Baal
God offertility,weather,rain,wind,lightning,seasons,war,sailors
Bronze figurine of a Baal, 14th–12th century BC, found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) near the Phoenician coast.Musée du Louvre.
Symbol	Bull,ram, thunderbolt
Region	Phoenicia Ancient Syria, especiallyHalab Near, around and atUgarit Canaan North Africa Middle Kingdom of Egypt
Genealogy
Parents	Dagan andShalash (in Syria) El andAthirat (in some Ugaritic texts)
Siblings	Hebat (in Syrian tradition),Anat
Consorts	possiblyAnat and/orAthtart[1][2]
Offspring	Pidray,Tallay,Arsay[3]
Equivalents
Greek	Zeus[4]
Mesopotamian	Hadad
Hurrian	Teshub
Egyptian	Set (due to being a foreign god inEgypt, since Set was the god of foreigners – otherwiseBaal Zephon equivalent with Hadad who is analogous to Ba’al, was also equated withHorus)[5]

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Baal (/ˈbeɪ.əl,ˈbɑː.əl/),^[6][a] orBaʻal,^[b] was a title andhonorific meaning 'owner' or 'lord' in theNorthwest Semitic languages spoken in theLevant duringantiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods.^[11] Scholars previously associated thetheonym withsolar cults and with a variety of unrelatedpatron deities, but inscriptions have shown that the name Ba'al was particularly associated with thestorm andfertility godHadad and his local manifestations.^[12]

TheHebrew Bible includes use of the term in reference to variousLevantine deities, often with application towardsHadad, who was decried as afalse god. That use was taken over intoChristianity andIslam, sometimes under the formBeelzebub indemonology.

TheUgaritic god Baal (𐎁𐎓𐎍) is the protagonist of one of the lengthiest surviving epics from theancient Near East, theBaal Cycle.

Ba'al's widely used epithet is "rider (or mounter^[13]) of the clouds." (rkb ʿrpt, cf.rkb bʿrbt in Ps. 68:5; Ugariticrkb ʿrpt.) These are related to Zeus's "gatherer of the clouds" and Yahweh's "rider of the heavens."^[14] Like the English word ride,rkb has equine and sexual uses.^[15]

The spelling of the English term "Baal" derives from theGreekBáal (Βάαλ) which appears in theNew Testament^[16] andSeptuagint,^[17] and from itsLatinized formBaal, which appears in theVulgate.^[17] These forms in turn derive from the vowel-less Northwest Semitic formBʿL (Phoenician andPunic:𐤁𐤏𐤋).^[18] The word'sbiblical senses as a Phoenician deity andfalse gods generally were extended during theProtestant Reformation to denote anyidols,icons of thesaints, or theCatholic Church generally.^[19] In such contexts, it follows the anglicized pronunciation and usually omits any mark between its two As.^[6] In close transliteration of the Semitic name, theayin is represented, asBaʿal.

In theNorthwest Semitic languages—Ugaritic,Phoenician,Hebrew,Amorite, andAramaic—the wordbaʿal signified 'owner' and, by extension, 'lord',^[17] a 'master', or 'husband'.^[20][21] Cognates include theAkkadianBēlu (𒂗),^[c]Amharicbal (ባል),^[22] andArabicbaʿl (بعل).Báʿal (בַּעַל) andbaʿl still serve as the words for 'husband' in modern Hebrew and Arabic respectively. They also appear in some contexts concerning the ownership of things or possession of traits.

The feminine form isbaʿalah (Hebrew:בַּעֲלָה;^[23]Arabic:بَعْلَة), meaning 'mistress' in the sense of a female owner or lady of the house^[23] and still serving as a rare word for 'wife'.^[24]

Suggestions in early modern scholarship also included comparison with the Celtic godBelenus, however this is now widely rejected by contemporary scholars.^[25]

LikeEn inSumerian, theAkkadianbēlu andNorthwest Semiticbaʿal (as well as its feminine formbaʿalah) was used as a title of various deities in theMesopotamian andSemitic pantheons. Only adefinitive article,genitive orepithet, or context could establish which particular god was meant.^[26]

Baʿal was also used as a proper name by the third millennium BC, when he appears in a list of deities atAbu Salabikh.^[17] Most modern scholarship asserts that this Baʿal—usually distinguished as "The Lord" (הבעל,Ha-Baʿal)—was identical with thestorm andfertility god Hadad;^[17][27][20] it also appears in the formBaʿal Haddu.^[21][28] Scholars propose that, as the cult of Hadad increased in importance, his true name came to be seen as too holy for any but the high priest to speak aloud and the alias "Lord" ("Baʿal") was used instead, as "Bel" was used forMarduk among the Babylonians and "Adonai" forYahweh among the Israelites. A minority propose that Baʿal was a nativeCanaanite deity whose cult was identified with or absorbed aspects ofAdad's.^[17] Regardless of their original relationship, by the 1st millennium BCE, the two were distinct: Hadad was worshiped by theAramaeans and Baʿal by thePhoenicians and otherCanaanites.^[17]

Baʿal is well-attested in surviving inscriptions and was popular intheophoric names throughout theLevant^[29] but he is usually mentioned along with other gods, "his own field of action being seldom defined".^[30] Nonetheless, Ugaritic records show him as aweather god, with particular power overlightning,wind,rain, andfertility.^[30][d] The dry summers of the area were explained as Baʿal's time in theunderworld, and his return in autumn was said to have caused the storms that revived the land.^[30] Thus, the worship of Baʿal inCanaan—where he eventually supplantedEl as the leader of the gods and patron of kingship—was connected to the region's dependence on rainfall for its agriculture, unlikeEgypt andMesopotamia, which focused on irrigation from their major rivers. Anxiety about water availability for crops and trees increased the importance of his cult, which focused attention on his role as a rain god.^[20] He was also called upon during battle, showing that he was thought to intervene actively in the world of man,^[30] unlike the more aloof El. The Lebanese city ofBaalbeck was named after Baal.^[33] Alternatively, Ba' al is a divine co-regent with El, where El was the executive while Ba' al was the sustainer of the cosmos.^[34]

The Baʿal of Ugarit was the epithet of Hadad, but as time passed, the epithet became the god's name while Hadad became the epithet.^[35] Baʿal was usually said to be the son ofDagan, but appears as one of the sons of El inUgaritic sources.^[29][21][e] Both Baʿal and El wereassociated with the bull in Ugaritic texts, as they symbolized both strength and fertility.^[36] He held special enmity against snakes, both on their own and as representatives ofYammu (lit. "Sea"), the Canaanitesea god and river god.^[37] He fought theTannin (Tunnanu), the "Twisted Serpent" (Bṯn ʿqltn), "Lotan the Fugitive Serpent" (Ltn Bṯn Brḥ, the biblicalLeviathan),^[37] and the "Mighty Onewith Seven Heads" (Šlyṭ D.šbʿt Rašm).^[38][f] Baʿal's conflict with Yammu is now generally regarded as the prototype of the vision recorded in the7th chapter of thebiblicalBook of Daniel.^[40] As vanquisher of the sea, the Canaanites and Phoenicians regarded Baʿal as thepatron ofsailors and sea-going merchants.^[37] As vanquisher ofMot, the Canaanitedeath god, he was known as Baʿal Rāpiʾuma (Bʿl Rpu) and regarded as the leader of theRephaim (Rpum), the ancestral spirits, particularly those of ruling dynasties.^[37]

From Canaan, worship of Baʿal spread to Egypt by theMiddle Kingdom and throughout theMediterranean following the waves ofPhoenician colonization in the early 1st millennium BCE.^[29] He was described with diverse epithets, and before Ugarit was rediscovered, these were supposed to refer to distinct local gods. However, as explained byDay, the texts at Ugarit revealed that they were considered "local manifestations of this particular deity, analogous to the local manifestations of theVirgin Mary in theRoman Catholic Church".^[27] In those inscriptions, he is frequently described as "Victorious Baʿal" (Aliyn orẢlỉyn Baʿal),^[21][17] "Mightiest one" (Aliy orʾAly)^[21][g] or "Mightiest of the Heroes" (Aliy Qrdm), "The Powerful One" (Dmrn), and in his role as patron of the city "Baʿal of Ugarit" (Baʿal Ugarit).^[46] AsBaʿal Zaphon (Baʿal Ṣapunu), he was particularly associated with his palace atopJebel Aqra (the ancient Mount Ṣapānu and classical Mons Casius).^[46] He is also mentioned as "Winged Baʿal" (Bʿl Knp) and "Baʿal of the Arrows" (Bʿl Ḥẓ).^[21]Phoenician andAramaic inscriptions describe "Baʿal of theMace" (Bʿl Krntryš), "Baʿal of the Lebanon" (Bʿl Lbnn), "Baʿal of Sidon" (Bʿl Ṣdn),Bʿl Ṣmd, "Baʿal of the Heavens" (Baʿal Shamem orShamayin),^[47] Baʿal ʾAddir (Bʿl ʾdr),Baʿal Hammon (Baʿal Ḥamon),Bʿl Mgnm.^[29]

Baʿal Hammon was worshipped in theTyriancolony ofCarthage as theirsupreme god. It is believed that this position developed in the 5th century BCE following the severing of its ties toTyre following the 480 BCEBattle of Himera.^[48] Like Hadad, Baʿal Hammon was afertility god.^[49] Inscriptions aboutPunic deities tend to be rather uninformative, though, and he has been variously identified as amoon god^{[citation needed]} and asDagan, thegrain god.^[50] Rather than the bull, Baʿal Hammon was associated with theram and depicted with his horns. The archaeological record seems to bear out accusations in Roman sources that the Carthaginiansburned their children as human sacrifices to him.^[51] He was worshipped as Baʿal Karnaim ("Lord of the Two Horns"), particularly at an open-air sanctuary at Jebel Bu Kornein ("Two-Horn Hill") across the bay from Carthage. His consort was the goddessTanit.^[52]

The epithet Hammon is obscure. Most often, it is connected with the NW Semiticḥammān ("brazier") and associated with a role as asun god.^[53]Renan and Gibson linked it to Hammon (modern Umm el-‘Amed betweenTyre inLebanon andAcre inIsrael)^[54] andCross andLipiński to Haman or Khamōn, the classicalMount Amanus and modern Nur Mountains, which separate northernSyria from southeasternCilicia.^[55][56]

Baʿal (בַּעַל) appears about 90 times in theHebrew Bible in reference to various gods.^[17] The priests of the Canaanite Baʿal are mentioned numerous times, most prominently in theFirst Book of Kings. Many scholars believe that this describesJezebel's attempt to introduce the worship of the Baʿal ofTyre,Melqart,^[57] to theIsraelite capitalSamaria in the 9th century BCE.^[58] Against this,Day argues that Jezebel's Baʿal was more probablyBaʿal Shamem, the Lord of the Heavens, a title most often applied to Hadad, who is also often titled just Ba‘al.^[59]

1 Kings 18 records an account of a contest between theprophetElijah and Jezebel's priests. Both sides offered asacrifice to their respective gods: Ba'al failed to light his followers' sacrifice whileYahweh's heavenly fire burnt Elijah's altar to ashes, even after it had been soaked with water. The observers then followed Elijah's instructions to slay the priests of Baʿal,^[60] after which it began to rain, showing Yahweh's mastery over the weather.

Other references to the priests of Baʿal describe their burning ofincense inprayer^[61] and their offering ofsacrifice while adorned in specialvestments.^[62]

The titlebaʿal was a synonym in some contexts of theHebrewadon ("Lord") andadonai ("My Lord") still used as aliases of the Lord of IsraelYahweh. According to some scholars, theearly Hebrews did use the names Baʿal ("Lord") and Baʿali ("My Lord") in reference to the Lord of Israel, just as Baʿal farther north designated the Lord ofUgarit or Lebanon.^[58][11] This occurred both directly and as the divine element of some Hebrewtheophoric names. However, according to others it is not certain that the name Baal was definitely applied to Yahweh in early Israelite history. The component Baal in proper names is mostly applied to worshippers of Baal, or descendants of the worshippers of Baal.^[63] Names including the element Baʿal presumably in reference to Yahweh^[64][11] include thejudgeGideon (also known as Jerubaʿal,lit. "The Lord Strives"),Saul's sonEshbaʿal ("The Lord is Great"), andDavid's son Beeliada ("The Lord Knows"). The nameBealiah ("The Lord isJah"; "Yahweh is Baʿal")^[12] combined the two.^[65][66] However John Day states that as far as the names Eshba’al, Meriba’al, and Beeliada (that is Baaliada), are concerned it is not certain whether they simply allude to the Canaanite god Ba’al, or are intended to equate Yahweh with Ba’al, or have no connection to Ba’al.^[67]

It was the program ofJezebel, in the 9th century BCE, to introduce into Israel's capital city of Samaria her Phoenician worship of Baal as opposed to the worship ofYahweh that made the name anathema to the Israelites.^[58]

At first the name Baal was used by theJews for their God without discrimination, but as the struggle between the two religions developed, the name Baal was given up by the Israelites as a thing of shame, and even names like Jerubbaal were changed to Jerubbosheth: Hebrewbosheth means "shame".^[68]

Eshbaʿal becameIsh-bosheth^{[citation needed]} and Meribaʿal becameMephibosheth,^{[69][original research?]} but other possibilities also occurred. Gideon's name Jerubaʿal was mentioned intact but glossed as a mockery of the Canaanite god, implying that he strove in vain.^{[70][original research?]} Direct use of Baʿali continued at least as late as the time of theprophetHosea, who reproached the Israelites for doing so.^[71]

Brad E. Kelle has suggested that references to cultic sexual practices in the worship of Baal, in Hosea 2, are evidence of an historical situation in which Israelites were either giving up Yahweh worship for Baal, or blending the two. Hosea's references to sexual acts being metaphors for Israelite "apostasy".^[72]

Brian P. Irwin argues that "Baal" in northern Israelite traditions is a form of Yahweh that was rejected as foreign by the prophets. In southern Israelite traditions, "Baal" was a god that was worshipped in Jerusalem. His worshippers saw him as compatible or identical with Yahweh and honored him with human sacrifices and fragrant meal offerings. Eventually, theChronicler(s) disapproved of both "Baals" whilst theDeuteronomists used "Baals" for any god they disapproved of.^[73]

Likewise, Mark S. Smith believes Yahweh was more likely to be inspired by Baal rather than El, since both are stormy divine warriors and lack the pacifistic traits of El according to the Ugaritic texts and Hebrew Bible.^[74]

Baʿal Berith ("Lord of theCovenant") was a god worshipped by theIsraelites when they "went astray" after the death ofGideon according to theHebrew Scriptures.^[75] The same source relates that Gideon's sonAbimelech went to his mother's kin atShechem and received 70shekels ofsilver "from the House of Baʿal Berith" to assist in killing his 70 brothers from Gideon's other wives.^[76] An earlier passage had made Shechem the scene ofJoshua's covenant between all thetribes of Israel and "ElYahweh, ourgod ofIsrael"^[77] and a later one describes it as the location of the "House of El Berith".^[78] It is thus unclear whether the false worship of the "Baʿalim" being decried^[75] is the worship of a new idol or rites andteachings placing Yahweh as a mere local god within a larger pantheon. The Hebrew Scriptures record the worship of Baʿal threateningIsrael from the time of theJudges until themonarchy.^[79] However, during the period of Judges such worship seems to have been an occasional deviation from a deeper and more constant worship of Yahweh:

Throughout all the stories of Judges the popular faith in YHWH runs as a powerful current. This faith raises the judges, and inspires poets, prophets, and Nazirites. ... Worship of Baals and Ashtoreths has been schematically interspersed between these chapters, but no trace of a vital, popular belief in any foreign gods can be detected in the stories themselves. Baal prophets appeared in Israel centuries later; but during the age of the judges when Israel is supposed to have been most deeply affected by the religion of Canaan, there are no Baal priests or prophets, nor any other intimation of a vital effect of polytheism in Israel’s life.^[80]

TheDeuteronomist^[81] and the present form ofJeremiah^[82] seem to phrase the struggle asmonolatry ormonotheism againstpolytheism. Yahweh is frequently identified in the Hebrew scriptures withEl Elyon, however, this was after a conflation with El in a process of religioussyncretism.^[83]’El (Hebrew:אל) became a generic term meaning "god", as opposed to the name of a worshipped deity, and epithets such asEl Shaddai came to be applied to Yahweh alone, while Baal's nature as a storm and weather god became assimilated into Yahweh's own identification with the storm.^[84] In the next stage the Yahwistic religion separated itself from its Canaanite heritage, first by rejecting Baal-worship in the 9th century, then through the 8th to 6th centuries with prophetic condemnation of Baal, sun-worship, worship on the "high places", practices pertaining to the dead, and other matters.^[85]

Baʿal Zebub (Hebrew:בעל זבוב,lit. "Fly Lord")^[86][87][h] occurs in the first chapter of theSecond Book of Kings as the name of thePhilistine god ofEkron. In it,Ahaziah,king of Israel, is said to have consulted the priests of Baʿal Zebub as to whether he would survive the injuries from his recent fall. TheprophetElijah, incensed at this impiety, then foretold that he would die quickly, raining heavenly fire on the soldiers sent to punish him for doing so.^[89]Jewish scholars have interpreted the title of "Lord of the Flies" as the Hebrew way of calling Baʿal apile of dung and his followersvermin,^[90][91] although others argue for a link to power over causing and curingpestilence and thus suitable for Ahaziah's question.^[92] TheSeptuagint renders the name asBaälzeboúb (βααλζεβούβ) and as "Baʿal of Flies" (βααλ μυιαν,Baäl muian).Symmachus the Ebionite rendered it asBeëlzeboúl (Βεελζεβούλ), possibly reflecting its original sense.^[93][i] This has been proposed to have beenB‘l Zbl,Ugaritic for "Prince Baal".^{[94][j][k][l]}

Outside of Jewish and Christian contexts, the various forms of Baʿal were indifferently rendered in classical sources asBelus (Ancient Greek:Βῆλος,Bē̂los). An example isJosephus, who states thatJezebel "built a temple to thegod of theTyrians, which they call Belus";^[57] this describes the Baʿal of Tyre,Melqart. Herrmann identifies the Demarus/Demarous figure mentioned byPhilo Byblius as Baʿal.^[37]

Baʿal Hammon, however, was identified with theGreekCronos and theRomanSaturn as theZabul Saturn.^[97] He was probably never equated with Melqart, although this assertion appears in older scholarship.

Beelzebub or Beelzebul was identified by thewriters of theNew Testament asSatan, "prince" (i.e.,king) of thedemons.^[m][n]

John Milton's 1667epicParadise Lost describes thefallen angels collecting around Satan, stating that, though their heavenly names had been "blotted out and ras'd", they would acquire new ones "wandring o're the Earth" as false gods.Baalim andAshtaroth are given as the collective names of the male and female demons (respectively) who came from between the "bordering flood of oldEuphrates" and "the Brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground".^[98]

Baal and derived epithets likeBaalist were used as slurs during theEnglish Reformation for thesaints and their devotees.^{[citation needed]}

TheQuran mentions that Prophet Elias (Elijah) warned his people against Baʿal worship.^[99]

And Indeed, Elijah was among themessengers, (123) When he said to his people: "Will you notfear Allah? (124) Do you call upon Ba'l and leave the best of creators - (125) Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers?" (126) And they denied him, so indeed, they will be brought [forpunishment], (127) Except the chosen servants of Allah. (128) And we left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: (129) Peace be upon Ilyāseen*. (130) Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. (131) Indeed, he was of Our believing servants. (132).^[100] QuranSurah 37, verses 123-132^[100]

According toTabari,baal is a term used by Arabs to denote everything which is alord over anything.^[101]

Al-Thaʿlabī offers a more detailed description about Baal; accordingly it was an idol of gold, twenty cubits tall, and had four faces.^[99]

The trilateral root, (bā, ayn, lam)baʿl occurs seven times in the Qur’an with its common Semitic usage of “owner, husband,” particularly husband.^[102] For example,Sarah, wife ofAbraham refers to her husband using the term.^[103][104]

• Adonis
• Bael
• Beelzebub
• Baal (disambiguation)
• Baal in popular culture
• Baal the demon
• Baalahs
• Baʿal Peʿor (Lord of Mt Peʿor)
• Baal-zephon (Lord of Mount Zaphon)
• Bel andTemple of Bel
• Beluses
• Belial
• Set
• Teshub andTheispas

• Russell, Stephen C.; Hamori, Esther J., eds. (2020),Mighty Baal: Essays in Honor of Mark S. Smith, Harvard Semitic Studies, vol. 66, BRILL,ISBN 978-90-04-43767-8
• Smith, M.S. (1994),The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, vol. I, Leiden: E.J. Brill,ISBN 978-90-04-09995-1
• Smith, M.S.; Pitard, W. (2009),The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, vol. II, Leiden: E.J. Brill,ISBN 978-90-04-15348-6

Wikisource has the text of the1911Encyclopædia Britannica article "Baal".

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Wikiquote has quotations related toBaal.

• "Baal" .New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
• Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906) "Ba'al", "Ba'al and Ba'al Worship", "Baal-Berith", "Baal-Peor", "Baalim", "Astarte Worship among the Hebrews",&c.,Jewish Encyclopedia, New York: Funk & Wagnalls

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