Bible Society of South Africa

Countries & Peoples

Ammon and Ammonites

The Ammonites were the inhabitants of the kingdom of Ammon, situated to the east of Israel with Rabbath-Ammon as its capital. The Ammonites were related to the Israelites and their language was not so different to Hebrew. They came into conflict with the Israelites, which is why they do not have a good name in the Bible. In Genesis 19:30-38, for example, the story is told of their patriarch Benammi’s incestuous conception by Lot with one of his daughters.

Artemis

In Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and the moon, and the ruler over the wild animals. In Latin her name is Diana. Artemis is the daughter of Leto and the god Zeus. Her twin brother is Apollo.

Astarte

Astarte is the name of a Canaanite goddess who was worshipped in large parts of the ancient Near East. In the cities of Tyre and Sidon, she was the most important goddess. The Israelites were familiar with her as well.

Baal

Baal is the name of one of the most well-known Canaanite gods. He was worshipped throughout large parts of the ancient Near East. The Bible indicates that he was a popular god among the Israelites as well.

Bel

Bel is another name for the god Marduk. He was the protector god of the city of Babylon.

Chemosh

Chemosh was the national god of Moab. The Moabites believed that he protected them and helped them in battle.

Dagon

Dagon was the most important god of the Philistines. He had a temple in Gaza and Ashdod (see Judges 16:23). The temple in Ashdod is understood to have existed until the second century BC (see 1 Maccabees 10:83-84).

Dike

In Greek religion Dike is the name of the goddess of justice. The goddess occurs in the Bible in Acts 28:4, where she is called “Fate”.

Dioscuri

In Greek mythology the Dioscuri were two demigods, called Castor and Pollux. They were the sons of the supreme Greek god, Zeus.

Epicurus

Epicurus was a Greek philosopher (342-270 BC), who founded a famous school of philosophers. The book of Acts mentions people who were followers of his philosophy.

Gadara

The territority of the Gadarenes on the other side of Lake Galilee in modern Jordan.

Gods of other Nations

In the Old Testament, the names of “foreign gods” are regularly mentioned — gods other than the God of Israel. For more information, see:

Gods of the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines

Israel’s neighbours — the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines — served different gods. The following names are mentioned in the Old Testament:

Greek Religion

Like most other religions of antiquity Greek religion was polytheistic: there were many different gods. Examples of Greek gods are Apollo, Artemis, Hermes and Zeus (the most important god in the pantheon). The gods were worshipped in various ways in various places. They came to life in stories (myths) that were passed down from generation to generation.

Greek Religion in the Hellenistic Period

After the conquests by Alexander the Great, Greek religion underwent various changes. The religion came increasingly under the influence of ideas from other peoples.

Hermes

Hermes is the name of a Greek god, who was the son of Zeus and a half-brother of Apollo. He was viewed as a god who provided happiness and fertility. He was the patron of thieves and merchants and the god of eloquence. He was also the messenger of the gods.

Hill of the pigs

The so-called 'hill of the pigs' in Kursi in modern Jordan.

Jews

The word “Jew” is used in different ways. The name “Jew” is derived from Judah, one of the sons of the patriarch Jacob. It is used to:

Kings of Israel’s Neighbours

In addition to the kings of Israel and Judah, the Bible also mentions kings in the surrounding nations. Egypt’s pharaoh is often mentioned, but the kings of the Philistines, Moab, Edom, Ammon and Aram also play an important part.

Kings of the Great Powers

In the ancient Near East an important role was played by several great powers: the Assyrians, the Babylonians and the Persians. All of these had a king.

Levant

The Levant is the name given to the area along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, between Anatolia (Turkey) and Egypt. This area comprises the present-day countries of Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern Turkey. The term is used especially in archaeology and history.

Marduk

Marduk was the protector god of the city of Babylon. His name appears only once in the Bible.

Milkom

Milkom was a god of the Ammonites. He was probably one of the gods of the realm of the dead, and played a part in the cult of the dead (veneration of the dead).

Moab and Israel

The Bible records various conflicts between Moab and Israel. A Moabite inscription also records a war between the two peoples.

Moab and Moabites

Moabites is the term for the inhabitants of the land of Moab. Their territory lay between the Rivers Arnon and Zered, in the west of present-day Jordan. They were closely related to the Israelites. Their language differed little from Hebrew and their conception of their tribal god Chemosh, is in some regards reminiscent of ancient Israelite religion.
Though they were brother peoples, the Moabites regularly came into conflict with the Israelites. That is why they have a poor reputation in the Bible. Genesis 19:30-38 tells us that their ancestor Moab was conceived by Lot with one of his daughters.

Nisroch

Nisroch is the name of a god mentioned in 2 Kings 19:37. There he is said to be the god of the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib. When Sennacherib goes to worship Nisroch in the god’s temple, he is murdered by his own sons.

Pharaoh

The word pharaoh means “grand house” or “palace”. From the 15th century BC onwards it became the name of the king of Egypt.

Queen of Heaven

In Jeremiah 7:18 and Jeremiah 44:17-18 we are told that the Judean women baked cakes and burned incense for “the Queen of Heaven”. They also presented wine offerings to her. This Queen of Heaven is probably a reference to the goddess Astarte.

Stoa

The Stoa is the doctrine of the Stoics, who followed the ideas of the philosophical school of Zeno, founded around 300 BC. People who adhered to this philosophy are mentioned in the book of Acts.

Tammuz

Tammuz was the god of crops and harvest in the Mesopotamian religion. They believed that the god died when the plants withered and came back to life in the spring when the new green sprouted.

Every year, at the end of the summer, the death of Tammuz was commemorated in a mourning ceremony.

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