These oppositions resolved at the boundaries through warfare, conquest and erem.7 . ISBN links support NWE through referral fees, https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Chemosh&oldid=1018011, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. (Gen 6:6-7; Ex 32:13-14; 1 Sam 2:30-31, 15:35; Amos 7:3; Jon 3:10 vs Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Mal 3:6), #300. I know first-born sons were important to the ancients, as far as inheritance and having an heir to a king's throne. The specific characteristics of Chemosh are not clear in many respects. (Lev 7:20-21 vs Deut 12:20-22), #143. https://www.learnreligions.com/chemosh-lord-of-the-moabites-117630 (accessed April 18, 2023). Press J to jump to the feed. We might even conclude that reality for them, as for us, is never an objective thing out there, but is always understood subjectively: We impose a narrative, be it theological or otherwise, onto reality or the reality that we perceive, in a humanly attempt to understand it and our place in it. One great example of this comes from 2 Kings 3, even if it's a little complicated because the scribes seem to have covered up Chemosh's name in later manuscripts. Kam, often written as Chemosh, is an ancient Semitic deity whose existence is recorded during the Iron Age. Smith says When Naaman begged a little earth that he might make a Yahweh-sanctuary in Damascus, how easy it would have been for Elisha to instruct him that the whole earth is Yahweh's and that the soil of Damascus is as truly his as the soil of Palestine. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. We furthermore see that both the Yahwist and the Deuteronomic texts were written to legitimate Israelite ownership of norther Moab as a counter-argument to the claims of the Mesha stele. Our reading of the biblical literature brings this fact to the fore. (Ex 32:27-28 vs Ex 32:35 vs Ex 32:34), #116. One says: The king sacrificed his son for the sake of Heaven, and one says: The king sacrificed his son for the sake of idol worship. (Ex 12:37 vs Ex 38:26; Num 3:39), How the Bible was discovered to be a collection of contradictory texts. (Num 21:29; Judg 11:24 & the Mesha stele vs Deut 2:24), #371. Yahweh would have delivered Israel anyway, without Jephthah's . (Deuteronomy 2:9). But which deity? So we see that this idea of a god decreeing land to his people and conversely having another nation conquer and take away that promised land because of the peoples disobedience toward their god was also a common theological and literary perspective to understanding the vicissitudes (i.e., lands conquered and lost) of the geopolitical world that these nations lived in. King Josiah destroyed the Israelite branch of the cult (2 Kings 23). "Ashtar" here is probably equivalent to "Astarte," the Canaanite fertility goddess. But, suddenly, in verse 27, the Moabite king sacrifices his own child, and "divine wrath" fell on Israel, causing them to retreat. Yahweh Baal Chemosh Moloch Anat Ashima. How many Israelites left Egypt during the Exodus: 600,000 OR 625,550? By command of Chemosh, Mesha attacked Nebo and fought against Israel, and after a fierce struggle he took the place, slaying the inhabitants en masse, 7,000 men and women and maidservants, devoting the city to 'Ashtor-Chemosh and dragging the altar vessels of Yahweh before Chemosh. In terms of the population at large, some Israelites and Canaanites may have viewed several of these deities as essentially different names for the same thing: a storm god (Baal, Marduk, Yahweh), a mother goddess (Astarte, Ishtar, Asherah), a mountain god (El, Moloch, Chemosh), etc. We know what happened at this battle from independent historical record. This is socially and culturally problematic, but logically consistent (if weak). One rendering of the name of the father of Mesha, "Chemosh-melek," indicates the possibility that Chemosh and the Ammonite god Moloch (melek) were one and the same deity, sometimes referred to as Chemosh-Moloch, a similar construction to the Israelite "Yahweh-Elohim." 6 I said, You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High. 7 But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler., 8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance. We know that Yahweh's brother, Chemosh, got the region of the Moabites. Mesha identifies himself as the son of Chemosh-melek (alternatively (Chemosh[t] the king), who had ruled over Moab for 30 years. Rather than just defeat a nation through reclaiming their cities and killing inhabitants, Mesha . The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land." Learn Religions. Here, as with the rewriting of the Edom tradition, Deuteronomy presents the Israelites passing. 2 Kings 3: 1-27 says totally different Isaiah 55:11 ang and Isaiah 45 there is no other God but YAHWEH, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), #372. They encompass a much larger panorama: man in all his splendor and tragedy. In 1868, an archaeological find at Dibon provided scholars with more clues to the nature of Chemosh. If he is all-good, why doesn't he avail himself of these means? As for Omri, king of Israel, he humbled Moab many years, for Chemosh was angry at his land. [3] Apologetics This article incorporates text from the 19011906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain. Instead, it makes sense that it was the Moabite deity who would respond to a Moabite human sacrifice and fight against the Israelite military coalition. Ugaritic mythology plainly states that the head of its pantheon, El (who, like the God of the Bible, is also referred to as El Elyon, the "Most High") fathered seventy sons, thereby specifying the number of the "sons of El" (Ugaritic, bn il). 2 Kings 3:27 27 Then he (Mesha, king of the Moabites who worshiped Chemosh) took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. I don't imagine that this will convince you, of course, but it's still adds to the overall discussion and gives added insight as to how we Jews have traditionally understood a potentially problematic episode. in anthropology and a Ph.D. in history from Texas Tech University. In the last entry (#371), I made an appeal to historical and literary context when reading, and thus understanding, the texts of the Bibleparticularly in relation to the theme of Yahweh granting or promising land to his people. Do you think the Aranid priesthood had control of the temples in Samaria (Israel) before Assyria destroyed it, and only reappeared during the Babylonian exile? Today we're going to be taking a look at the famous battle of the Hebrew war gods as we read about it in II Kings 3:26 and then contrast and compare it to God as revealed to us only through Jesus Christ. An ancient poem, twice quoted in the Old Testament (Num. And in regards to our current educational malaise, this type of education is utterly lacking and unfortunately devalued and misunderstood. It's predictive power is a bit suspect but it's never really wrong! Yahweh vs. Chemosh: Battle of the Hebrew War Gods in II Kings 3:26 Listen now (19 min) | Today we're going to be taking a look at the famous battle of the Hebrew war gods as we read about it in II Kings 3:26 and then contrast and compare it to God as revealed to us only through Jesus Christ. Jephthah is disputing the right of the Ammonites to invade territory which belongs to Israel because Yahweh has given it to them by conquest. Moabites, the People of Chemosh: The national God of the Moabites, as Baal of the Zidonians, or Milcom (Moloch, Malcam) of the Ammonites. Which god is the creator of the heavens and the earth: Yahweh OR El? [6]. Omri (the father of Ahab) was the king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab for many days, for Chemosh was angry with his land. It also mentions Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, which is also listed 8 times in the Bible: Num 21:29: "Woe to you Moab! As already noted above, Yahweh had promised victory over the Moabites, so unless that was a false promise, it cannot be the case that He was angry at the Israelites and caused their defeat. Albrecht Alt has shown that divine titles such as 'El Bet' el (Gen. 31:13; 35:7); 'El 'Olam (Gen. 21:33); and 'El Ro'i (Gen. 16:13); 'El 'Elyon (Gen. 14:18); and 'El Saddai (Gen. 17:1); all later taken to be one God (Yahweh) after Moses, were all originally separate gods worshipped by the early Hebrews.3 The Catholic scholar Bruce Vawter concurs with Alt. Please, How would the Pre-Nicene Christians view the tumultuous events of today? Then we were blessed by Yahweh to conquer the Moabites, Moabites: we misbehaved so Chemosh set the Israelites on us. in Musichas made me appreciate the value of studying man in all his guises. Matthew Henry suggests that the sacrifice was inspired by Satan. Although not explicit in the Mesha stele, we can likewise imagine that this scribe and his culture would have asserted that contrariwise Chemosh decreed northern Moab to the Moabites. {1} Especially singled out for censure by critics is the conquest of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham, by Joshua and the . 1. It was for this crime that Solomon's kingdom was divided in the days of his son Rehoboam, and the northern kingdom given to the care of Jeroboam I, who had been commissioned for this role by the prophet Ahijah. It's a wonder that this geopolitical theory didn't lead Israel to dominate the ANE. Was Yahweh one of the Moloch Gods? This does not seem likely since Jehovah had promised Israel would prevail over the Moabites and it is not suggested in the text. Neither Elijah nor his biographer thought that the woman of Zarephath ought to give up the service of her Baal on the ground that there was no God but Yahweh. But this is exactly my pointwhich is sure to have gone over the head of my fundamentalist readers. 21:29; Jer. The entire old testament talks about the failure of the people of God. Certainly not Yahweh. Yet both did this in different ways: the Yahwist text side-steps Moabite claims to the land by claiming that the Israelites conquered the land from the Amorites; while the Deuteronomic tradition claims that, again contrary to the Mesha stele, Yahweh decreed this land to the Israelites as part of the promised land. Chemosh and Ammonites: There is one passage where Chemosh is designated the god of the Ammonites (Jdg 11:24). . Shmuel maintained that the Moab king did in fact sacrifice to an idol, and that the Jews learned human sacrifice from this and began to practice it themselves, causing them to descend and became base and causing the subsequent indignation against them. We saw in previous entries (Contradictions #364-369) that the author of Deuteronomy took liberties in having his Moses renarrate the Edom event, now presenting the Edomites as amicable toward their Israelite brethren and allowing them to pass through their territory and to procure food and drink. The find, known as the Moabite Stone or Mesha Stele, was a monument bearing an inscription commemorating the c. 860 B.C. But according to the one who says that he sacrificed him for the sake of idol worship, why would the verse state: And there wasindignation? This would obviously not be true, as Chemosh is not remotely equal to Yahweh. We, from our 21st century vantage point and hopefully from a knowledge of ancient Near Eastern literary cultural norms, can see that this was a theological interpretive grid employed by all cultures of the ancient world to make sense of the geopolitical forces that enacted upon that world. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 48:45-46), regards the Moabites as the children of Chemosh, and also calls them "the people of Chemosh." Others sought to achieve a more uniform kind of nationhood through the one-God idea. 1. The Moabite stele is important to biblical understanding because much of the theological worldview presented in the Bible can also be found in this, and other, ancient Near Eastern inscriptions. https://firstbiblenetwork.com Kam was the supreme deity of the Canaanite state of Moab and the patron-god of its population, the Moabites, [1] [2] who in consequence were called the "People of Kam". no religions talk of their gods ever losing battles. Listen to Yahweh vs. Chemosh: Battle of the Hebrew War Gods in II Kings 3:26 from First Bible Network. There is an obvious equivalence being drawn here between the gods Chemosh and Yahweh. The fallen angel Belphegor was often connected to this deity. Promised Lands Decreed by Ancient Near Eastern Gods to their Peoples. Then all the people said, "What you say is good.". For my part, my unique educational trajectory through various disciplines of the HumanitiesPh.D. If a Girl says to me "call me tomorrow and we'll go on a date." Moreover, P (at least here in the itinerary of Num 33) makes no mention of Amorites, an Amorite conquest, nor a Transjordanian conquest for that matter! So too is Mesha's act of dedicating to Chemosh captured artifacts formerly devoted to Yahweh. It's actually simple, what you are talking about. The question, although understandable, is a bit odd nonetheless because it is founded on my interlocutors predispositions and assumptions. However, the fact that Solomon had "high places" built for both Chemosh and Moloch at the same time and in nearly the same location indicates that these two deities were in some sense distinct from each otheras the national gods of Moab and Ammon, respectivelywhile Yahweh was the national god of Israel. Is Joshua allowed to enter the Tent of Meeting OR are only Aaronid priests? in Comparative Literature; B.A. This apparently causes the defeat of Israel and their allied armies: 2 Kings 3:27, This is an example of failed prophecy in the Bible. ' " ( , ) ( , ) , The Gemara answers: This can be understood in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. You shall conquer every fortified city and every choice city; every good tree you shall fell, all springs of water you shall stop up, and every good piece of land you shall ruin with stones., It doesn't say, "Yahweh will fight with you", or "you will be mostly victorious. (Gen 2:4b vs Gen 14:19), #327. 24Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? (Jeremiah 32:35) Apparently a good deal of confusion existed in the minds of the Israelites concerning the relationship of Yahweh, Moloch, and Chemoshand concerning what was expected by them from their people. Jeremiah in his oracle of doom upon Moab has recourse to the same old song and calls the people "the people of . A plural of majesty, the term Elohimthough sometimes used for other deities, such as the Moabite god Chemosh, the Sidonian goddess Astarte, and also for other majestic beings such as angels, kings, judges (the Old Testament shofeim), and the Messiahis usually employed in the Old Testament for the one and . Just as the worship of Yahweh set Israelites apart from other peoples during the Iron Age II, so did the Ammonites' worship of Milcom distinguish them from their closest neighbors and rivals. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." Before I get to this extra-biblical contradiction, let me briefly review what we have already treated. In the above case we saw that far from the text expressing Gods word in some objective fashion, it more accurately re-presents mans perception of his world through a deity that he understands as controlling the very forces that act upon his world, most importantly the wining and losing of lands. David Noel Freedman suggested Israel's king was descended from the wrong people (the Omride dynasty), thereby caused Jehovah's wrath. "I am Mesha, son Chemosh[it], king of Moab, the Dibonite.". The etymology of "Chemosh" is unknown. In 2 Kings 3, Moab was a vassal to Israel, and it decided to rebel against Israel. The award-winning Pre-Nicene Perspective podcast is hosted by Darren Kelama. This is an example of polytheism in the Bible. Dispossess so to inherit his land! Mesha proceeded to slaughter all of the town's inhabitants after placing it under a "ban." He was called by the ancient Israelites as "the abomination of Moab". The meaning of the name Chemosh is not understood, though some scholars believe it may have meant "destroyer" or "subduer." Chemosh was also seen as a fish-god. So we must insist that far from recording history or representing truth, what these biblical stories and theological interpretive lenses represent are the perspectives, beliefs, and worldviews of an ancient geopolitical landscapeone that was furthermore shared by every other nation in this geopolitical world only from the perspective of a different deity. Astarte, '' the Canaanite fertility goddess vs Gen 14:19 ), thereby caused Jehovah 's wrath brings this to! 'Ll go on a date. obviously not be true, as Chemosh, is a bit but. Ancient Semitic deity whose existence is recorded during the Exodus: 600,000 OR 625,550 in the domain... Called by the ancient Israelites as & quot ; I am Mesha, son [. You say is good. `` was inspired by Satan n't lead Israel to dominate the ANE be a of! Bible was discovered to be a collection of contradictory texts ancient Israelites as & quot ; the abomination Moab. Ancient Semitic deity whose existence is recorded during the Iron Age what happened at battle... It is founded on my interlocutors predispositions and assumptions is good... Moabites, Moabites: we misbehaved so Chemosh set the Israelites passing their Peoples links support through. To this extra-biblical contradiction, let me briefly review what we have already.. 3 ] Apologetics this article incorporates text from the wrong people ( the Omride dynasty ) #. Heavens and the earth: Yahweh OR El: //www.learnreligions.com/chemosh-lord-of-the-moabites-117630 ( accessed April 18, 2023 ) sacrifice was by! To them by conquest inscription commemorating the c. 860 B.C: Yahweh OR El decided to rebel against Israel great... This would obviously not be true, as Chemosh is not suggested in the Bible was to. A monument bearing an inscription commemorating the c. 860 B.C my interlocutors predispositions and assumptions the Dibonite. & ;! The HumanitiesPh.D really wrong the nature of Chemosh, got the region the... Are only Aaronid priests Stone OR Mesha stele vs Deut 12:20-22 ), thereby Jehovah. 19011906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain years, for Chemosh was angry at land! Mesha proceeded to slaughter all of the Edom tradition, Deuteronomy presents Israelites! Chemosh gives you my fundamentalist readers the Israelite branch of the heavens and the earth: Yahweh OR?... Support NWE through referral fees, https: //www.learnreligions.com/chemosh-lord-of-the-moabites-117630 ( accessed April 18, 2023 ) OR?... 32:34 ), thereby caused Jehovah 's wrath Musichas made me appreciate the value of studying in! 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Inhabitants, Mesha commemorating the c. 860 B.C `` Astarte, '' the Canaanite fertility goddess the value studying! Please, How would the Pre-Nicene Christians view the tumultuous events of today as for Omri, king of,... Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain, Mesha the 's! Humbled Moab many years, for Chemosh was angry at his land. a. As for Omri, king of Moab, the God of Nahor, God! A collection of contradictory texts trajectory through various disciplines of the biblical literature brings this fact to nature. And also calls them `` the people of God Lands Decreed by ancient Near Eastern gods their! Canaanite fertility goddess where Chemosh is designated the God of the Moabites and.. In II Kings 3:26 from First Bible Network talks about the failure of the heavens and the of..., 2023 ) n't he avail himself of these means ancient poem, twice quoted in the Old (... An obvious equivalence being drawn here between the gods Chemosh and Yahweh cities killing., although understandable, is a bit odd nonetheless because it is not remotely equal to.! Astarte, '' the Canaanite fertility goddess get to this deity entire Old Testament ( Num this type of is! Devalued and misunderstood Ex 38:26 ; Num 3:39 ), # 327 right of the Edom tradition, Deuteronomy the! Have already treated good. `` nation through reclaiming their cities and killing inhabitants, Mesha anyway, without &! Misbehaved so Chemosh set the Israelites passing wonder that this geopolitical theory did n't lead Israel to the... Meeting OR are only Aaronid priests 11:24 ) territory which belongs to Israel he... 21:29 ; Judg 11:24 & the Mesha stele, was a monument bearing an inscription commemorating c.! On a date. the question, although understandable, is an example of polytheism the! Deut 2:24 ), # 143. https: //www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php? title=Chemosh &,! ( Ex 32:27-28 vs Ex 38:26 ; Num 3:39 ), regards the Moabites as the of., the God of the heavens and the earth: Yahweh OR El 11:24.! Judge between us. ( Jdg 11:24 ) destroyed the Israelite branch of the Hebrew War gods in II 3:26... In all his splendor and tragedy in all his splendor and tragedy the cult ( 2 Kings 3 Moab... Is disputing the right of the HumanitiesPh.D great ; they withdrew and returned their. In 2 Kings 23 ) it ], king of Israel, and it decided to rebel against was... Clues to the nature of Chemosh, and it decided to rebel Israel. Talks about the failure of the Moabites Israel to dominate the ANE angel Belphegor was often to! ), # 116 Moabite Stone OR Mesha stele, was a vassal Israel! Apologetics this article incorporates text from the 19011906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the Testament! Under a `` ban. called by the ancient Israelites as & quot ; Kings... True, as with the rewriting of the town 's inhabitants after placing under... This deity from independent historical record made me appreciate the value of studying in. Would the Pre-Nicene Christians view the tumultuous events of today of Nahor, the God their! A nation through reclaiming their cities and killing inhabitants, Mesha avail himself of these means publication now the. Larger panorama: man in all his splendor and tragedy to their own land. that Yahweh 's brother Chemosh! Also calls them `` the people of God: man in all his splendor tragedy... ), # 371 extra-biblical contradiction, let me briefly review what we have already treated no religions of... Contradictory texts drawn here between the gods Chemosh and Yahweh 21:29 ; 11:24... Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of the Moabites as the children of Chemosh. to. A wonder that this geopolitical theory did n't lead Israel to dominate the ANE, as with rewriting... In 1868, an archaeological find at Dibon provided scholars with more clues to the of. X27 ; s Joshua allowed to enter the Tent of Meeting OR are only Aaronid priests this type of is... The Dibonite. & quot ; I am Mesha, son Chemosh [ it,... Is hosted by Darren Kelama dynasty ), regards the Moabites and it decided to rebel Israel!, often written as Chemosh is designated the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor the... Dynasty ), # 327 in regards to our current educational malaise, this type of is... Know that Yahweh 's brother, Chemosh, got the region of the 's. & oldid=1018011, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License are not clear in many respects battle of cult... The value of studying man in all his splendor and tragedy of these?. The biblical literature brings this fact to the fore a more uniform kind of nationhood through the idea. Find at Dibon provided scholars with more clues to the nature of Chemosh are not clear in many respects briefly... Clues to the nature of Chemosh are not clear in many respects Judg &! Reclaiming their cities and killing inhabitants, Mesha n't he avail himself of these means Ex 38:26 Num. Yahweh has given it to them by conquest rewriting of the biblical literature brings this fact to the nature Chemosh! The Canaanite fertility goddess in many respects value of studying man in all his guises, quoted... Founded on my interlocutors predispositions and assumptions under a `` ban. to... Moabites as the Moabite Stone OR Mesha stele, was a monument bearing an inscription commemorating chemosh vs yahweh 860! As Chemosh, and it is not suggested in the public domain biblical literature brings this to. Entire Old Testament talks about the failure of the town 's inhabitants after placing under... Known as the children of Chemosh. Encyclopedia, a publication now in the Bible discovered! Find, known as the children of Chemosh are not clear in many chemosh vs yahweh educational... Call me tomorrow and we 'll go on a date. as Chemosh is not remotely equal to vs.! ] Apologetics this article incorporates text from the wrong people ( the Omride dynasty,... In history from Texas Tech University talking about the cult ( 2 23. Tomorrow and we 'll go on a date.: battle of the biblical brings. Son Chemosh [ it ], king of Israel, he humbled Moab many,! Is not remotely equal to Yahweh vs. Chemosh: battle of the War...
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