# Baal
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{{Short description|Semitic title often used in reference to deities}}
{{other uses|Baal (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Canaanite
| name = Baal
| image = Baal thunderbolt Louvre AO15775.jpg
| caption = [Baal with Thunderbolt](/source/Baal_with_Thunderbolt) stele from [Ugarit](/source/Ugarit) ([Musée du Louvre](/source/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre), Paris)
| deity_of = God of [fertility](/source/fertility), [weather](/source/weather), [rain](/source/rain), [wind](/source/wind), [lightning](/source/lightning), [seasons](/source/seasons), [war](/source/war), [sailors](/source/sailors)
| parents = {{plainlist|
*[Dagan](/source/Dagan_(god)) and [Shalash](/source/Shalash) (in Syria)
*[El](/source/El_(deity)) and [Athirat](/source/Athirat) (in some Ugaritic texts)}}
| siblings = [Hebat](/source/Hebat) (in Syrian tradition), [Anat](/source/Anat)
| offspring = [Pidray](/source/Pidray), [Tallay](/source/Tallay), [Arsay](/source/Arsay)[S. A. Wiggins, ''[https://www.academia.edu/1307039/Pidray_Tallay_and_Arsay_in_the_Baal_Cycle Pidray, Tallay and Arsay in the Baal Cycle]'', ''Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages'' 2(29), 2003, p. 86-93]
| region = {{plainlist|
*[Phoenicia](/source/Phoenicia)
*[Ancient Syria](/source/Ancient_Syria), especially [Halab](/source/Halab)
*Near, around and at [Ugarit](/source/Ugarit)
*[Canaan](/source/Canaan)
*[North Africa](/source/North_Africa)
*[Middle Kingdom of Egypt](/source/Middle_Kingdom_of_Egypt)}}
| symbol = [Bull](/source/Bull), [ram](/source/Sheep), thunderbolt
| consorts = possibly [Anat](/source/Anat) or [Athtart](/source/Athtart)[M. Smith, ''[https://www.academia.edu/12709064/_Athtart_in_Late_Bronze_Age_Syrian_Texts ‘Athtart in Late Bronze Age Syrian Texts]'' [in:] D. T. Sugimoto (ed), ''Transformation of a Goddess. Ishtar – Astarte – Aphrodite'', 2014, p. 48-49; 60-61][T. J. Lewis, ''[https://www.academia.edu/21871788/_%CA%BFAthtartus_Incantations_and_the_Use_of_Divine_Names_as_Weapons_Journal_of_Near_Eastern_Studies_71_2011_207_227 ʿAthtartu’s Incantations and the Use of Divine Names as Weapons]'', ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies'' 71, 2011, p. 208]
| Greek_equivalent = [Zeus](/source/Zeus)[{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity |title=Baal (ancient deity) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=29 March 2024 |edition=online}}]
| equivalent1_type = Aramaean and Mesopotamian
| equivalent1 = [Hadad](/source/Hadad)
| equivalent2_type = Hurrian
| equivalent2 = [Teshub](/source/Teshub)
| equivalent3_type = Arabic
| equivalent3 = [Hubal](/source/Hubal)
| equivalent4 = [Set](/source/Set_(god)) (due to being a foreign god in [Egypt](/source/Egypt), since Set was the god of foreigners – otherwise [Baal Zephon](/source/Baal_Zephon), equivalent to Baʿal Hadad, was also equated with [Horus](/source/Horus)){{sfn|Kramer|1984|p=266}}
| equivalent4_type = Egyptian
}}
{{Middle Eastern deities}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
'''Baal''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|.|əl|,_|ˈ|b|ɑː|l}}),[{{cite OED|Baal |access-date=2019-12-26}}][{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Baal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226003932/https://www.lexico.com/definition/baal |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-12-26 |title=Baal |dictionary=[Lexico](/source/Lexico) UK English Dictionary |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press)}}][{{cite Merriam-Webster|Baal |access-date=2019-12-26}}] or '''Ba'al''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɑː|.|ɑː|l}}),[{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Webb's Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IrrtAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT36 |title=Baal |last=Webb|first=Steven K.}}]{{efn|{{langx|uga|{{linktext|𐎁𐎓𐎍}}|baʿlu}};{{sfnp|De Moor & al.|1987|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=fu_Y5qnoCpAC&pg=PA1 1]}} {{langx|phn|{{linktext|𐤁𐤏𐤋}}|baʿl}}; {{langx|hbo|{{linktext|בעל}}|baʿal}}, {{IPA|he|baʕal|pron}}.}} was a title and [honorific](/source/honorific) meaning "owner" or "[lord](/source/lord)" in the [Northwest Semitic languages](/source/Northwest_Semitic_languages) spoken in the [Levant](/source/Levant) during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied to gods.{{sfnp|Smith|1878|pp=175–176}} Scholars previously associated the [theonym](/source/theonym) with [solar cults](/source/solar_god) and with a variety of unrelated [patron deities](/source/patron_deity), but inscriptions have shown that the name Baal was particularly associated with the [storm](/source/storm_god) and [fertility god](/source/fertility_god) [Hadad](/source/Hadad) and his local manifestations.{{sfnp|''AYBD''|1992|loc="Baal (Deity)"}} The [Ugarit](/source/Ugarit)ic god Baal (𐎁𐎓𐎍) is the protagonist of one of the lengthiest surviving epics from the [ancient Near East](/source/ancient_Near_East), the [Baal Cycle](/source/Baal_Cycle).
Known by epithets like "rider of the clouds" and "Victorious Baal", he was associated with rain, lightning, wind, fertility, and kingship, and was often depicted in opposition to sea and death deities like [Yammu](/source/Yam_(god)) and [Mot](/source/Mot_(god)). Worship of Baal spread throughout the [Levant](/source/Levant), [Egypt](/source/Egypt), and the [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean_Sea) via [Phoenician colonization](/source/Phoenicia), with regional forms such as [Baal Hammon](/source/Baal_Hammon) in [Carthage](/source/Carthage). The god was also known as "the mighty one", and "the one without equal" ("there is none above him").[{{Cite book |last=Rahmouni |first=Aïcha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j0SxrpjbwiEC |title=Divine Epithets in the Ugaritic Alphabetic Texts |date=2008 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-15769-9 |pages=84 |language=en}}]
The [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) includes use of the term in reference to various [Levantine deities](/source/Levantine_mythology), often with application towards [Hadad](/source/Hadad), who was decried as a [false god](/source/false_god). In the Hebrew Bible, Baal appears frequently as a foreign or rival deity, with prophets like [Elijah](/source/Elijah) opposing his cult, while in early Israelite contexts, the title may have sometimes referred to [Yahweh](/source/Yahweh). Depiction as a false god was taken over into [Christianity](/source/Christianity) and [Islam](/source/Islam), sometimes under the form [Beelzebub](/source/Beelzebub) in [demonology](/source/demonology).
Classical sources rendered him as Belus. The [Quran](/source/Quran) also references Baal worship, portraying him as a false god opposed by the prophet Elijah (Arabic: Ilyās or Elyas) (Qur’an 37:125). The Quran also mentions Ba'al as a common noun meaning “husband” (Qur’an 2:228, 4:128, 11:72, 24:31).[{{Cite web |title=Brill |url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EQO/EQCOM-00021.xml |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=referenceworks.brill.com}}]
Ba'al (בעל) is the most commonly used [Modern Hebrew](/source/Modern_Hebrew) word for a husband.
==Name==
===Epithets===
Baʻal's widely used epithet is "rider (or mounter[Dahood, "Psalms II" 1966 p = 136 § = 68 https://archive.org/details/psaml20000unse/page/n5/mode/2up]) of the clouds". (''rkb ʿrpt'', cf. ''rkb bʿrbt'' in Ps. 68:4; Ugaritic ''rkb ʿrpt''.) These are related to Zeus's "gatherer of the clouds" and Yahweh's "rider of the heavens".[JANES 5 1973 Weinfeld "Rider of the Clouds"] Like the English word ride, ''rkb'' has equine and sexual uses.[{{cite book | last=Weninger | first=Stefan | title=The Semitic Languages | publisher=Walter de Gruyter | publication-place=Berlin [u.a..] | date=2011-12-23 | isbn=978-3-11-025158-6 | page=}}]
{{anchor|Etymology|Name}}
===Etymology===
The spelling of the English term "Baal" derives from the [Greek](/source/Koine_Greek) ''Báal'' ({{lang|grc|Βάαλ}}) which appears in the [New Testament](/source/New_Testament)[Romans 11:4] and [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint),{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} and from its [Latinized](/source/latinization_of_names) form ''{{lang|la|Baal}}'', which appears in the [Vulgate](/source/Vulgate).{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} These forms in turn derive from the vowel-less Northwest Semitic form {{sc|bʿl}} ([Phoenician](/source/Phoenician_language) and {{langx|xpu|{{linktext|𐤁𐤏𐤋}}}}).{{sfnp|Huss|1985|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NvEK7kc3qnQC&pg=PA561 561]}} The word's [biblical](/source/Bible) senses as a Phoenician deity and [false god](/source/false_god)s generally were extended during the [Protestant Reformation](/source/Protestant_Reformation) to denote any [idols](/source/idolatry), [icon](/source/icon)s of the [saint](/source/saint_(Christianity))s, or the [Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church) generally.[''[Oxford English Dictionary](/source/Oxford_English_Dictionary)'' (1885), "[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/14177 Baalist, ''n.'']"] In such contexts, it follows the anglicized pronunciation and usually omits any mark between its two As.[ In close transliteration of the Semitic name, the [ayin](/source/ayin) is represented, as ''Baʿal''.
In the [Northwest Semitic languages](/source/Northwest_Semitic_languages)—[Ugaritic](/source/Ugaritic), [Phoenician](/source/Phoenician_language), [Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language), [Amorite](/source/Amorite_language), and [Aramaic](/source/Aramaic_language)—the word ''baʿal'' signified "[owner](/source/property)" and, by extension, "lord",{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} a "master", or "husband".{{sfnp|Pope|2007}}{{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc="[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 bʕl (II)]"}} Cognates include the [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language) ''[Bēlu](/source/Bel_(mythology))'' ({{lang|akk|{{linktext|𒂗}}}}),{{efn|This [cuneiform](/source/cuneiform) is identical to the {{nowrap|{{angle bracket| [𒂗](/source/%F0%92%82%97) }}}} which is taken as EN in [Sumerian](/source/Sumerian_language) texts. There, it has the meaning '[high priest](/source/high_priest_(Sumer))' or 'lord' and appears in the names of the gods [Enki](/source/Enki) and [Enlil](/source/Enlil).}} [Amharic](/source/Amharic_language) ''bal'' ({{lang|am|{{linktext|ባል}}}}),{{sfnp|Kane|1990|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=H6tnix8o0mwC&pg=PA861 861]}} and [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language) ''baʿl'' ({{lang|ar|{{linktext|بعل}}}}). ''Báʿal'' ({{lang|he|בַּעַל}}) and ''baʿl'' 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 is ''baʿalah'' ({{langx|he|בַּעֲלָה}};{{sfnp|Strong|1890|loc=[http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1172 H1172]}} {{langx|ar|بَعْلَة}}), meaning "mistress" in the sense of a female owner or lady of the house{{sfnp|Strong|1890|loc=[http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1172 H1172]}} and still serving as a rare word for "wife".{{sfnp|Wehr & al.|1976|p=67}}
Suggestions in early modern scholarship also included comparison with the [Celtic](/source/Celts) [god](/source/Celtic_deities) [Belenus](/source/Belenus), however this is now widely rejected by contemporary scholars.][[https://books.google.com/books?id=TsD281UZGhwC&pg=PA174 Belin], in Gilles Ménage, ''Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue françoise'', 1750. Ménage constructs a derivation of both the "Chaldean" Bel and the Celtic Belin
from a supposed word for 'ball, sphere', whence 'head', and 'chief, lord']
==Semitic religion==
{{see also|Religions of the ancient Near East|Ancient Semitic religion|Canaanite religion|Punic religion}}
===Generic===
{{see also-text|[Bel](/source/Bel_(mythology))|[Zeus Belos](/source/Zeus_Belos)|[other figures named Belus](/source/Belus_(disambiguation))}}
Like [En](/source/EN_(cuneiform)) in [Sumerian](/source/Sumerian_language), the [Akkadian](/source/Akkadian_language) ''bēlu'' and [Northwest Semitic](/source/Northwest_Semitic_languages) ''baʿal'' (as well as its feminine form ''baʿalah'') was used as a title of various deities in the [Mesopotamian](/source/Ancient_Mesopotamian_religion) and [Semitic pantheons](/source/Ancient_Semitic_religion). Only a [definitive article](/source/definitive_article), [genitive](/source/genitive) or [epithet](/source/epithet), or context could establish which particular god was meant.{{sfnp|Halpern|2009|p=64}}
===Hadad===
{{Main|Hadad}}
Baʿal was also used as a proper name by the third millennium BC, when he appears in a list of deities at [Abu Salabikh](/source/Abu_Salabikh).{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} Most modern scholarship asserts that this Baʿal—usually distinguished as "The Lord" ({{lang|he|ה{{linktext|בעל}}}}, ''Ha-Baʿal'')—was identical with the [storm](/source/storm_god) and [fertility god](/source/fertility_god) Hadad;{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}}{{sfnp|Day|2000|p=68}}{{sfnp|Pope|2007}} it also appears in the form ''Baʿal Haddu''.{{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc="[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 bʕl (II)]"}}{{sfnp|Ayali-Darshan|2013|p=652}} 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](/source/Bel_(god))" was used for [Marduk](/source/Marduk) among the Babylonians and "[Adonai](/source/Adonai)" for [Yahweh](/source/Tetragrammaton) among the Israelites. A minority propose that Baʿal was a native [Canaanite](/source/Canaanite_religion) deity whose cult was identified with or absorbed aspects of [Adad](/source/Adad)'s.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} Regardless of their original relationship, by the 1st millennium BC, the two were distinct: Hadad was worshiped by the [Aramaeans](/source/Aramaeans) and Baʿal by the [Phoenicians](/source/Phoenicians) and other [Canaanites](/source/Canaanites).{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}}
{{anchor|Baal|Ba'al}}
===Baʿal===
{{See also|Baal Cycle}}
[[File:Baal Ugarit Louvre AO17329.jpg|thumb|Bronze figurine of Baal, 14th–12th century BC, found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) near the Phoenician coast ([Musée du Louvre](/source/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre), Paris)]]
[[File:Baal, God of Fertility and Storms, Megiddo, Strata IX-VII, Late Bronze Age, 1550-1200 BC, bronze - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07738.JPG|thumb|Solid cast bronze of a votive figurine representing Baal discovered at [Tel Megiddo](/source/Tel_Megiddo), dating to the mid-2nd millennium BC ([Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures](/source/Institute_for_the_Study_of_Ancient_Cultures), [Chicago](/source/Chicago), [Illinois](/source/Illinois))]]
Baʿal is well-attested in surviving inscriptions and was popular in [theophoric name](/source/theophoric_name)s throughout the [Levant](/source/Levant){{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=133}} but he is usually mentioned along with other gods, "his own field of action being seldom defined".{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=134}} Nonetheless, Ugaritic records show him as a [weather god](/source/weather_god), with particular power over [lightning](/source/lightning_god), [wind](/source/wind_god), [rain](/source/rain_god), and [fertility](/source/fertility_god).{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=134}}{{efn|In surviving accounts, Baʿal's power over fertility extends only over vegetation. Older scholarship claimed Baʿal controlled human fertility as well but did so on the basis of misinterpretation or of inscriptions now regarded as dubious.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|pp=134–135}} Similarly, 19th-century scholarship treating Baal as a [personification](/source/anthropomorphism) of the [sun](/source/sun) seems to have been badly taken. The [astrotheology](/source/astrotheology) of Near Eastern deities was an [Iron Age](/source/Iron_Age) development long postdating the [origin of religion](/source/origin_of_religion) and, following its development, [Bel](/source/Bel_(god)) and Baʿal were associated with the planet [Jupiter](/source/Jupiter_(planet)).{{sfnp|Smith & al.|1899}} The sun was worshipped in Canaan as either the goddess [Shapash](/source/Shapash) or the god [Shamash](/source/Shamash).}} The dry summers of the area were explained as Baʿal's time in the [underworld](/source/underworld), and his return in autumn was said to have caused the storms that revived the land.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=134}} Thus, the worship of Baʿal in [Canaan](/source/Canaan)—where he eventually supplanted [El](/source/El_(deity)) as the leader of the gods and patron of kingship—was connected to the region's dependence on rainfall for its agriculture, unlike [Egypt](/source/Ancient_Egypt) and [Mesopotamia](/source/Ancient_Mesopotamia), 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.{{sfnp|Pope|2007}} He was also called upon during battle, showing that he was thought to intervene actively in the world of man,{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=134}} unlike the more aloof El. The Lebanese city of [Baalbeck](/source/Baalbeck) was named after Baal.[{{citation |last=Batuman |first=Elif |contribution=The Myth of the Megalith |contribution-url=http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/baalbek-myth-megalith |title=The New Yorker |date=18 December 2014 |title-link=The New Yorker }}] Alternatively, Ba' al is a divine co-regent with El, where El was the executive while Ba' al was the sustainer of the cosmos.[{{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=Theodore J. |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/37440/chapter/331574551?login=true#331574754 |title=The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0190072544 |pages=73–118}}]
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.[{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zfFeCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA216|title=The Splintered Divine: A Study of Istar, Baal, and Yahweh Divine Names and Divine Multiplicity in the Ancient Near East|page= 216|year= 2015|isbn=9781614512363|last1=Allen|first1=Spencer L|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG }}] Baʿal was usually said to be the son of [Dagan](/source/Dagan_(god)), but appears as one of the sons of El in [Ugarit](/source/Ugarit)ic sources.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=133}}{{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc="[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 bʕl (II)]"}}{{efn|Herrmann argues against seeing these separate lineages literally, instead proposing that they describe Baʿal's roles. As a god, he is understood as a child of El, "father of gods", while his fertility aspects connect him to the [grain god](/source/grain_god) Dagan.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=133}}}} Both Baʿal and El were [associated with the bull](/source/sacred_bull) in Ugaritic texts, as they symbolized both strength and fertility.{{sfnp|Miller|2000|p=32}} He held special enmity against snakes, both on their own and as representatives of [Yammu](/source/Yammu) ({{abbr|lit.|literally}} "Sea"), the Canaanite [sea god and river god](/source/List_of_water_deities).{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=135}} He fought the [Tannin](/source/Tannin_(monster)) (''Tunnanu''), the "Twisted Serpent" (''Bṯn ʿqltn''), "[Lotan](/source/Lotan) the Fugitive Serpent" (''Ltn Bṯn Brḥ'', the biblical [Leviathan](/source/Leviathan)),{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=135}} and the "Mighty One [with Seven Heads](/source/seven-headed_serpent)" (''Šlyṭ D.šbʿt Rašm'').{{sfnp|Uehlinger|1999|p=512}}{{efn|The account is [patchy](/source/lacuna_(MS)) and obscure here. Some scholars take some or all of the terms to refer to [Litan](/source/Litan), and in other passages, [ʿAnat](/source/%CA%BFAnat) takes credit for destroying the monsters on Baʿal's behalf. Herrmann takes "Šalyaṭu" as a proper name{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=135}} rather than translating it as the "powerful one" or "tyrant".{{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA810 "šlyṭ"]}}}} Baʿal's conflict with Yammu is now generally regarded as the prototype of the vision recorded in the [7th chapter](/source/Daniel_7) of the [biblical](/source/Bible) [Book of Daniel](/source/Book_of_Daniel).{{sfnp|Collins|1984|p=77}} As vanquisher of the sea, the Canaanites and Phoenicians regarded Baʿal as the [patron](/source/patron_deity) of [sailors](/source/sailors) and sea-going merchants.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=135}} As vanquisher of [Mot](/source/Mot_(god)), the Canaanite [death god](/source/death_god), he was known as Baʿal Rāpiʾuma (''Bʿl Rpu'') and regarded as the leader of the [Rephaim](/source/Rephaim) (''Rpum''), the ancestral spirits, particularly those of ruling dynasties.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=135}}
From Canaan, worship of Baʿal spread to Egypt by the [Middle Kingdom](/source/Middle_Kingdom_of_Egypt) and throughout the [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean_basin) following the waves of [Phoenician colonization](/source/Phoenician_colonization) in the early 1st millennium BC.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=133}} He was described with diverse epithets, and before Ugarit was rediscovered, these were supposed to refer to distinct local gods. However, as explained by [Day](/source/John_Day_(Old_Testament_scholar)), the texts at Ugarit revealed that they were considered "local manifestations of this particular deity, analogous to the local manifestations of the [Virgin Mary](/source/Virgin_Mary) in the [Roman Catholic Church](/source/Roman_Catholic_Church)".{{sfnp|Day|2000|p=68}} In those inscriptions, he is frequently described as "Victorious Baʿal" (''Aliyn'' or ''Ảlỉyn Baʿal''),{{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc="[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 bʕl (II)]"}}{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} "Mightiest one" (''Aliy'' or ''ʾAly''){{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc="[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 bʕl (II)]"}}{{efn|This name appears twice in the [Legend of Keret](/source/Legend_of_Keret) discovered at [Ugarit](/source/Ugarit). Before this discovery, [Nyberg](/source/Henrik_Samuel_Nyberg) had restored it to the Hebrew texts of [Deuteronomy](/source/Book_of_Deuteronomy),[{{bibleverse|Deut.|33:12|HE}}.] [1 & 2 Samuel](/source/Books_of_Samuel),[{{bibleverse|1 Sam.|2:10|HE}}.][{{bibleverse|2 Sam.|23:1|HE}}.] [Isaiah](/source/Book_of_Isaiah),[{{bibleverse|Isa.|59:18|HE}} & {{Bibleverse-nb||Isa|63:7|HE}}.] and [Hosea](/source/Book_of_Hosea).[{{bibleverse|Hos.|7:16|HE}}.] Following its verification, additional instances have been claimed in the [Psalms](/source/Psalms) and in [Job](/source/Book_of_Job).{{sfnp|Pope|2007}}}} 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'').{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|pp=132–133}} As [Baʿal Zaphon](/source/Ba%CA%BFal_Zaphon) (''Baʿal Ṣapunu''), he was particularly associated with his palace atop [Jebel Aqra](/source/Jebel_Aqra) (the ancient Mount Ṣapānu and classical Mons Casius).{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|pp=132–133}} He is also mentioned as "Winged Baʿal" (''Bʿl Knp'') and "Baʿal of the Arrows" (''Bʿl Ḥẓ'').{{sfnp|''DULAT''|2015|loc="[https://books.google.com/books?id=bh6oBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 bʕl (II)]"}} [Phoenician](/source/Phoenician_language) and [Aramaic](/source/Aramaic_language) inscriptions describe "Baʿal of the [Mace](/source/Mace_(bludgeon))" (''Bʿl Krntryš''), "Baʿal of the Lebanon" (''Bʿl Lbnn''), "Baʿal of Sidon" (''Bʿl Ṣdn''), ''Bʿl Ṣmd'', "[Baʿal of the Heavens](/source/Ba%CA%BFal_of_the_Heavens)" (''Baʿal Shamem'' or ''Shamayin''),[{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity|title=Baal {{!}} ancient deity|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-08-04|language=en}}] Baʿal ʾAddir (''Bʿl ʾdr''), [Baʿal Hammon](/source/Ba%CA%BFal_Hammon) (''Baʿal Ḥamon''), ''Bʿl Mgnm''.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=133}}
{{anchor|Baal Hammon|Ba'al Hammon}}
===Baʿal Hammon===
{{main|Baal Hammon|l1 = Baʿal Hammon}}
[Baʿal Hammon](/source/Baal_Hammon) was worshipped in the [Tyrian](/source/Ancient_Tyre) [colony](/source/Phoenician_colonization) of [Carthage](/source/Carthage) as their [supreme god](/source/King_of_the_Gods). It is believed that this position developed in the 5th century BC following the severing of its ties to Tyre following the 480 BC [Battle of Himera](/source/Battle_of_Himera_(480_BC)).{{sfnp|Moscati|2001|p=132}} Like Hadad, Baʿal Hammon was a [fertility god](/source/fertility_god).{{sfnp|Lancel|1995|p=197}} Inscriptions about [Punic deities](/source/Punic_religion) tend to be rather uninformative, though, and he has been variously identified as a [moon god](/source/moon_god){{citation needed|date=August 2015}} and as [Dagan](/source/Dagan_(god)), the [grain god](/source/grain_god).{{sfnp|Lipiński|1992}} Rather than the bull, Baʿal Hammon was associated with the [ram](/source/Sheep) and depicted with his horns. The archaeological record seems to bear out accusations in Roman sources that the Carthaginians [burned their children as human sacrifices](/source/Tophet) to him.{{sfnp|Xella|Quinn|Melchiorri|Van Domellen|2013}} 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 goddess [Tanit](/source/Tanit).{{sfnp|Lancel|1995|p=195}}
The epithet Hammon is obscure. Most often, it is connected with the NW Semitic ''ḥammān'' ("[brazier](/source/brazier)") and associated with a role as a [sun god](/source/sun_god).{{sfnp|Walbank|1979|p=47}} [Renan](/source/Ernest_Renan) and Gibson linked it to Hammon (modern Umm el-‘Amed between [Tyre](/source/Tyre%2C_Lebanon) in [Lebanon](/source/Lebanon) and [Acre](/source/Acre%2C_Israel) in [Israel](/source/Israel)){{sfnp|Gibson|1982|p=39 & 118}} and [Cross](/source/Frank_Moore_Cross) and [Lipiński](/source/Edward_Lipi%C5%84ski_(orientalist)) to Haman or Khamōn, the classical [Mount Amanus](/source/Mount_Amanus) and modern Nur Mountains, which separate northern [Syria](/source/Syria) from southeastern [Cilicia](/source/Cilicia).{{sfnp|Cross|1973|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bJqwWRDOMgEC&pg=PA26 26–28]}}{{sfnp|Lipiński|1994|p=207}}
==Judaism==
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 116.png|thumb|''Slaughter of the Prophets of Baal'', 1860 woodcut by [Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld](/source/Julius_Schnorr_von_Karolsfeld)]]
Baʿal (בַּעַל) appears about 90 times in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible) in reference to various gods.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=132}} The priests of the Canaanite Baʿal are mentioned numerous times, most prominently in the [First Book of Kings](/source/First_Book_of_Kings). Many scholars believe that this describes [Jezebel](/source/Jezebel)'s attempt to introduce the worship of the Baʿal of [Tyre](/source/Ancient_Tyre), [Melqart](/source/Melqart),[[Josephus](/source/Josephus), ''[Antiquities](/source/Antiquities_(Josephus))'', 8.13.1.] to the [Israelite](/source/Kingdom_of_Israel_(Samaria)) capital [Samaria](/source/Samaria) in the 9th century BC.{{sfnp|''BEWR''|2006|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dbibAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA102 "Baal"]}} Against this, [Day](/source/John_Day_(Old_Testament_scholar)) argues that Jezebel's Baʿal was more probably [Baʿal Shamem](/source/Ba%CA%BFal_Shamem), the Lord of the Heavens, a title most often applied to Hadad, who is also often titled just Baʻal.{{sfnp|Day|2000|p=75}}
[1 Kings](/source/1_Kings) 18 records an account of a contest between the [prophet](/source/prophet_(Bible)) [Elijah](/source/Elijah) and Jezebel's priests. Both sides offered a [sacrifice](/source/sacrifice) to their respective gods: Baʻal failed to light his followers' sacrifice while [Yahweh](/source/Yahweh)'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,[{{bibleverse|1 Kings|18|HE}}] after which it began to rain, showing Yahweh's mastery over the weather.
Other references to the priests of Baʿal describe their burning of [incense](/source/incense) in [prayer](/source/prayer)[{{bibleverse|2 Kings|23:5|HE}}.] and their offering of [sacrifice](/source/sacrifice) while adorned in special [vestment](/source/vestment)s.[{{bibleverse|2 Kings|10:22|HE}}]
===Yahweh===
{{main|Yahweh|Names of God in Judaism}}
The title ''baʿal'' was a synonym in some contexts of the [Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language) ''[adon](/source/adon)'' ("Lord") and ''[adonai](/source/adonai)'' ("My Lords") still used as aliases of the Lord of Israel [Yahweh](/source/Yahweh). According to some scholars, the [early Hebrews](/source/Hebrew_people) 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 of [Ugarit](/source/Ugarit) or Lebanon.{{sfnp|''BEWR''|2006|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dbibAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA102 "Baal"]}}{{sfnp|Smith|1878|pp=175–176}} This occurred both directly and as the divine element of some Hebrew [theophoric name](/source/theophoric_name)s. 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.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999a|p=136}} Names including the element Baʿal presumably in reference to Yahweh{{sfnp|Ayles|1904|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nwQ9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA103 103]}}{{sfnp|Smith|1878|pp=175–176}} include the [judge](/source/judge_(Judaism)) [Gideon](/source/Gideon) (also known as Jerubaʿal, {{abbr|lit.|literally}} "The Lord Strives"), [Saul](/source/Saul_the_King)'s son [Eshbaʿal](/source/Ish-bosheth) ("The Lord is Great"), and [David](/source/David)'s son Beeliada ("The Lord Knows"). The name [Bealiah](/source/Bealiah) ("The Lord is [Jah](/source/Jah)"; "Yahweh is Baʿal"){{sfnp|''AYBD''|1992|loc="Baal (Deity)"}} combined the two.[{{bibleverse|1 Chron.|12:5|HE}}.]{{sfnp|Easton|1893|loc="[https://archive.org/stream/illustratedbible00east#page/86/mode/2up Beali′ah]"}} However John Day states that as far as the names Eshbaʻal, Meribaʻal, and Beeliada (that is, Baʻaliada), are concerned it is not certain whether they simply allude to the Canaanite god Baʻal, or are intended to equate Yahweh with Baʻal, or have no connection to Baʻal.{{sfnp|Day|2000|p=72}}
It was the program of [Jezebel](/source/Jezebel), in the 9th century BC, to introduce into Israel's capital city of Samaria her Phoenician worship of Baal as opposed to the worship of [Yahweh](/source/Yahweh) that made the name anathema to the Israelites.{{sfnp|''BEWR''|2006|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dbibAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA102 "Baal"]}}
{{blockquote|At first the name Baal was used by the [Jews](/source/Jews) 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: Hebrew ''bosheth'' means "shame".{{sfnp|''ZPBD''|1963}}}} Eshbaʿal became [Ish-bosheth](/source/Ish-bosheth){{citation needed|date=August 2015}} and Meribaʿal became [Mephibosheth](/source/Mephibosheth),[{{bibleverse|1 Chron.|9:40|HE}}.]{{original research inline|date=March 2022}} 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.[{{bibleverse|Judges|6:32|HE}}.]{{original research inline|date=March 2022}} Direct use of Baʿali continued at least as late as the time of the [prophet](/source/prophet_(Judaism)) [Hosea](/source/Hosea), who reproached the Israelites for doing so.[{{bibleverse|Hosea|2:16|HE}}]
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".{{sfnp|Kelle|2005|p=137}}
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, the [Chronicler(s)](/source/The_Chronicler) disapproved of both "Baals" whilst the [Deuteronomist](/source/Deuteronomist)s used "Baals" for any god they disapproved of.[{{Cite thesis |last=Irwin |first=Brian P. |date=1999 |title=Baal and Yahweh in the Old Testament: A Fresh Examination of the Biblical and Extra-Biblical Data |url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/73647 |journal=University of St. Michael's College|type=Thesis }}]
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.[{{Cite book |last1=van Oorschot |first1=Jürgen |title=The Origins of Yahwism |last2=Witte |first2=Markus |date=2019 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3110656701 |pages=23–43}}]
{{anchor|Baal Berith|Ba'al Berith}}
===Baʿal Berith===
{{main|Baʿal Berith}}
[Baʿal Berith](/source/Ba%CA%BFal_Berith) ("Lord of the [Covenant](/source/Biblical_covenant)") was a god worshipped by the [Israelites](/source/Israelites) when they "went astray" after the death of [Gideon](/source/Gideon) according to the [Hebrew Scriptures](/source/Hebrew_Scriptures).[{{bibleverse|Jgs.|8:33–34|HE}}.] The same source relates that Gideon's son [Abimelech](/source/Abimelech_(Judges)) went to his mother's kin at [Shechem](/source/Shechem) and received 70 [shekel](/source/shekel)s of [silver](/source/silver) "from the House of Baʿal Berith" to assist in killing his 70 brothers from Gideon's other wives.[{{bibleverse|Jgs.|9:1–5|HE}}.] An earlier passage had made Shechem the scene of [Joshua](/source/Joshua)'s covenant between all the [tribes of Israel](/source/tribes_of_Israel) and "[El](/source/El_(god)) [Yahweh](/source/Yahweh), our god of [Israel](/source/Israelites)"[{{bibleverse|Josh.|24:1–25|HE}}.] and a later one describes it as the location of the "House of El Berith".[{{bibleverse|Jgs.|9:46|HE}}.] It is thus unclear whether the false worship of the "Baʿalim" being decried[ is the worship of a new idol or rites and [teachings](/source/henotheism) placing Yahweh as a mere local god within a larger pantheon. The Hebrew Scriptures record the worship of Baʿal threatening Israel from the time of the [Judges](/source/Judge_(Judaism)) until the [monarchy](/source/Kingdom_of_Israel_(united_monarchy)).{{sfnp|Smith|2002|loc=Ch. 2}} However, during the period of Judges such worship seems to have been an occasional deviation from a deeper and more constant worship of Yahweh:
{{blockquote|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.][[Yehezkel Kaufmann](/source/Yehezkel_Kaufmann), ''The Religion of Israel: From Its Beginnings to the Babylonian Exile'' (1972), p.138-139:]}}
The [Deuteronomist](/source/Deuteronomist)[{{bibleverse|Deut.|4:1–40|HE}}] and the present form of [Jeremiah](/source/Book_of_Jeremiah)[{{bibleverse|Jer.|11:12–13|HE}}] seem to phrase the struggle as [monolatry](/source/monolatry) or [monotheism](/source/monotheism) against [polytheism](/source/polytheism). Yahweh is frequently identified in the Hebrew scriptures with [El Elyon](/source/Elyon), however, this was after a conflation with El in a process of religious [syncretism](/source/syncretism).{{sfn|Smith|2002|page=8}} ''’El'' ({{langx|he|אל}}) became a generic term meaning "god", as opposed to the name of a worshipped deity, and epithets such as [El Shaddai](/source/El_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.{{sfn|Smith|2002|page=8, 135}} 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.{{sfn|Smith|2002|page=9}}
{{anchor|Baal Zebub|Baʿal Zebub}}
===Beelzebub===
{{Main|Beelzebub}}
[[File:Beelzebub.png|thumb|"Beelzebub" in the 1863 edition of [Jacques Collin de Plancy](/source/Jacques_Collin_de_Plancy)'s ''[Dictionnaire Infernal](/source/Dictionnaire_Infernal)'']]
Baʿal Zebub ({{langx|he|{{linktext|בעל זבוב}}}}, {{abbr|lit.|literally}} "[Fly](/source/Fly)-Lord"){{sfnp|Arndt & al.|2000|p=173}}{{sfnp|Balz & al.|2004|p=211}}{{efn|"The etymology of Beelzebul has proceeded in several directions. The variant reading Beelzebub (Syriac translators and Jerome) reflects a long-standing tradition of equating Beelzebul with the Philistine deity of the city of Ekron mentioned in 2 Kgs 1:2, 3, 6, 16. Baalzebub (Heb ba˓al zĕbûb) seems to mean “lord of flies” (HALAT, 250, but cf. LXXB baal muian theon akkarōn, “Baal-Fly, god of Akkaron”; Ant 9:2, 1 theon muian)."{{sfnp|''AYBD''|1992|loc="Beelzebul"}}}} occurs in the first chapter of the [Second Book of Kings](/source/Second_Book_of_Kings) as the name of the [Philistine](/source/Philistines) god of [Ekron](/source/Ekron). In it, [Ahaziah](/source/Ahaziah_of_Israel), [king of Israel](/source/kingdom_of_Israel_(Samaria)), is said to have consulted the priests of Baʿal Zebub as to whether he would survive the injuries from his recent fall. The [prophet](/source/prophet_(Judaism)) [Elijah](/source/Elijah), incensed at this impiety, then foretold that he would die quickly, raining heavenly fire on the soldiers sent to punish him for doing so.[{{bibleverse|2 Kings|1:1–18|HE}}.] [Jewish](/source/Jewish) scholars have interpreted the title of "Lord of the Flies" as the Hebrew way of calling Baʿal a [pile of dung](/source/feces) and his followers [vermin](/source/vermin),{{sfnp|Kohler|1902}}{{sfnp|Lurker|1987|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Vtj0wSsw1JcC&pg=PA31 31]}} although others argue for a link to power over causing and curing [pestilence](/source/infection) and thus suitable for Ahaziah's question.{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999b}} The [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint) renders the name as ''Baälzeboúb'' ({{lang|grc|βααλζεβούβ}}) and as "Baʿal of Flies" ({{lang|grc|βααλ μυιαν}}, ''Baäl muian''). [Symmachus the Ebionite](/source/Symmachus_the_Ebionite) rendered it as ''Beëlzeboúl'' ({{lang|grc|Βεελζεβούλ}}), possibly reflecting its original sense.{{sfnp|Souvay|1907}}{{efn|Arndt & al. reverse this, saying Symmachus transcribed ''Baälzeboúb'' for a more common ''Beëlzeboúl''.{{sfnp|Arndt & al.|2000|p=173}}}} This has been proposed to have been ''B‘l Zbl'', [Ugaritic](/source/Ugaritic_language) for "Prince Baal".{{sfnp|Wex|2005}}{{efn|"It is more probable that b‘l zbl, which can mean “lord of the (heavenly) dwelling” in Ugaritic, was changed to b‘l zbb to make the divine name an opprobrius epithet. The reading Beelzebul in Mt. 10:25 would then reflect the right form of the name, a wordplay on “master of the house” (Gk oikodespótēs)."{{sfnp|McIntosh|1989}}}}{{efn|"An alternative suggested by many is to connect zĕbûl with a noun meaning '(exalted) abode.'"{{sfnp|''AYBD''|1992|loc="Beelzebul"}}}}{{efn|"In contemporary Semitic speech it may have been understood as ‘the master of the house’; if so, this phrase could be used in a double sense in Mt. 10:25b."{{sfnp|Bruce|1996}}}}
==Classical sources==
Outside of Jewish and Christian contexts, the various forms of Baʿal were indifferently rendered in classical sources as [Belus](/source/Belus_(disambiguation)) ({{langx|grc|Βῆλος}}, ''Bē̂los''). An example is [Josephus](/source/Josephus), who states that [Jezebel](/source/Jezebel) "built a temple to the [god](/source/patron_deity) of the [Tyrians](/source/Tyrians), which they call Belus";[{{Cite book|last=Jongeling|first=K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qn8OAAAAYAAJ&q=North+African+Names+from+Latin+Sources|title=North-African Names from Latin Sources|date=1994|publisher=Research School CNWS|isbn=978-90-73782-25-9|language=en}}] He was probably never equated with Melqart, although this assertion appears in older scholarship.
==Christianity==
Beelzebub or Beelzebul was identified by the [writers](/source/Evangelism) of the [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) as [Satan](/source/Satan), "[prince](/source/prince)" (i.e., king) of the [demon](/source/demon)s.{{efn|"In NT Gk. beelzeboul, beezeboul (Beelzebub in TR and AV) is the prince of the demons (Mt. 12:24, 27; Mk. 3:22; Lk. 11:15, 18f.), identified with Satan (Mt. 12:26; Mk. 3:23, 26; Lk. 11:18)."{{sfnp|Bruce|1996}}}}{{efn|"Besides, Matt 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15 use the apposition ἄρχων τῶν δαιμονίων ‘head of the →Demons’."{{sfnp|Herrmann|1999b}}}}
[John Milton](/source/John_Milton)'s 1667 [epic](/source/epic_poem) ''[Paradise Lost](/source/Paradise_Lost)'' describes the [fallen angel](/source/fallen_angel)s 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'' and ''[Ashtaroth](/source/Astaroth)'' are given as the collective names of the male and female demons (respectively) who came from between the "bordering flood of old [Euphrates](/source/Euphrates)" and "the Brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground".[[Milton](/source/John_Milton), ''[Paradise Lost](/source/Paradise_Lost)'', Bk. 1, ll. 419–423.]
==Islam==
The [Quran](/source/Quran) mentions that Prophet [Elias](/source/Elijah_in_Islam) ([Elijah](/source/Elijah)) warned his people against Baʿal worship.[{{EI3 |last=Tottoli |first=Roberto |title=Baal |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23985}}]
{{bq|And Elias was indeed one of the [messengers](/source/Prophets_and_messengers_in_Islam). ˹Remember˺ when he said to his people, “Will you not [fear](/source/Taqwa) ˹Allah˺? Do you call upon ˹the idol of˺ Ba’l and abandon the Best of Creators— Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers?” But they rejected him, so they will certainly be brought ˹for [punishment](/source/Jahannam)˺. But not the chosen servants of Allah. We blessed him ˹with honourable mention˺ among later generations: “Peace be upon Elias.” Indeed, this is how We reward the good-doers. He was truly one of Our faithful servants.|{{qref|37|123-132|b=yl}}}}
According to some medieval Islamic scholars, the context of the verse above tells of Ilyas and the inhabitants of the town of [Baalbek](/source/Baalbek) who worshipped Baal.[{{Cite web |title=The story of the Prophet Elias in the Holy Quran |url=https://mawdoo3.com/%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%8A_%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A2%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%85
|author=Lina Amira
|language=Ar
|quote= Ahmad ghalwash, The Call of the Messengers, page 391-39, 394.;[Ibn al-Sam'ani](/source/Ibn_al-Sam'ani), Tafsir Al-Sam’ani, page 448.; Ahmad Hatiba, Tafsir Ahmad Hatiba, page 8.; [Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi](/source/Abu_Hafs_Umar_al-Nasafi), Tafsir Al-Nasafi, page 519.}}]
According to [Tabari](/source/Tabari), ''baal'' is a term used by Arabs to denote everything which is a ''lord'' over anything.[{{cite web |title=Tafseer of the Mosque of Al-Bayan in Tafsir al-Qur'an/al-Tabari (d. 310 AH) |url= https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=1&tSoraNo=37&tAyahNo=125&tDisplay=yes&Page=2&Size=1&LanguageId=1 |language=ar}}]
[Al-Thaʿlabī](/source/Al-Tha%CA%BFlab%C4%AB) offers a more detailed description about Baal; accordingly it was an idol of gold, twenty cubits tall, and had four faces.[{{Cite web |title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Quran Dictionary |url=https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=bEl#(11:72:7) |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=corpus.quran.com}}] For example, [Sarah](/source/Sarah), wife of [Abraham](/source/Abraham_in_Islam) refers to her husband using the term.[{{qref|11|72|c=y}}][{{Cite web |title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Word by Word Grammar, Syntax and Morphology of the Holy Quran |url=https://corpus.quran.com/wordmorphology.jsp?location=(11:72:7) |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=corpus.quran.com}}]
== Modern-day ==
=== Conspiracy theories ===
On January 30, 2026, the [United States](/source/United_States) [Department of Justice](/source/United_States_Department_of_Justice) (DOJ) released a portion of the [Epstein files](/source/Epstein_files) that mention the word "Baal".[{{Cite web |date=January 30, 2026 |title=EFTA01589335 |url=https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01589335.pdf |website=[United States Department of Justice](/source/United_States_Department_of_Justice)}}] Some online claims attach the worship of Baal to [satanic](/source/Satanism) rituals and the [occult](/source/occult), and link it to allegations involving [American](/source/Americans) financer and [child sex offender](/source/Child_sexual_abuse) [Jeffrey Epstein](/source/Jeffrey_Epstein); however, the released materials provide no clear evidentiary basis for that inference. The appearance is said to be consistent with financial-document field text and, in at least one widely circulated example, appears to be an [optical character recognition](/source/Optical_Character_Recognition) (OCR) or [scanning](/source/Image_scanner) artifact in which "Bank Name" is misread as "Baal. name".[{{Cite web |title=Fact Check: NO ‘Baal’ Bank Account In Jeffrey Epstein Bank Transfer Document To JP Morgan – Likely Scanning Error |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-no-baal-bank-183025000.html |website=Yahoo News |date=2026-02-01 |access-date=2026-02-02 |language=en-US|last=Schenk|first=Maarten}}]
=== Burning of Baal effigies ===
On February 11th 2026, during the yearly celebration of the [Iranian Revolution](/source/Iranian_Revolution) anniversary in [Iran](/source/Iran), at 11:33 AM (resembling the [masonic](/source/masonic) holy numbers), several [effigies](/source/effigies) of Baal along with several [obelisks](/source/Obelisk) were set to fire simultaneously in several cities in Iran. They were made of natural rubber and cardboard days before the Performance. These words were said before performing the act:“We, the [monotheists](/source/Monotheism) of the world, by the help of God, will bring down the worshipers of Baal, the worshipers of [Satan](/source/Satan), and the arrogant oppressors.”[{{Cite web |last=Dale |first=Bill |date=2026-02-12 |title=Iran Burns ‘Baal’ Effigy Decked with Star of David in Blazing Tehran Protest |url=https://uknip.co.uk/news/uk/uk-news/iran-burns-baal-effigy-decked-with-star-of-david-in-blazing-tehran-protest/ |access-date=2026-02-12 |website=uknip.co.uk |language=en-US}}]
This act was said by its performers to symbolise how Muslims reject demon Gods and their worshippers and to also note that even though paganism and worshipping of demons and idols is believed publicly to be forfeit, many top leaders, especially in the west, still practice it.[{{Cite news |date=2026-02-11 |title=Watch: Iranian protesters burn ‘Baal’ Effigy marked with Star of David, chant ‘death to Israel’ at rally |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/watch-iranian-protesters-burn-baal-effigy-marked-with-star-of-david-chant-death-to-israel-at-rally/articleshow/128215927.cms |access-date=2026-02-12 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}]
A month later, on 13th March 2026 [Shi'ite Muslims](/source/Shia_Islam) burned an effigy of Baal bearing [Israeli](/source/Israel) symbols during a gathering marking the annual [Quds Day](/source/Quds_Day) ([Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem) Day) in [Baghdad](/source/Baghdad), [Iraq](/source/Iraq).[{{Cite web |date=14 March 2026 |title=Gathering marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day), in Baghdad |url=https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/gathering-marking-the-annual-al-quds-day-jerusalem-day-in-baghdad/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1JDMlYzS0FORUlOUA |website=Reuters}}]
==See also==
{{Portal|Mythology|Asia}}
* [Adonis](/source/Adonis)
* [Bael](/source/Bael_(demon))
* [Beelzebub](/source/Beelzebub)
* [Baal (disambiguation)](/source/Baal_(disambiguation))
* [Baal in popular culture](/source/Baal_in_popular_culture)
* [Baal the demon](/source/Baal_(demon))
* [Baalahs](/source/Baalah_(disambiguation))
* [Baʿal Peʿor](/source/Ba%CA%BFal_Pe%CA%BFor) (Lord of Mt Peʿor)
* [Baal-zephon](/source/Baal-zephon) (Lord of Mount Zaphon)
* [Bel](/source/Bel_(mythology))
** [Temple of Bel](/source/Temple_of_Bel)
* [Beluses](/source/Belus_(disambiguation))
* [Belial](/source/Belial)
* [Set](/source/Set_(mythology))
* [Teshub](/source/Teshub)
** [Theispas](/source/Theispas)
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Sources===
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* {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |last=Smith |first=William Robertson |author-link=W. Robertson Smith |wstitle=Baal |volume=3 |pages=175–176}}
* {{citation |last=Souvay |first=Charles |contribution=Baal, Baalim |contribution-url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02175a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia |volume=II |location=New York |publisher=Robert Appleton Co. |date=1907 |title-link=Catholic Encyclopedia }}
* {{citation |last=Strong |first=James |author-link=James Strong (theologian) |title=The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible |location=Cincinnati |publisher=Jennings & Graham |date=1890 |title-link=Strong's Concordance }}
* {{citation |editor-last=Tenney |editor-first=Merrill C. |editor2-last=Barabas |editor2-first=Stevan |editor3-last=DeVisser |editor3-first=Peter |date=1963 |publisher=Zondervan Publishing House |location=Grand Rapids |isbn=978-0310235606 |title=The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary |ref={{harvid|''ZPBD''|1963}} }}
* {{citation |last=Uehlinger |first=C. |contribution=Leviathan |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PA511 |editor-last=Toorn |editor-first=Karel van der |editor-link=Karel van der Toorn |editor2-last=Becking |editor2-first=Bob |editor3-last=Horst |editor3-first=Pieter Willem van der |editor3-link=Pieter Willem van der Horst |title=Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, ''2nd ed.'' |location=Grand Rapids |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |date=1999 |pages=511–515 |title-link=Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible }}
* {{Citation |last=Walbank |first=Frank William |author-link=F. W. Walbank |date=1979 |title=A Historical Commentary on Polybius |volume=2 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford }}
* {{citation |last=Wehr |first=Hans |author2-last=Cowan |author2-first=J. Milton |ref={{harvid|Wehr & al.|1976}} |publisher=Spoken Language Services|isbn=0879500018 |title=A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic |location=[Ithaca](/source/Ithaca%2C_New_York) |date=1976 }}
* {{citation |last=Wex |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Wex |title=Born to Kvetch |location=New York |publisher=St Martin's Press |date=2005 |isbn=0-312-30741-1 |title-link=Born to Kvetch }}
* {{citation |last=Xella |first=Paolo |author2-last=Quinn |author2-first=Josephine |author3-first=Valentina |author3-last=Melchiorri |author4-first=Peter |author4-last=Van Domellen |contribution=Cemetery or sacrifice? Infant burials at the Carthage Tophet: Phoenician bones of contention |contribution-url = https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/cemetery-or-sacrifice-infant-burials-at-the-carthage-tophet/DAC7C386CD20F5C280C9DB41E5184A2E |title=Antiquity, ''Vol. 87, No. 338'' |date=2013 |pages=1199–1207}}
{{refend}}
==Further reading==
* {{citation |title=Mighty Baal: Essays in Honor of Mark S. Smith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4nD-DwAAQBAJ |volume=66 |year=2020 |series=Harvard Semitic Studies |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-43767-8 |editor-last=Russell |editor-first=Stephen C. |editor2-last=Hamori |editor2-first=Esther J.}}
* {{citation |last=Smith |first=M.S. |date=1994 |title=The Ugaritic Baal Cycle |volume=I |location=Leiden |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-90-04-09995-1 }}
* {{citation |last=Smith |first=M.S. |author2-last=Pitard |author2-first=W. |date=2009 |title=The Ugaritic Baal Cycle |volume=II |location=Leiden |publisher=E.J. Brill |isbn=978-90-04-15348-6 }}
==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Baal}}
{{Commons category|Baal}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{cite NIE|wstitle=Baal|short=x}}
* Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906) "[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2235-ba-al Baʻal]", "[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2236-ba-al-and-ba-al-worship Baʻal and Baʻal Worship]", "[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2238-baal-berith Baal-Berith]", "[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2246-baal-peor Baal-Peor]", "[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2263-baalim Baalim]", "[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2265-baaltis Astarte Worship among the Hebrews]", [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/directory.jsp?letter=b &c.], ''[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/ Jewish Encyclopedia]'', New York: Funk & Wagnalls
{{Middle Eastern mythology}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion footer}}
{{Characters and names in the Quran}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baal}}
Category:Baal
Category:Books of Kings
Category:Carthaginian mythology
Category:Deities in the Hebrew Bible
Category:Elijah
Category:Phoenician mythology
Category:Names of God in Judaism
Category:Religion in ancient Israel and Judah
Category:Horned gods
Category:Canaanite religion
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Baal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.