Baal
Properly written Baʽal from the verb בעל (ba’al), to be Lord. It was a title and honorific meaning “owner”, “lord” in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity.
In the Bible, the name Baal is applied to two different men, one town and one idol; Baal the male god of Canaan and the Phoenicians; counterpart of the female Asherah (Judges 2, 13). In the New Testament the name Baal is mentioned only once. The apostle Paul mentions Baal (Βααλ) in his letter to the Romans, as he reviews the story of Elijah (Romans 11, 4).
The town called Baal is located in the southern part of the territory of Simeon (1Chronicles 4, 33), and is probably the same as the town named Baalath-beer (Joshua 9:8).
The name Baal appears often as element in compound names, but the two men named just Baal are:
- A descendant of Reuben (1Chronicles 5, 6).
- A son of Jeiel and Maacah of Gibeon in Benjamin (1Chronicles 8, 30).
Commentary
Ba’al means “lord” and is also applied to the relationship between God and man: “For your husband (ba’al) is your creator…” (Isaiah 54, 5). But because the image of the God-man marriage is so strong in the Bible, to worship a Husband who is not called God must be very painful for the true Husband. Hence the extensive use of the image of adultery when it comes to unfaithfulness to God (Judges 2, 17 ; Ezekiel 16, 15 ; James 4, 4).
Elijah famously defeated the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (1Kings 18, 20-40) but readers who assume that Baal and YHWH were completely different individuals do not really understand the nature of theology. Just as psychology does not study the human psyche (because it canot be measured) but rather human behavior (which can be measured), so theology does not study GOD (which cannot be measured) but rather the entire creation (which can be measured as Romans 1, 20 explains very well).
The sin of the priests of Baal was not that they worshipped the wrong GOD, but rather that their theology and religious impulse was wrong. The priests of Ba’al thought that if they would only repeatedly call upon the LORD, He would listen to them simply because of those invocations and not because of works. But the Bible is clear on this matter, only people who study and observe His Natural Law can elevate and enlighten themselves and not priests who have become arrogant.
If one’s theology is sound and righteous then it doesn’t matter what cultural envelope one’s wisdoms are wrapped in (since almost all religions are cultural expressions), if one’s theology causes the blind to see, the lame to walk, the dead to rise, the disenfranchised are restored, and one’s altar catches fire when it is said it will, then one’s theology is blessed and supported by the CREATOR (Matthew 11, 19) while all others must be avoided, just as one would with a disease (Deuteronomy 18, 20-22).