No dew, no rain; no welling up of the deep, no sweetness of Baals voice. Fairchild, Mary. Fairchild, Mary. But have you ever wondered how god created male and female in his image? Thus it appears that, although generally the biblical writersespecially certain prophets (Isa 17:8; 27:9; Jer 17:2; Mic 5:14) and the authors responsible for Deuteronomy, Judges, 1 and 2 Kings, and 2 Chroniclesregarded Asherah worship as inappropriate, at least some and possibly many in ancient Israel incorporated the goddesss cult imagery and ritual into the cult of YHWH. Instead, rural communities had their own religious beliefs using statuary and other artifacts. I would guess that Eve was acquiring the attributes of the Queen of Heaven in a microcosmic way when she said, I have gotten a man with the help of Yahweh (Genesis 4:1) and there is no longer mention of Elohim since the woman is a partner with Yahweh. You bet. Our rescue isnt found in sticks. p. 106) . They would mockingly show the inadequacy of worshipping sticks of wood (that you have to craft) that you created while rejecting the living God. The wonderful possession I have reserved for you will slip from your hands. Not only was the queen mothers position in the palace generally paralleled by Asherahs position as mother goddess in the heavens, but also the queen mothers status as the wife of the kings father suggests an affinity to Asherahs cult. It was essentially a phallic symbol. (AT, JB) Others have not endeavored to make a distinction but have simply transliterated the Hebrew word (RS) or have consistently translated it sacred pole(s). (NW) In the older translations of the Bible, the Hebrew word has usually been rendered as grove(s). (KJ, Le) But this rendering is inappropriate in such texts as Judges 3:7 and 2Kings 23:6 (KJ), which speak of serving groves and bringing out the grove from the temple at Jerusalem. ( Public Domain ), Whereas Asherahs influence was restrained in the official religion, her presence loomed large in the rural communities, most often in the form of figurines which are prolific in the region. (NLT). This is one of the helpful points that the Puritan John Owen made in his work The Mortification of Sin. Only seven instances of Asherah are references to the goddess herself. Before Israel entered and took possession of the promised land, God warned them not to worship Canaans gods (Deuteronomy 6:14-15). Rusty and rough looking. I am reading aerato lamo assuming: (a) an original r got corrupted to d (see Cross-Freedman ibid. In Ugaritic literature, she was called Lady Asherah of the Sea.. The relation of the literary references to an asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered a literature of debate. Baal, the chief of the Canaanite pantheon, was the god of storm and bringer of rain. He was recognized as the sustainer of the fertility of crops, animals, and people. I watched a documentary on this made by PBS which is now on You Tube if i may say the name ? WebAsherah the Name of a Syrian Goddess. This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. He (Abraham) saw a light radiating from the cave, so there he prayed, and there the blessed Holy One spoke with him. WebAsherah poles were a representation of a Asherah, a Canaanite fertility goddess and consort of the gods. The discussion of these texts revealed that scholars differ about the interpretation (of the Kuntillet el-'Ajrud inscriptions), reading either 'Asherata' or 'his Asherah' and also about the question whether only the sacred pole is implied. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. an Asherah Pole The Lord warns the people of Israel, portending the consequences of their idolatry: 1 Kings 14:15Then the LORD will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream. Also, vessels in the temple were used to make sacrifices to Asherah (2 Kgs 23:4), and in a compound within the temples walls, women cult functionaries wove garments used to clothe Asherahs cult statue (2 Kgs 23:7). Therefore he asked for it, since his desire focused constantly on that site (p.221). For my anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever. (NLT). Your email address will not be published. showing cannanite gods Baal and Astarte. What is an Asherah pole By and large, the biblical writers were unhappy that Asherah shared the same platform with their male deity, Yahweh, and repeatedly tried to dissuade their pairing. However, his son Amon resumed the degrading worship of Baal and Asherah, with its accompanying ceremonial prostitution. Author: www.crosswalk.com Post date: 26 yesterday Rating: 3 (1036 reviews) Highest rating: 4 Low rated: 2 Summary: I think the mere evidence of their present condition easily confirms that as well. The Bible also connects sacred poles with the high places (open-air cult sites?) The Asherah pole was often mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the ways the Israelites sinned against the Lord and worshiped other gods. This is always the remedy for idolatry. A Hebrew word occurring frequently in the Bible (R. V.) and signifying, except in a few late passages noted below, a wooden post or pole planted near the altars of various gods. Yet despite these and other references associating Asherah with apostasy (for example, Exod 34:13; Deut 7:5; 12:3; Judg 3:7; 1 Kgs 18:19), and despite the fact that the Israelites are explicitly forbidden in Deut 16:21 to erect one of Asherahs sacred poles beside an altar of YHWH, there are multiple indications in biblical tradition that many in ancient Israel did regard Asherahs cult icon as an appropriate sacred symbol within the religion of YHWH. They are idols that must be rooted out of Israelite worship. WebAn Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother goddess Asherah, consort of El. Asherah, along with Astarte and Anath, was one of the three great goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon. The sacred poles apparently stood upright and were made of wood, or at least contained wood, the Israelites being commanded to cut them down and to burn them. Sacrificial feasts were held in the sacred GROVES of Asherah in Jerusalem according to Apion." ), was allowed to remain standing by the reformer King Jehu (1 Kgs 16:33; 2 Kgs 13:6), even though Jehu was generally at pains to remove all non-Yahwistic cults and cult imagery from the land. Why Do We Need to Be Crucified with Christ? Asherah worship was deeply sensual, involving illicit sex and ritual prostitution. Even their children go to worship at their pagan altars and Asherah poles, beneath every green tree and on every high hill. For example, one of the Canaanite epithets of Asherah, elat, goddess, is etymologically identical to the Hebrew word for the terebinth tree (ela). Israels association of Asherah with sacred trees is repeated over thirty times in the Bible; many of these citations are stereotypically used by the biblical writers to describe sites of idolatrous worship, implying that the worship of Asherah was an apostate behavior in Israel and improper for followers of YHWH. Asherah figures prominently as the wife of Elthe supreme godin a treasure trove of cuneiform texts found in the second millennium port city of Ugarit (in todays Northern Syria). She was occasionally called Elath (Elat), the Goddess, and may have also been called Qudshu, Holiness.. the cross is a representation of Jesus to Christians. Your email address will not be published. [9] Deuteronomy 12 has Yahweh commanding the destruction of her shrines so as to maintain purity of his worship. At times, to appease Baal and Asherah, human sacrifices were made. But the gospel teaches something different. And how do you even pronounce it? Both Israel and Judah disregarded Gods express command not to set up sacred pillars and sacred poles; they placed them upon every high hill and under every luxuriant tree alongside the altars used for sacrifice. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). While there are voluminous artifacts identified as Asherah in the region, there are still pieces missing from the puzzle. 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And why is she often found paired with Yahweh, the Hebrew god? Plaque depicting Asherah. The Sacred Poles. For example, one of Asherahs sacred poles stood next to YHWHs altar at Bethel, one of the two great cult sites of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kgs 23:15). Asherah and the Asherim: Goddess or Cult Symbol What, then, was an Asherah pole? Grove If Jezebel had the goddess Asherah Astarteas the one she worshiped.. One should know it was nothing to do with The Lord God most High Jehovah. Source: northernway.org, By Mary Naples, Contributing Writer, Classical Wisdom Weekly, Anya Leonard is the co-founder and Director of Classical Wisdom Weekly. In the Bible, Asherah is both the Hebrew name of a pagan fertility goddess and the wooden cult object dedicated to her. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. If that was the case, we would have seen the death of these Asherah poles when Asa, Hezekiah, or Jehosophat put in order stirring reforms and cut down the Asherim. 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Asherah and Idol Worship Their children form the pantheon of the gods, who are said to number seventy; a Hittite myth similarly mentions the seventy-seven and eighty-eight children of Asherah. ], the goddess Asherah) or his asherah (meaning YHWHs sacred pole that represents the goddess Asherah and that sits in his temple or beside his altar). Answer. Likewise, these writers do not always make a clear distinction between references to the goddess Asherah and the objects dedicated to her for worship. Copyright 2011-2023 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. Hence the woman being proclaimed as the Hurrian goddess Hepa, Heba, Heva, or Eve, the mother of all living (hai) (Genesis 3:20), that is also Eywa, the mother creation goddess in the film Avatar. WebFor instance the carved Asherah, also a pagan monument, represented female properties because it was carved to resemble the pagan goddess Ashtaroth (Astarte). What does an asherah pole look like? - Answers ( Looklex Encyclopaedia ), Top Image: Veiled Mother of the World (Deriv.)
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