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.

Baal is described in great detail in Ugaritic texts. He sits on his throne in his palace on Mount Zaphon and he is king and judge over all the gods. As the god of wind and weather, he has power over rain, storm, lightning and thunder. He causes the cycle of the seasons and the yearly fertile period. He also keeps order by defeating the forces of chaos: the sea god Yammu and his helpers. He also keeps Mot in check, who is the god of death who lives in the underworld. This is how Baal became lord of the underworld himself in the Ugaritic mythology, and he lives there for part of the year.

Baal was worshipped at a number of local sanctuaries. It was usually only certain aspects of the god that were worshipped, for example Baal as god of the underworld, as storm god or as patron of sailors.

Baal was a well-known god in Israel as well. The Israelites were familiar with various different manifestations of Baal. There was a Baal of Peor who was worshipped by the Moabites (Numbers 25:3-5), and a Baal-of-the-Covenant who had a temple in Shechem (Judges 8:33).
Several texts in the Bible make it clear that Baal was actually very popular among the Israelites. The stories about the prophet Elijah and King Ahab, show that Baal and the God of Israel were vying for popularity (1 Kings 18:21). There were also other kings who served the god Baal.

In the Old Testament the Baal cult is firmly condemned. By serving Baal, the Israelites had abandoned their own God (see for example Judges 2:11-13; 1 Kings 16:31-32).
The Kings Jehu and Josiah put a stop to the worship of Baal.