Dictionary of Bible Themes: 8747 false gods

8747 false gods

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 8000 The life of the believer » 8700 Threats to the life of faith » 8747 false gods

Any gods other than the LORD himself. Some of these divinities took the form of images, others were mythical. Some Israelites became involved in idolatrous worship of such gods. The book of Acts records attempts to deify human beings.

False gods associated with foreign nations in the OT

Amon, the chief god of Egypt

See also Jeremiah 46:25

Asherah, a Canaanite goddess

Exodus 34:13-14 Asherah was the consort of El, the chief Canaanite god. Wooden poles, perhaps carved in her image, were often set up in her honour and placed near other pagan objects of worship. See also Deuteronomy 7:5; Judges 6:25-30 Gideon destroys an Asherah pole; 1 Kings 14:15,23; Kings 15:13; Kings 16:33; Kings 18:19 Elijah summons 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel.

King Josiah's reforms:

2 Kings 23:4-7,13-16 Isaiah 27:9; Jeremiah 17:2; Micah 5:14

Ashtoreth, a goddess of war and fertility

Judges 2:12-13 Ashtoreth, the consort of Baal, was associated with the evening star and was worshipped as Ishtar in Babylon and as Athtart in Aram. To the Greeks she was Astarte or Aphrodite and to the Romans, Venus. See also Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:3-4; Samuel 12:10; Samuel 31:10; 1 Kings 11:5,33

Baal, a Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility and rain

Judges 2:10-13 Baal, meaning “lord”, was pictured standing on a bull, a popular symbol of fertility and strength. Baal was associated with Asherah and Ashtoreth, goddesses of fertility.

Baal-Zebub, a popular deity of the Philistines

Matthew 12:24 pp Mark 3:22 pp Luke 11:15 Beelzebub is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Baal-Zebub”, meaning “lord of the flies”. See also 2 Kings 1:1-6,16-17

Bel, the chief deity of Babylon

Isaiah 46:1 Bel was another name for the sun god, Marduk. Nebo, the god of learning and writing was the son of Marduk. See also Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:44

Chemosh, the chief god of Moab

1 Kings 11:7 See also Numbers 21:29; 1 Kings 11:33; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 48:7,13,46

Dagon, worshipped in Babylonia and Philistia

Judges 16:23 See also 1 Samuel 5:2-7; 1 Chronicles 10:10

Molech, the chief deity of Ammon

1 Kings 11:4-5 See also Leviticus 18:21 The practice of sacrificing children to Molech was common in Phoenicia and the region; Leviticus 20:2-5; 1 Kings 11:7,33; 2 Kings 23:10 Josiah destroyed the area where the altars for child sacrifice were located; 2 Kings 23:13; Isaiah 57:9; Jeremiah 32:35; Jeremiah 49:1,3; Zephaniah 1:5; Acts 7:43

Tammuz, a Babylonian fertility god

Ezekiel 8:14

The worship of false gods was a snare to God's people

Their worship included disgusting rites

1 Kings 14:23-24; Kings 19:18; Jeremiah 7:31; Hosea 13:2

Numerous attempts were made to stop the worship of Baal and other false gods

Judges 6:28-32; 1 Kings 18:17-40 See also 2 Kings 10:18-28; Kings 11:18; Kings 23:4-5,13

Attempts to stop false worship proved unsuccessful

2 Kings 21:3 The word “Baal” was not orginally a proper name but came to be used as such. See also 2 Chronicles 28:1-4; Hosea 13:1-2

Warnings against and condemnation of, the worship of false gods

Psalm 40:4; Daniel 3:29 Nebuchadnezzar came to realise the foolishness of worshipping false gods See also Psalm 4:2; Jeremiah 13:25; Jeremiah 16:19; Amos 2:4; Zephaniah 1:4

The first Christians were confronted with the worship of Greek and Roman deities

Zeus and Hermes

Acts 14:12 Zeus was the patron god of the city of Lystra and his temple was there. Paul was identified as the god Hermes (the Roman Mercury), Zeus' attendant and spokesman.

Artemis

Acts 19:24-28 Artemis was the Greek name for the Roman goddess, Diana.

Castor and Pollux

See also Acts 28:11 the two “sons of Zeus”, regarded as the guardian deities of sailors

Attempts to deify human beings

Acts 12:21-22; Acts 14:12-15; Acts 28:6