2. Baal-Zebub (2^12T 522, Fly-Baal; the Sept. construes the latter part of the name differently, iizi- £i)Tiiv tu T<ii Baa\ (ivtav $ibi> 'AxKapdv, but Josephus has the usual interpretation, Ant. ix, 2, 1), an oracu- lar deity of the Philistines at Ekron (2 Kings i, 2, 3, 1G), corresponding to the Zero, airopviog or pviaypog (Pausan. v, 14, 2 ; viii, 26, 4) and Deus Myiagrus or Myiodes (Plin. x, 40 ; xxix, 24) of the Greeks and Romans (Salmas. Exerc. p. 9 sq. ; Creuzer, Symbol, ii, 487 ; iv, 392 ; Hitzig, Philist. p. 313), and to the Her- cules Myiagrus (jiviaypog) of other notices (Solin. c. 2 ; Clem. Alex. Protrept. p. 11, ed. Sylb.). Flies (and gnats) are in the East a much greater annoyance than with us (comp. Bochart, Hieroz. iii, 346 sq.). See Fly. From this explanation of Baal-Zebub only Hug has of late dissented (Freiburg. Zeitschr. vii, 104 sq.); his assertion, however, that this Philistine divinity is the dung-beetle (scarabams pillularius), worshipped also in Egypt (as a symbol of the world-god), rests on many uncertain assumptions, and is therefore improb- able. (For other interpretations, see the Exeg. Iland'o. d. A. T. ix, 2 sq.) See Beel-zebub.
3. Baal-Peor C*liSfi 522, Priapism-Baal), or sim- ply Peor (1125), was the name of a god of the Moab- ites (Num. xxv, 1 sq. ; xxxi, 1G ; Josh, xxii, 17), ap- parently worshipped by the prostitution (perhaps pro- ceeds of the hire) of young girls (whence, according to the rabbins, the name, from *\'$l3,paar/, to frac- ture, i. q. to deprive of virginity, comp. Jonathan, Targ. on Num. xxv, 1), probably corresponding to the Roman Priapus (see Jerome, ad Has. iv, 14) and Mu- tunus (Creuzer, Symbol, ii, 976). If the above rabbin- ical significance of the title be correct, he would seem to have given name to Mt. Peor [see Beth-peor], where was the seat of his worship ; but it is more like- ly that the title was borrowed from the hill (q. d. "ra- vine") as a distinctive epithet (Movers, p. 6G7) for his form of worship in that locality (see Creuzer, Symbol. ii, 85). Jerome (in Jovin. i, 12) considers this deity to be Chemosh (q. v.). — Winer, i, 118. See Baal-peor.
4. The deity styled emphatically the Baal (522H, q. d. " the great lord"), whose worship was introduced into Israel by Jezebel (1 Kings xvi, 32 sq.), was ap- parently the god with whom the Greeks compared their Hercules (2 Mace, iv, 18, £0). His Phoenician appellation was Melkart ("king of the city," i. c.
BAALIM
586
BAAL-MEOX
Tyre), or Harold (" merchant," he being supposed to be a great navigator), which the Greeks corrupted into a resemblance to their own 'HpdjcAjje, and under the name of the " Tyrian Hercules" he was much cele- brated (Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxxvi, 5; Arriau, Exped. Alex, ii, lb'). When Herodotus was in Egypt he learned that Hercules was there regarded as one of the primeval gods of that country, and being anxious to obtain more explicit information on the subject, he undertook a voyage to Tyre. The priests there inform- ed him that the foundation of the temple was coeval with that of the city, which they said was founded 2300 years before that time. It was in honor of this god that the Carthaginians for a long time annually sent the tenth of their income to Tyre (Herod, ii, -14). The account of the Baai of Jezebel and Athaiiah agrees with this Hercules, since the representation of Scrip- ture (1 Kings xix, 18) is the same with that of Dio- dorus Siculus (ii, 10), that the fire was always burn- ing on his altar, the priests officiated barefooted, and kissing was among the acts of worship (Cicero, in Verrem, iv, 43). Many representations of the Tyrian Hercules are extant on coins, of which there are two specimens in the British Museum. The first was found in the island of Cossyra (now Pantellaria), which belonged to the Tynans ; the other is a Tyrian coin of silver, weighing 214J grains, and exhibits a very striking head of the same idol in a more modern and perfect style of art. One of the figures of the date is obliterated, but it is thought that the complete date may have given 84 B.C. See Hercules.
Coins with 7'lifigipi of the Tyrian Daal.
5. In addition to the above, Fiirst (Htb. TTi:ndwurtcr- buch, s. v.) enumerates the following as local or special attributes of Baal. (<<) Baal-Gad (13 b?3, q. d. Luck-Baal), the epithet of Baal as bringing good fortune, like the luck-dispensing star Jupiter; and thence given as the name of a city (Josh, xi, 17 ; xii, 7; xiii, 5) at the foot of Mount Hermon (Jebel esh- Sheik), in which neighborhood was also situated the city Baal-Hermon (1 Chron. v, 23). See Baal-gad. (h) Baal-IIamon (lion bra, q. a. Heat-Baal), the title of the Phoenician Baal, as representing the vivi- fying warmth of nature, like the Egyptian Amnion (Sun-god) [see Amon] ; and thence given to a city in Samaria (Cant, viii, 1' ), where his worship may have
1 " practised. See Baal-hamon. (<•) Baal-Chat-
sou (~"Un bra, q. d. i»7%e-protecting Baal), the cpi- "'"! of Baal as the tutelary deity of Hazor (q. v); then tin- name of a city in the vicinitv of Ephraim or Ephron (2 Sam. xiii, 23; 2 Chron. 'xiii, 10). Sec Baal-hazor. Baa] is repeatedly named among the Phoenicians as the guardian divinity of towns, e. g. "Baal-Tyre" (-;; bra, Malt, i, 1), "Baal-Tarsus" 0?& ^a.on coins of thai city), " Baal-Lybia" (bra -z'rn. ZmV \;/3vc, Numid. iv, 1), etc. Sec Baal-. Ch Baal-Chermon (--;-n bra, q. d. Hill-Baal), 1 as the protector of Mount Hermon, in a city near which his worship was instituted; thence applied to the city itself 1 1 < Jhron. v. 23), mar Baal-gad (q. v.). That part of Hermon (q. v.) on which this town lav is called (Judg. iii, 3) Mount Baal-Hermon (q. v.). See Baai.-iihkmon. (e) Baal-Mkon ("p'sa bra, q. d.