The Baalim were chiefly worshipped at the high-places, but also on housetops. Obelisks stood beside their altars, and sometimes an Asherah or sacred pole. Children were olTered as bumt- oll'erings in the valley of Hinnom (Jer 19'; Init cf ."jiS' 372 n. ). We often read of incense being
BAAL
BAAL-ZEPHON
2H
oflered to them. Mellfart was worsliipped with aiiiiua) sacrilites, and liomage was done lo him by bowing the knee and kissing his image, lie had not only priests, but prophets. These are numbered at 4oU in the time of Ahab, and a very graphic picture of their frenzied prayers and cutting of thenuelves to gain the attention of their god is given in 1 K 18-*.
LiTBRATi'RB. — Bv far the most important discussion is that of W. K. Smith, Reiijioii of the SrmiUe,' pp. 93113. Tllf follow- ing may also be consulted ; — Oorl, Thf H'orxfiip of Bun/itn in Itr. ; Baudissin, Jahre W Molocti, and in Ilerzog, HK g.v. ; Nowack. IJt-b. Archaot. ii. 301 30;'i ; Baetlif,'un, Beitriujfi zur S'fn. Hiti'jwHJigfiich. ■^ Konij;, DU- llauptprutdenw, pp. 35-33 ; Diltmann, ilonaUt/*nchU der Akad. <Ur Wi»Kenisch. lu Berlin^
1881, p. BOX fl. A. S. Peake.
BAAL (Sr;). — 1. A Reubenite, the father of Beerah, who was carried captive by Tiglath-pileser (1 Ch 5'). 2. A Gibeonite, granduucle ol Saul (1 Ch 8»=9»).
BAAL, BAALAH, BAALATH (Sr;, .iSv;, n'p;-;).— 1. Baalah (1 ( li IS", Jo.s l.V-'- '"), a name for Kiriath- jcuiim. 2. Baalah Mount (Jos 1.")"), the ridge which runs west from Ekron to .labneel. 3. Baalah (,Jo3 15'-='), a city in the extreme south of .ludaii, prob. the same lis Balah, Jo.s l!J^ ( = liilliah, 1 Cli 4^) and Bealoth, .Jos IS'", i. Baalath (.Jtjs I'J"), a town of Dan. The site is uncertain. 5. Baalath (1 K 9"=2 Ch 8') : the town is noticed witli Tadmor, but also in the second pass.age witli Betli-lioron. The site Ls uncertain. It miglit be No. 4. 6. Baalath- beer (Jos 19' ; Baal, 1 Ch 4*"). This seems to have been perhaps the same as Kamah of the Negeb, according to the first passage. Evidently a hill in the Tih plateau, S. or S.E. of Beersheba. A con- spicuous object in this part of the desert is the white dome of the small shrine called Kubbet el Baul, which may retain the name, S. of Tell el Milh.
C. K. CONUER.
BAAL-BERITH(n-i?H';= 'lord of the covenant'), the god of Shechem, where he had a temple, Jg 8'' 9' ; also called El-berith, Jg 9". The name may mean the god who presides over covenants, cf. Zed OpKioi ; or the god of the Can. league which centred at Shechem ; or the god of the covenant between Canaanilcs and Israelites, cf. Gn 34.
G. A. Cooke.
BAALE-JODAH (th.t ''^■jz 2 S 6').— The same as Baalah (Jos 15», 1 Ch IS""), the old name of IvllUATH-JtARlM, which see. The name is no lioubt an error for ' B.ial of .ludah' (cf. parall. 1 Ch i;i" ' to Baalah,' and Jos 15"" IS''', where it is called Kiriath-baal, i.e. 'city of Baal'). It must have been noted once aa a seat of Baal-worship.
C. Ii. CONDEU.
BAAL-GAD (i; Vy; 'Baal of fortune'?), Jos II" 12' 13'. — Close to Ilermon, but in the valley of the Lebanon. It must have been, therefore, on the north-west slopes of Hermon. The nu)st probable site is at 'Ain JeUeidch, ' the strong spring,' in this direction, near the road to Damascus.
C. K. CONDER.
BAAL-HAMON (^cn Sy;), Ca 8". -Perhaps for Baal-Iluniuin, or the Am.anus. See Syria.
BAAL-HANAN (ijij ^y; 'Baal is gracious ').—!, A king of Edom ((in Sd^-", 1 Ch l"-"). 2. A (!e<lcrite who had charge of David's olive and syeomore trees (1 Ch 27").
BAAL-HAZOR (iSi-rj Sy;), 2 S 13=", near Ephraim, appears to be the high mountain east of the road to Shochem, called Tell' Astir. It is very rugged, with grey limestone slopes, and with a small group of oaks at the top beside a shrine, and ruins of a town. SWV vol. ii. sheet xiv. See I'AI.KSTINK. C. K. CONDER.
BAAL-HERMON (ito-jg 'jyj), Jg 3«, 1 Ch 5«. See Heumon.
BAALI and BAALIM.— See Baal.
BAALIS (D'^y;, BeXfio-d), the king of the children of Amnion at the time of the murder of Gedaliah (Jer 4U [Gr. 47] ").
BAAL-MEON (iiyn i^yj), Nu 32'", 1 Ch 5«, Ezk 2,5". Beth-baal-meon, Jos 13". Beth-meon, Jer 48-'^ ; probably Bcon, Nu 32^. — A town of Keuben near Dibon. It is named on the Moabite Stone, 1. 9, aa built by Mesha. The present ruin, Main, a large mound at the edge of tne plateau west of Medeba. The ruins are those of a Roman town. See Mem. East Pal. Hurvey, vol. i. s.v. The valley beneath to the south is well watered. In the Unomasticun (s.v. Baalmeon) this site is noticed as still a large village near Baaru (Machajrus ; see Reland, Pal. pp. 487, 611, 881), and 9Roman miles from Heshbon, where were natural hot springs. The springs are those of Callirrhoe, in the great ravine of the Zerka Ma'in to the south. C. R. CoNDER.
BAAL-PEOR (I'ly? Sy;, B«X(^c7<Jp, Dt 4«^ Nu 25», Ps lOG-'') was the local deity of Mt. Peor. In Dt 4^, Hos 9'" it is perhaps the name of a place. The Israelites are said (Nu 25') to have worsliii)ped him during their stay in Shittim. It is frequently sup- posed that his worship was especially licentious, since in the same context mention is made of the umh.astity of the Israelites with the women of Moal) and Midian. But the two facts are not deliiiitely connected, so that we h.ave no evidence for this opinion (cf. Driver on Dt 4").