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YHWH, Baal, Asherah

Posted By: Naomi
Date: Monday, 18 November 2002, at 5:31 p.m.

In Response To: Standing stones and ashterot (Naomi)

At the following site is a small paragraph with more information about who was worshipped at Kuntillet Ajrud:

http://home.earthlink.net/~zimriel/Baal/baal1.html

"Not coincidentally, a fragmentary plaster inscription at Kuntillet `Ajrud, where Yhwh (and his asherah -- below) was the primary object of veneration, runs, "When El shines forth [from Teman?] ... the mountains are melted ... To bless Baal in the day of batt[le] [...] For the name of El in the day of [his] batt[le]"[7] -- probably, El is the baal in this text, both being identical with Yhwh. Not coincidentally, the expression brk b`l (Baal bless) occurs at Kuntillet `Ajrud (Meshel 1978), again, given the distribution of divine names at the site, probably of Yhwh, and if not, certainly of a subordinate."

This fairly technical article compares the use of 'baal' and 'asherah' as generic titles against their specific use as deity names. I disagree with the author sometimes, and the issue seems to be the cause of differing opinions about whether Asherah was regarded as the consort of YHWH or not.

I think his example of "Baal bless" would be specific to the deity Baal, just as "YHWH bless" (eg Numbers 6:24, Ruth 2:4) is specific to YHWH, but I don't think YHWH was too impressed with being referred to as "baal" (Hosea 2:18). I certainly disagree with him about El and Baal being identical with YHWH - that's really taking it too far!

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