Jonah2005bt
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Is'nt the name Baal another name for the Devil or the name of another false god?
Baal?
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Boanerges
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Baal usually denotes a false god (demon) but like most Hebrew words can have different meanings depending on the context it is found in. Below is a definition from the Vines Expository Dictionary of the Bible:
Baal, Master
ba'al (H1167), "master; baal." In Akkadian, the noun belu ("lord") gave rise to the verb belu ("to rule"). In other northwest Semitic languages, the noun ba`al differs somewhat in meaning, as other words have taken over the meaning of "sir" or "lord." (Cf. Heb. 'adon.) The Hebrew word ba`al seems to have been related to these homonyms.
The word ba`al occurs 84 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, 15 times with the meaning of "husband" and 50 times as a reference to a deity. The first occurrence of the noun ba`al is in Gen_14:13 : "And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with [literally, "ba`al's of a covenant with"] Abram."
The primary meaning of ba`al is "possessor." Isaiah's use of ba`al in parallel with qanah clarifies this basic significance of ba`al: "The ox knoweth his owner [qanah], and the *** his master's [ba`al] crib: but Israel does not know, my people doth not consider" (Isa_1:3). Man may be the owner [ba'al] of an animal (Exo_22:10), a house (Exo_22:7), a cistern (Exo_21:34), or even a wife (Exo_21:3).
A secondary meaning, "husband," is clearly indicated by the phrase ba'al ha-ishshah (literally, "owner of the woman"). For example: "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband [ba'al ha-ishshah] will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine" (Exo_21:22). The meaning of ba`al is closely related to ish ("man"), as is seen in the usage of these two words in one verse: "When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband [ish] was dead, she mourned for her husband [ba`al]" (2Sa_11:26).
The word ba`al with another noun may signify a peculiar characteristic or quality: "And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh" (Gen_37:19); the KJV offers a literal translation of the Hebrew—"master of dreams"—as an alternative.
Thirdly, the word ba`al may denote any deity other than the God of Israel. Baal was a common name given to the god of fertility in Canaan. In the Canaanite city of Ugarit, Baal was especially recognized as the god of fertility. The Old Testament records that Baal was "the god" of the Canaanites. The Israelites worshiped Baal during the time of the judges (Jdg_6:25-32) and of King Ahab. Elijah stood as the opponent of the Baal priests at Mount Carmel (1Ki_18:21 ff.). Many cities made Baal a local god and honored him with special acts of worship: Baal-peor (Num_25:5), Baal-berith at Shechem (Jdg_8:33), Baal-zebub (2Ki_1:2-16) at Ekron, Baal-zephon (Num_33:7), and Baalhermon (Jdg_3:3).
Among the prophets, Jeremiah and Hosea mention Baal most frequently. Hosea pictured Israel as turning to the baals and only returning to the Lord after a time of despair (Hos_2:13, Hos_2:17). He says that the name of Ba`al will no longer be used, not even with the meaning of "Lord" or "master," as the association was contaminated by the idolatrous practices: "And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Ba-a-li [ba`al]. For I will take away the names of Ba-a-lim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name" (Hos_2:16-17). In Hosea's and Jeremiah's time, the ba`al idols were still worshiped, as the peoples sacrificed, built high places, and made images of the ba`alim (plural).
In the Septuagint, the word ba`al is not uniformly translated: kurios ("lord, owner"); aner ("man, husband"); the simple transliteration; and ba`al. The KJV has these translations: "Baal, man, owner, husband, master."
Baal, Master
ba'al (H1167), "master; baal." In Akkadian, the noun belu ("lord") gave rise to the verb belu ("to rule"). In other northwest Semitic languages, the noun ba`al differs somewhat in meaning, as other words have taken over the meaning of "sir" or "lord." (Cf. Heb. 'adon.) The Hebrew word ba`al seems to have been related to these homonyms.
The word ba`al occurs 84 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, 15 times with the meaning of "husband" and 50 times as a reference to a deity. The first occurrence of the noun ba`al is in Gen_14:13 : "And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with [literally, "ba`al's of a covenant with"] Abram."
The primary meaning of ba`al is "possessor." Isaiah's use of ba`al in parallel with qanah clarifies this basic significance of ba`al: "The ox knoweth his owner [qanah], and the *** his master's [ba`al] crib: but Israel does not know, my people doth not consider" (Isa_1:3). Man may be the owner [ba'al] of an animal (Exo_22:10), a house (Exo_22:7), a cistern (Exo_21:34), or even a wife (Exo_21:3).
A secondary meaning, "husband," is clearly indicated by the phrase ba'al ha-ishshah (literally, "owner of the woman"). For example: "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband [ba'al ha-ishshah] will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine" (Exo_21:22). The meaning of ba`al is closely related to ish ("man"), as is seen in the usage of these two words in one verse: "When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband [ish] was dead, she mourned for her husband [ba`al]" (2Sa_11:26).
The word ba`al with another noun may signify a peculiar characteristic or quality: "And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh" (Gen_37:19); the KJV offers a literal translation of the Hebrew—"master of dreams"—as an alternative.
Thirdly, the word ba`al may denote any deity other than the God of Israel. Baal was a common name given to the god of fertility in Canaan. In the Canaanite city of Ugarit, Baal was especially recognized as the god of fertility. The Old Testament records that Baal was "the god" of the Canaanites. The Israelites worshiped Baal during the time of the judges (Jdg_6:25-32) and of King Ahab. Elijah stood as the opponent of the Baal priests at Mount Carmel (1Ki_18:21 ff.). Many cities made Baal a local god and honored him with special acts of worship: Baal-peor (Num_25:5), Baal-berith at Shechem (Jdg_8:33), Baal-zebub (2Ki_1:2-16) at Ekron, Baal-zephon (Num_33:7), and Baalhermon (Jdg_3:3).
Among the prophets, Jeremiah and Hosea mention Baal most frequently. Hosea pictured Israel as turning to the baals and only returning to the Lord after a time of despair (Hos_2:13, Hos_2:17). He says that the name of Ba`al will no longer be used, not even with the meaning of "Lord" or "master," as the association was contaminated by the idolatrous practices: "And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Ba-a-li [ba`al]. For I will take away the names of Ba-a-lim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name" (Hos_2:16-17). In Hosea's and Jeremiah's time, the ba`al idols were still worshiped, as the peoples sacrificed, built high places, and made images of the ba`alim (plural).
In the Septuagint, the word ba`al is not uniformly translated: kurios ("lord, owner"); aner ("man, husband"); the simple transliteration; and ba`al. The KJV has these translations: "Baal, man, owner, husband, master."
Jonah2005bt
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1 Kings 18:16-18 (New American Standard Bible)
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?"
18 He said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals.
*******************************************************
Hosea 2:16-17 (New International Version)
16 "In that day," declares the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband';
you will no longer call me 'my master.
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked.
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?"
18 He said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals.
*******************************************************
Hosea 2:16-17 (New International Version)
16 "In that day," declares the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband';
you will no longer call me 'my master.
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2004
- Messages
- 17,081
“baal” in Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
BAAL [BAY uhl] (lord, master) — the name of one or more false gods, a place, and two people in the Old Testament:
1. A fertility and nature god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians. Also see GODS, PAGAN.
2. A city in the tribe of Simeon (1 Chr. 4:33), the same place as Baalath Beer (Josh. 19:8).
3. A descendant of Reuben (1 Chr. 5:5–6).
4. A descendant of Benjamin listed in the family tree of King Saul (1 Chr. 8:30; 9:36).
BAAL GAD [BAY uhl gad] (lord of Gad) — a town “in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon” (Josh. 11:17). Joshua marched as far north as this city in his conquest of Canaan (Josh. 12:7; 13:5).
BAAL HAMON [BAY uhl HAY mahn] (lord of abundance) — a place where Solomon had a fertile vineyard (Song 8:11).
BAAL HAZOR [BAY uhl HAY zor] (lord of Hazor) — a place (2 Sam. 13:23) where Amnon was murdered by Absalom's servants in revenge for Amnon's rape of Tamar (1 Sam. 13:14, 29).
BAAL HERMON [BAY uhl HUR mon] (lord of Hermon) — the name of a mountain and a city in the Old Testament:
1. A mountain east of Lebanon (Judg. 3:3).
2. A city near Mount Hermon (1 Chr. 5:23).
BAAL MEON [BAY uhl ME own] (lord of Meon) — an Amorite city on the northern border of Moab assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:38). Baal Meon is also called Beon (Num. 32:3), Beth Baal Meon (Josh. 13:17), and Beth Meon (Jer. 48:23).
BAAL OF PEOR [BAY uhl, PEA ore] (see GODS, PAGAN).
BAAL PERAZIM [BAY uhl PER uh zem] (lord of breaches) — a place near the valley of Rephaim where King David won a great victory over the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:20; 1 Chr. 14:11).
BAAL SHALISHA [BAY uhl SHALL ih shah] (lord of Shalisha) — a village of Ephraim, near Gilgal. A man from this place brought the prophet Elisha “bread of the firstfruits” to eat (2 Kin. 4:42).
BAAL TAMAR [BAY uhl TAY mar] (lord of the palm tree) — a place in Benjamin, between Bethel and Gibeah, where the Israelites prepared for battle (Judg. 20:33) before attacking the city of GIBEAH.
BAAL ZEPHON [BAY uhl ZEE fon] (Baal of the north) — a place in Egypt that was “opposite,” or in front of, the Israelites while they were camped “before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea” (Ex. 14:2, 9), just before they crossed the Red Sea (see Map 2, B–1).
BAMOTH BAAL [BAY moth BAY uhl] (see BAMOTH).
BETH BAAL MEON [beth BAY uhl ME ahn] (Baal's dwelling place) — an Amorite city east of the Jordan River on the northern border of Moab allotted to the Reubenites (Josh. 13:17). It also was called Beon (Num. 32:3), Baal Meon (Num. 32:38), and Beth Meon (Jer. 48:23).
GUR BAAL [gure BAY al] (dwelling of Baal) — a desert place, perhaps a town, inhabited by Arabians. Uzziah, king of Judah, numbered it among his conquests (2 Chr. 26:7).
KIRIATH BAAL [KIR ih ath BAY uhl] — a form of KIRJATH JEARIM.
KIRJATH BAAL [KIR jath BAY uhl] — a form of KIRJATH JEARIM.
MOUNT BAAL HERMON [BAY uhl HUR mun] — a mountain from which the Israelites were unable to expel the Hivites (Judg. 3:3). East of the Jordan River, the site marked the northern limit of the half-tribe of Manasseh. Some scholars believe the Hebrew text may originally have read “Baal Gad near Mount Hermon” (Josh. 13:5; 1 Chr. 5:23).
BAAL [BAY uhl] (lord, master) — the name of one or more false gods, a place, and two people in the Old Testament:
1. A fertility and nature god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians. Also see GODS, PAGAN.
2. A city in the tribe of Simeon (1 Chr. 4:33), the same place as Baalath Beer (Josh. 19:8).
3. A descendant of Reuben (1 Chr. 5:5–6).
4. A descendant of Benjamin listed in the family tree of King Saul (1 Chr. 8:30; 9:36).
BAAL GAD [BAY uhl gad] (lord of Gad) — a town “in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon” (Josh. 11:17). Joshua marched as far north as this city in his conquest of Canaan (Josh. 12:7; 13:5).
BAAL HAMON [BAY uhl HAY mahn] (lord of abundance) — a place where Solomon had a fertile vineyard (Song 8:11).
BAAL HAZOR [BAY uhl HAY zor] (lord of Hazor) — a place (2 Sam. 13:23) where Amnon was murdered by Absalom's servants in revenge for Amnon's rape of Tamar (1 Sam. 13:14, 29).
BAAL HERMON [BAY uhl HUR mon] (lord of Hermon) — the name of a mountain and a city in the Old Testament:
1. A mountain east of Lebanon (Judg. 3:3).
2. A city near Mount Hermon (1 Chr. 5:23).
BAAL MEON [BAY uhl ME own] (lord of Meon) — an Amorite city on the northern border of Moab assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Num. 32:38). Baal Meon is also called Beon (Num. 32:3), Beth Baal Meon (Josh. 13:17), and Beth Meon (Jer. 48:23).
BAAL OF PEOR [BAY uhl, PEA ore] (see GODS, PAGAN).
BAAL PERAZIM [BAY uhl PER uh zem] (lord of breaches) — a place near the valley of Rephaim where King David won a great victory over the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:20; 1 Chr. 14:11).
BAAL SHALISHA [BAY uhl SHALL ih shah] (lord of Shalisha) — a village of Ephraim, near Gilgal. A man from this place brought the prophet Elisha “bread of the firstfruits” to eat (2 Kin. 4:42).
BAAL TAMAR [BAY uhl TAY mar] (lord of the palm tree) — a place in Benjamin, between Bethel and Gibeah, where the Israelites prepared for battle (Judg. 20:33) before attacking the city of GIBEAH.
BAAL ZEPHON [BAY uhl ZEE fon] (Baal of the north) — a place in Egypt that was “opposite,” or in front of, the Israelites while they were camped “before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea” (Ex. 14:2, 9), just before they crossed the Red Sea (see Map 2, B–1).
BAMOTH BAAL [BAY moth BAY uhl] (see BAMOTH).
BETH BAAL MEON [beth BAY uhl ME ahn] (Baal's dwelling place) — an Amorite city east of the Jordan River on the northern border of Moab allotted to the Reubenites (Josh. 13:17). It also was called Beon (Num. 32:3), Baal Meon (Num. 32:38), and Beth Meon (Jer. 48:23).
GUR BAAL [gure BAY al] (dwelling of Baal) — a desert place, perhaps a town, inhabited by Arabians. Uzziah, king of Judah, numbered it among his conquests (2 Chr. 26:7).
KIRIATH BAAL [KIR ih ath BAY uhl] — a form of KIRJATH JEARIM.
KIRJATH BAAL [KIR jath BAY uhl] — a form of KIRJATH JEARIM.
MOUNT BAAL HERMON [BAY uhl HUR mun] — a mountain from which the Israelites were unable to expel the Hivites (Judg. 3:3). East of the Jordan River, the site marked the northern limit of the half-tribe of Manasseh. Some scholars believe the Hebrew text may originally have read “Baal Gad near Mount Hermon” (Josh. 13:5; 1 Chr. 5:23).
