Any gods other than the LORD himself. Some of these divinities took the form of images, others were mythical. Some Israelites became involved in idolatrous worship of such gods. The book of Acts records attempts to deify human beings.
False gods associated with foreign nations in the OT
Amon, the chief god of Egypt
See also Jeremiah 46:25
Asherah, a Canaanite goddess
Exodus 34:13–14 Asherah was the consort of El, the chief Canaanite god. Wooden poles, perhaps carved in her image, were often set up in her honour and placed near other pagan objects of worship. See also Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 6:25–30 Gideon destroys an Asherah pole; 1 Kings 14:15, 1 Kings 14:23, 1 Kings 15:13, 1 Kings 16:33, 1 Kings 18:19 Elijah summons 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel.2 Kings 23:4–7, 2 Kings 23:13–16 Isaiah 27:9; Jeremiah 17:2; Micah 5:14
Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles. For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Ashtoreth, a goddess of war and fertility
Judges 2:12–13 Ashtoreth, the consort of Baal, was associated with the evening star and was worshipped as Ishtar in Babylon and as Athtart in Aram. To the Greeks she was Astarte or Aphrodite and to the Romans, Venus. See also Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:3–4, 1 Samuel 12:10, 1 Samuel 31:10; 1 Kings 11:5, 1 Kings 11:33
Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
Baal, a Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility and rain
Judges 2:10–13 Baal, meaning “lord”, was pictured standing on a bull, a popular symbol of fertility and strength. Baal was associated with Asherah and Ashtoreth, goddesses of fertility.
After that whole generation had also been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel. And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals. Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger, for they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
Baal-Zebub, a popular deity of the Philistines
Matthew 12:24 parallels Mark 3:22, Luke 11:15 Beelzebub is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Baal-Zebub”, meaning “lord of the flies”. See also 2 Kings 1:1–6, 2 Kings 1:16–17
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
Bel, the chief deity of Babylon
Isaiah 46:1 Bel was another name for the sun god, Marduk. Nebo, the god of learning and writing was the son of Marduk. See also Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 51:44
Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
Chemosh, the chief god of Moab
1 Kings 11:7 See also Numbers 21:29; 1 Kings 11:33; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 48:7, Jeremiah 48:13, Jeremiah 48:46
At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
Dagon, worshipped in Babylonia and Philistia
Judges 16:23 See also 1 Samuel 5:2–7; 1 Chronicles 10:10
Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.”
Molech, the chief deity of Ammon
1 Kings 11:4–5 See also Leviticus 18:21 The practice of sacrificing children to Molech was common in Phoenicia and the region; Leviticus 20:2–5; 1 Kings 11:7, 1 Kings 11:33; 2 Kings 23:10 Josiah destroyed the area where the altars for child sacrifice were located; 2 Kings 23:13; Isaiah 57:9; Jeremiah 32:35, Jeremiah 49:1, Jeremiah 49:3; Zephaniah 1:5; Acts 7:43
For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
Tammuz, a Babylonian fertility god
The worship of false gods was a snare to God's people
Their worship included disgusting rites
1 Kings 14:23–24, 1 Kings 19:18; Jeremiah 7:31; Hosea 13:2
Numerous attempts were made to stop the worship of Baal and other false gods
Judges 6:28–32; 1 Kings 18:17–40 See also 2 Kings 10:18–28, 2 Kings 11:18, 2 Kings 23:4–5, 2 Kings 23:13
When the men of the city got up in the morning, there was Baal’s altar torn down, with the Asherah pole cut down beside it and the second bull offered up on the newly built altar. “Who did this?” they said to one another. And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.” So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.
Attempts to stop false worship proved unsuccessful
2 Kings 21:3 The word “Baal” was not orginally a proper name but came to be used as such. See also 2 Chronicles 28:1–4; Hosea 13:1–2
For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
Warnings against and condemnation of, the worship of false gods
Psalm 40:4; Daniel 3:29 Nebuchadnezzar came to realise the foolishness of worshipping false gods See also Psalm 4:2; Jeremiah 13:25, Jeremiah 16:19; Amos 2:4; Zephaniah 1:4
Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can deliver in this way.”
The first Christians were confronted with the worship of Greek and Roman deities
Zeus and Hermes
Acts 14:12 Zeus was the patron god of the city of Lystra and his temple was there. Paul was identified as the god Hermes (the Roman Mercury), Zeus' attendant and spokesman.
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
Artemis
Acts 19:24–28 Artemis was the Greek name for the Roman goddess, Diana.
It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen. Demetrius assembled the craftsmen, along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you know that this business is our source of prosperity. And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed — she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.” When the men heard this, they were enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Castor and Pollux
See also Acts 28:11 the two “sons of Zeus”, regarded as the guardian deities of sailors
Attempts to deify human beings
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.