the same as BEL, or BELUS; an idol of the Chaldeans, and Phoenicians or Canaanites. The former worshipped Mars under this name, according * Antiquit. to Josephus*; who, speaking of Thurus the successor lib.viii.cap.of Ninus, says, "To this Mars the Assyrians erected the first statue, and worshipped him as a god, calling him Baal." It is probable the Phoenicians worshipped the sun under the name of Baal; for Jothaf, willing to make some amends for the wickedness of Manasseh, in worshipping Baal, and all the host of heaven, put to death the idolatrous priests that burnt incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. He likewise took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, and burnt the chariots of the sun with fire †.

The temples consecrated to this god, are called in the Scripture Charananim, which signifies places enclosed with walls in which was kept a perpetual fire. Maundrell, in his journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, observed some traces of these enclosures in Syria. In most of them were no statues; in a few there were some, but of no uniform figure.

The word baal (in the Punic language), signifies lord or master; and doubtless meant the supreme Deity, the Lord and Master of the universe. It is often joined with the name of some false god, as Baal-berith, Baal-peor, Baal-zephon, and the like. This deity passed from the Phoenicians to the Carthaginians, who were a colony of the Phoenicians; as appears from the Carthaginian names, Hannibal, Asdrubal, &c. according to the custom of the east, where kings and great men added to their own names those of their gods.

This false deity is frequently mentioned in Scripture in the plural number (Baalim); which may signify, either that the name Baal was given to several different gods; or that there were many statues, bearing different appellations, consecrated to this idol. Arnobius tells us, that Baal was of an uncertain sex; and that his votaries, when they called upon him, invoked him thus: Hear us, whether thou art a god or a goddess.

Some learned men think, that the Baal of the Phoenicians is the Saturn of the Greeks; which is probable enough from the conformity there is between the human sacrifices offered to Saturn and those which the Scripture tells us were offered to Baal. Others are of opinion, that Baal was the Phoenician or Tyrian Hercules, a god of great antiquity in Phoenicia.