“Baalim?” #3

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:…” (Judges 2:11 KJV).

The Authorized Version features “Baalim” some 18 times, but what is it exactly?

“Ba‘al” is Hebrew for “lord.” This was the supreme god of the Phoenicians and Canaanites, the neighbors of Israel in the Promised Land. “Baal worship” appears throughout the Old Testament (Numbers 22:41; Judges 2:13; Judges 6:25,28,30,31,32; 1 Kings 16:31,32; 1 Kings 18:19,21,22,25,26,40; 1 Kings 19:18; 1 Kings 22:53; 2 Kings 3:2; 2 Kings 10:18-23,26-28; 2 Kings 11:18; 2 Kings 17:16; 2 Kings 21:3; 2 Kings 23:4,5; 2 Chronicles 23:17; Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 7:9; Jeremiah 11:13,17; Jeremiah 12:16; Jeremiah 19:5; Jeremiah 23:13,27; Jeremiah 32:39,35; Hosea 2:8; Hosea 13:1; Zephaniah 1:4; cf. Romans 11:4).

With the addition of the Hebrew plural suffix “–im,” “Baal” becomes “Baalim”—a multiplicity of gods called “Baal.” See Hosea 2:17, “For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.” Observe how “names” is plural. Baal worship takes on many forms, just as Christendom is divided into various denominations. There is a Baal worshipped here, and a Baal worshipped there; depending on the location or role, he assumes assorted names.

For example, “Baalpeor” (Numbers 25:1-5; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalm 106:28; Hosea 9:10) means “lord of Peor/gap [a mountain east of the Jordan River].” This was a god of the Moabites, also worshipped by the apostate Israelites. Another compound “Baal” name is in 2 Kings chapter 1: “Baalzebub the god of Ekron” (verses 2,3,6,16), defined as “lord of the flies,” was a god of the Philistines. The Jews later applied this appellation to Satan (Matthew 10:25; Matthew 12:24,27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15,18,19)! A third “Baal” title was “Baalberith” (Judges 8:33; Judges 9:4), which was “lord of the covenant [agreement with his devotees]”—another idol of the Philistines and apostate Israel.

In fact, “Bel” (rhyming with “Baal”) was the Babylonian deity corresponding to that Phoenician, Canaanite, Moabite, and Philistine god (Isaiah 46:1; Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:44). Furthermore, King Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar (“Bel protect the king;” Daniel 5:1) and Belteshazzar (“Bel’s prince,” Daniel’s heathen label given in Daniel 1:7) were named to honor this heathen idol. Whatever he was called, Baal worship was nothing but devil worship!