Word help needed -- Baals (Hos. 2:13)

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Hos 2:13 And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the LORD.


I always thought Baal was a god of the heathens back in the times of the Israelites. But this isn't Baal, it's Baals, (or Baalim, if you're into KJV.) Plural.

So looked it up, and one of my Dead Guys says Baal means "possessor." As in "the god who owns that land." Makes sense, in context. But, given I've been spending this many decades thinking it was some (cruel) god from that area, (who didn't really exist, mind you), or a vague city referenced in Genesis, I'm wondering what else I don't know about what that word means. I already hit Strong's, Nave's, and ISBD, if you'd like to cut down on what I do know now.

Got any nuggets on the word that you'd like to pass along? Anything else I'm missing?
 
trofimus

trofimus

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Aug 17, 2015
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Not sure if it is the answer, but my thought is:

Even though Baal is "one god", Israelites had many statues, sacred places and other idols given to this god, so can the plural number mean those idols instead of the god as a being?
 
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trofimus said:
Not sure if it is the answer, but my thought is:

Even though Baal is "one god", Israelites had many statues, sacred places and other idols given to this god, so can the plural number mean those idols instead of the god as a being?
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trofimus

trofimus

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You know, like if you would were talking to the Roman Catholic Church and said "take your Peters away" meaning statues of Peter they are praying to.

But somebody may have a deeper insight.
 
notmyown

notmyown

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May 26, 2016
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baal-peor, baal-perazim, baal-zebub, baal-zemar, etc. are the baalim, right? the baals?

the false gods the children of Israel worshiped at times? (like Judges 8 after Gideon died)

the 'owner' of the neighboring lands?
 
Angela53510

Angela53510

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Jan 24, 2011
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Baal also means "master, lord" in Hebrew.

Brown-Driver-Briggs, the best Hebrew lexicon says "owner, lord," also husband. Further, citizens, inhabitants of Jericho, Shechem, Gibeah, Keilah, of Jabesh. The fourth definition is "rulers, lords."

The fifth definition is a "noun of relation." This includes dreamer, complaints, adversary, and of course, lord.

He specifically lists Hos. 2:13, as "without the article, it originated form the sense of divine ownership, rather than sovereignty. It seems to have been used in Northern Israel. It was the special name for the God of the Canaanites, Philistines, etc, later, Babylon.

So, in fact, you have it right. The emphasis needs to be on ownership. Whether that means this god (gods?) owned the people, is within the word, I am not sure. Technically, it does not mean "god" but it is the name of a god.
 
stonesoffire

stonesoffire

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Nov 24, 2013
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I think it's a bit simpler. Anything that we put to replace God in our life is a ba'al. It's the sin of idolatry.

Also, Lynn, there is always a demonic spirit attached to an idol. Is why idolatry is evil.

Nothing harmless about it.
 
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Stunnedbygrace

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Nov 12, 2015
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I just always saw Baal's as false gods. I just replace the word with false god in my head when I read. Guess that's no help...

It is interesting to me that our savings accounts, IRAs, stocks,wall street, are our Baal's and when they began to topple and crash a few years ago, we had a BAIL OUT to bail out our BAALS.​
 
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notmyown said:
baal-peor, baal-perazim, baal-zebub, baal-zemar, etc. are the baalim, right? the baals?

the false gods the children of Israel worshiped at times? (like Judges 8 after Gideon died)

the 'owner' of the neighboring lands?
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Between you and Trof, you guys are answering a question with a question, like I'll know the answer. Honest. Don't know. That's why I'm asking. lol

You're both making sense, but since you're asking, I'm not sure if you two know or you're guessing.


A good old-fashioned "I think" or "I'm pretty sure" is enough to convince me I believe you.The stakes aren't high, and it sure looks like you're both right... except, I don't know. lol
 
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Angela53510 said:
Baal also means "master, lord" in Hebrew.

Brown-Driver-Briggs, the best Hebrew lexicon says "owner, lord," also husband. Further, citizens, inhabitants of Jericho, Shechem, Gibeah, Keilah, of Jabesh. The fourth definition is "rulers, lords."

The fifth definition is a "noun of relation." This includes dreamer, complaints, adversary, and of course, lord.

He specifically lists Hos. 2:13, as "without the article, it originated form the sense of divine ownership, rather than sovereignty. It seems to have been used in Northern Israel. It was the special name for the God of the Canaanites, Philistines, etc, later, Babylon.

So, in fact, you have it right. The emphasis needs to be on ownership. Whether that means this god (gods?) owned the people, is within the word, I am not sure. Technically, it does not mean "god" but it is the name of a god.
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Yay! You didn't ask me, so I'm going with you're somewhere between pretty-sure and certain. Whew! Thank you.

Interesting on the "adversary" one, since the context is God is being all adversarial on his whore-wife/Israel. She's out to get whatever she wants any place but home, and yet God is stopping her with a hedge of thorns and drying up the supply from all the others she's going to. She has it in her mind she's going to get what she wants, but refuses to notice she's been getting everything she wants from her husband/God.

Looking at this as marriage, it seems a stupid thing she's doing. Looking at it as if I'm that wife, I so get it... but from the husband's viewpoint. So when we're acting bad because God doesn't give us what we want, neither are the adversaries (other gods, dreamers, owners, etc.) going to give it to us. And dumber yet, God gives us much more than we even think we want, and always what we need. We're complaining about dumb thorny hedges when we should be complaining that we're dumb enough to want to go out there through them. They're up there for our protection as well as to stop us from being stupidER.

Which keeps bringing me back to why in the world does God want me? And, no way no how be the whore anymore. He knows me, and yet still chose to love me. I am soooo loved!
 
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gdyloves

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Baal. "The name of many deities of the Semitic peoples" Biblical use is from Hebrew Ba'al, literally "owner, master, lord," from ba'al "he took possession of," also "he married;"

Baal is Used figuratively for any "false god."
 
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gdyloves

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Depleted said:


Looking at this as marriage, it seems a stupid thing she's doing. Looking at it as if I'm that wife, I so get it... but from the husband's viewpoint. So when we're acting bad because God doesn't give us what we want, neither are the adversaries (other gods, dreamers, owners, etc.) going to give it to us. And dumber yet, God gives us much more than we even think we want, and always what we need. We're complaining about dumb thorny hedges when we should be complaining that we're dumb enough to want to go out there through them. They're up there for our protection as well as to stop us from being stupidER.
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They are not up there for our protection.

Look at it this way if you are married and your husband cheats and chooses another woman over you, not even caring that you know; what would your reaction be? would you put thorns out to help him or would you put those thorny hedges out there to hurt him as a kind of punishment?
 
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stonesoffire said:
I think it's a bit simpler. Anything that we put to replace God in our life is a ba'al. It's the sin of idolatry.

Also, Lynn, there is always a demonic spirit attached to an idol. Is why idolatry is evil.

Nothing harmless about it.
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I agree with you on the sin of idolatry thing, but I'm not crediting a demon for every sin we do, nor do I see any reference to demons enchanting idols.
 
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Stunnedbygrace said:
I just always saw Baal's as false gods. I just replace the word with false god in my head when I read. Guess that's no help...

It is interesting to me that our savings accounts, IRAs, stocks,wall street, are our Baal's and when they began to topple and crash a few years ago, we had a BAIL OUT to bail out our BAALS.​
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I'm kind of bummed. You got a bail out? We didn't. lol
 
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gdyloves said:
Baal. "The name of many deities of the Semitic peoples" Biblical use is from Hebrew Ba'al, literally "owner, master, lord," from ba'al "he took possession of," also "he married;"

Baal is Used figuratively for any "false god."
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Hm, never thought of it in a marriage kind of way. Seems reasonable since the Lord had Hosea marry Gomer.
 
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gdyloves said:
They are not up there for our protection.

Look at it this way if you are married and your husband cheats and chooses another woman over you, not even caring that you know; what would your reaction be? would you put thorns out to help him or would you put those thorny hedges out there to hurt him as a kind of punishment?
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Considering the Lord had Hosea find and then marry a whore, I have to go with God is not me, and I am not God though. He's definitely different.

And he said that very thing to his people earlier in the chapter. Just above this actually. So what I'd do is irrelevant. What God does is very relevant.
 
Kavik

Kavik

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Mar 25, 2017
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[FONT=&quot]Hm, never thought of it in a marriage kind ofway. Seems reasonable since the Lord had Hosea marry Gomer.

[/FONT]A few interesting asides - Ba’alis a Semitic word coming from the Semitic tri-literal root *b’l- This rootmeans “to exercise dominion over, to be lord over” It is also used in Semiticlanguages of a man marrying a woman; men marry women by the verb “ba’al”, butnever the other way around; a woman does not marry her husband by the same verb. In Semitic culture a woman is subservient to her husband – he is ‘lord’ overher.

In that passage it may use the plural form of Ba'al (Ba'alim) , but keep in mind that in Hebrew, when God is being referred to, oftentimes it's "Elohim" - also plural: 'Gods' not "God".


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