Meanings
plural Baʿals · plural Baʿalim · alternative Ba'al
- alternativeAlternative spelling of Baal, showing its original pharyngeal consonant.
More carnally, on his way to face Mot, Baʿal mates with a cow, engendering bull offspring.
2015, Eric Orlin, Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions, →ISBN, page 1192 more examples
By the same token, in the cycle of Baʿal, it is a matter of worship that actually generates the divine confrontation. The event which triggers the clash between Baʿal and Yam (the Sea god), appears to be Yam's command over the other gods and their disobedience to Baʿal.
2013, Dragoş Giulea, Pre-Nicene Christology in Paschal Contexts, →ISBNElijah's total opposition to Baʿal had limited immediate effect. Although the people on Carmel declared that Yahweh was god and killed the 450 prophets of Baʿal (1 Kgs 18:39-40), Ahab's son Ahaziah worshiped Baʿal and consulted Baʿal-zebub (1 Kgs 22:53; 2 Kgs 1:2-16).
2016, John L. McLaughlin, What are They Saying about Ancient Israelite Religion?, →ISBN
Origin
- Hebrewבעל
- EnglishBaʿal
Unadapted borrowing from Hebrew בעל.
More words from Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Baʿal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ba%CA%BFal
“Baʿal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ba%CA%BFal. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Baʿal,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ba%CA%BFal.
Source: Baʿal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.