S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Baal was the name of the supreme god worshiped in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia. The practice of Baal worship infiltrated Jewish religious life during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:7), became wid...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

Baal-peor [EBD] (Easton's Bible Dictionary (formerly known as the Illustrated Bible Dictionary) is a classic source for Bible scholars.) It says that Baal was the lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Num. 25:3; 31:16; Josh. 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. So called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. The Israelites fell into the worship of this idol (Num. 25:3, 5, 18; Deut. 4:3; Ps. 106:28; Hos. 9:10).

Baal-peor:

Baal-peor ba`al pe`or; Beelphegor was god of the Moabite mountains, who took his name from Mount Peor (Nu 23:28), the modern Fa`ur, and was probably a form of Chemosh (Jerome, Comm., Isa 15). The sensual rites with which he was worshipped (Nu 25:1-3) indicate his connection with the Phoenician Baal.

Baal worship first makes an appearance in the Book of Numbers. In Moses’ account of the Israelites after they left Egypt, he recounts how there were several times when the Hebrews rebelled against the God who freed them from captivity. In one instance, the men began to have inappropriate sexual relationships with the women of Moab. The Moabites were the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. When they let these women into their lives, they were not marrying them, and they began to embrace the Moabite gods; “So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel” (Numbers 25:3). A plague fell upon the Hebrew people at that time because of this sin. Eventually, the problem was solved, but the temptation to worship Baal followed the Israelites. Bethany Verrett

To summarize the answers of Michael and myself, this Canaanite god was sometimes worshipped with sex rituals, according to some Bible scholars. Baal’s followers might have sex with male or female priests or with one another—as happened during the Exodus into the Promised Land:

(Moab Seduces Israel)
Numbers 25:1 “While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. 2 These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. 3 In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people.” (NLT)

July 07 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report