1170. Baal Berith
Lexical Summary
Baal Berith: Baal of the Covenant

Original Word: בַּעַל בְּרִית
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Ba`al Briyth
Pronunciation: bah'-al ber-eeth'
Phonetic Spelling: (bah'-al ber-eeth')
KJV: Baal-berith
NASB: Baal-berith
Word Origin: [from H1168 (בַּעַל - Baal) and H1285 (בְּרִיתּ - covenant)]

1. Baal of (the) covenant
2. Baal-Berith, a special deity of the Shechemites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Baal-berith

From Ba'al and briyth; Baal of (the) covenant; Baal-Berith, a special deity of the Shechemites -- Baal-berith.

see HEBREW Ba'al

see HEBREW briyth

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from Baal and berith
Definition
"Baal of (the) covenant," a Shechemite god
NASB Translation
Baal-berith (2).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Identity

Baal-berith is the title of a Canaanite deity venerated at Shechem. The name combines the familiar title “Baal” with the concept of covenant, indicating a “lord” who presides over binding agreements. By adopting this name the inhabitants of Shechem cast allegiance to a rival suzerain in direct defiance of the covenant Israel had sworn to the LORD.

Scriptural Occurrences

Judges 8:33 records the nation’s rapid relapse after Gideon’s death: “the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals and set up Baal-berith as their god”. Judges 9:4 shows the political fallout: silver taken “from the temple of Baal-berith” financed Abimelech’s bloody rise to power. Together the two passages depict both popular apostasy and elite corruption flowing from the same idolatrous source.

Historical Setting: Shechem and the Covenant Motif

Shechem had long been a covenant location. Abraham built an altar there (Genesis 12:6-7). Jacob buried foreign gods under the oak nearby (Genesis 35:4). Joshua renewed the LORD’s covenant at Shechem and erected a standing stone as witness (Joshua 24:25-27). Against this backdrop the establishment of a shrine to Baal-berith represents deliberate reversal—taking the symbolism of covenant and assigning it to a Canaanite idol. The site that once proclaimed fidelity to the one true God became the headquarters for spiritual treachery and political violence.

Religious and Cultural Significance

1. Syncretism: Israel did not merely abandon worship of the LORD; they repurposed covenant language for a pagan cult. This reveals how idolatry often masquerades as legitimate religion by borrowing familiar terms.
2. Civic Religion: The “temple of Baal-berith” functioned as a treasury, bankrolling Abimelech’s coup. Idolatry therefore intertwined with economics and governance, illustrating how spiritual compromise distorts every sphere of life.
3. Moral Disintegration: The same generation that had witnessed Gideon’s deliverance willingly financed fratricide. Spiritual infidelity quickly produced societal brutality.

Theological Themes

• Covenant Faithfulness versus False Covenant: Baal-berith is the anti-type to the LORD’s covenant name. His brief ascendancy underscores the exclusive claim God places on covenant loyalty (Exodus 20:3).
• Divine Retribution: The judgment that overtook Abimelech (Judges 9:56-57) demonstrates the certainty with which God avenges covenant violation.
• Leadership Responsibility: Gideon’s failure to eradicate idolatrous impulses (e.g., the ephod in Judges 8:27) left a vacuum readily filled by Baal-berith.

Practical Lessons for Ministry

1. Guard Covenant Identity: Congregations must continually rehearse and embody the gospel covenant lest cultural idols hijack sacred terminology.
2. Discern Financial Alliances: Resources attached to ungodly agendas corrupt mission; churches must heed Paul’s warning, “Do not be unequally yoked” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
3. Beware of Post-Victory Lull: Times of peace and prosperity often precede lapses in vigilance; intentional discipleship is needed to anchor successive generations.
4. Address Cultural Syncretism Directly: Like Joshua, leaders should call for decisive renunciation of rival lords (Joshua 24:15).

Intertextual Echoes

Later prophets spotlight the same pattern. Hosea indicts Israel for “breaking covenant” through Baal worship (Hosea 8:1). 2 Kings 17 narrates how enduring idolatry precipitated exile. These echoes affirm that Baal-berith is emblematic of the broader struggle between true covenant loyalty and seductive counterfeit lords.

Summary

Baal-berith stands as a sobering reminder that covenant language devoid of covenant fidelity becomes a cloak for idolatry. His brief reign in Judges exposes the peril of forgetting the LORD, the societal chaos birthed by spiritual compromise, and the unfailing justice of God who alone is worthy to be called “Lord of the Covenant.”

Forms and Transliterations
בְּרִ֑ית בְּרִ֖ית ברית bə·rîṯ beRit bərîṯ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Judges 8:33
HEB: לָהֶ֛ם בַּ֥עַל בְּרִ֖ית לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
NAS: and made Baal-berith their god.
KJV: Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.
INT: the Baals and made Baal-berith their god

Judges 9:4
HEB: מִבֵּ֖ית בַּ֣עַל בְּרִ֑ית וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר בָּהֶ֜ם
NAS: from the house of Baal-berith with which
KJV: out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech
INT: silver the house of Baal-berith hired Abimelech

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1170
2 Occurrences


bə·rîṯ — 2 Occ.

1169
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