Page "Baʿal" Paragraph 28

After Gideon's death, according to, the Israelites went astray and started to worship the Baʿalîm ( the Baʿals ) especially Baʿal Berith (" Lord of the Covenant.

") A few verses later () the story turns to all the citizens of Shechem — actually kol-ba ‘< sup > a </ sup > lê š < sup > ə </ sup > kem another case of normal use of ba ‘ al not applied to a deity.

These citizens of Shechem support Abimelech's attempt to become king by giving him 70 shekels from the House of Ba ‘ al Berith.

It is hard to dissociate this Lord of the Covenant who is worshipped in Shechem from the covenant at Shechem described earlier in, in which the people agree to worship Yahweh.

It is especially hard to do so when relates that all " the holders of the tower of Shechem " ( kol-ba ‘< sup > a </ sup > lê midgal-š < sup > ə </ sup > kem ) enter bêt ’ ēl b < sup > ə </ sup > rît ' the House of El Berith ', that is, ' the House of God of the Covenant '.

Either " Baʿal " was here a title for El, or the covenant of Shechem perhaps originally did not involve El at all, but some other god who bore the title Baʿal.

Whether there were different viewpoints about Yahweh, some seeing him as an aspect of Hadad, some as an aspect of El, some with other perceptions cannot be unambiguously answered.