Post by gsmithb on Aug 24, 2014 4:09:05 GMT
According to Eerdmans Bible Dictionary, "when the Israelites entered Canaan, they found that every piece of land had it's own deity, it's 'owner'. There were many Baals. But Baal gradually became a proper noun, to indicate the great fertility god of the Canaanites. The Baal rites not only involved the usual lascivious practices of fertility cults, but even such abominations as child sacrifice. The worship of Baal was often linked with that of the goddess of Ashtoreth.