of the Iron Age (c. 1200586 B.C.E.)? He established a feast in the eighth month to replace the true Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh. Figs and grapes ripen during the dry season and the grain harvest also takes place before the rains resume. As we study the operation of the spirit of Baal in the Bible, one can see the fruit of its operation in the USA.. Biblical Sidon is perhaps most infamously known as the birthplace of the Phoenician princess Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31), who became queen of the Israelites during King Ahabs reign in the ninth century B.C.E. In their spiritually unaware state, they will be incredulous at God's punishment for "such a little bit of sin." The Tetragrammaton should be rendered as Yahoah, with the vav being pronounced as the o in Torah, menorah, Eloah (singular form of Elohim), and Yehoshua (=Joshua, Christs REAL name). linked to Molech (also called Milcom in the Bible). The right remedy, according to Israel's prophets, was to repudiate Baal completely and to seek and return to Israel's true God (Isa. The Canaanites often worshipped her via trees (Asherah poles) because of her association with the tree of life. 22:816). The name "Baal" shows up seven times in Hosea (2:8, 2:13, 2:16, 2:17 . She gives life to 70 other gods in the Canaanite pantheon. A vivid description of theophany in a thunderstorm is found in Psalms 18:715 (= II Sam. 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. The ancient Tamils had connections with the Syrians and Sidon. Right now, though, we are witnessing a steady defection from the basic principles of the Bible, away from what we call the Judeo-Christian ethic. One would think that, if altars increase during this period of prosperity, then religion is flourishing. If it is of men, it will not work very long. With the help of the sun-goddess Shapsh, Anath locates the dead Baal, carries him to the height of apn, and weeping buries him with funerary sacrifices. Asherah, mother of the gods, was prevailed upon to intercede with El to gain permission for the building. In another room was a round base that likely supported a wooden pillar. Child sacrifice was even practiced in the Valley of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem. Horrendous and repulsive aspects of the worship sexual excesses and perversions (Isa. For one to keep on coming to services and leaving, like a theatergoer, without his options, opinions, or decisions resolved but deferred, is an erosion of character. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. Your email address will not be published. He takes something loathsome and vile, something that is a direct affront to almighty God, a pagan idol, and turns it into a cute little children's fairy tale, so that you can buy the book, see the movies, get the cuddly toy, and bingo!
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