Baal and the baals in the Book of Hosea : a comparative study

Abstract

The identity and function of Baal and the baals in Hos is a much-discussed issue in the Hebrew Bible. The lexeme occurs in three chapters (Hos 2; 11; 13) and is probably alluded to in Hos 9:10. But who is this Baal? Is he the storm god, a cipher for any foreign deity venerated in Israel, or a canaanized YHWH figure? Is the usage of the word in any way homogeneous? After a brief survey of the positions, I will argue that Baal in Hos 2 seems to be the storm god; the lexeme works as a generic term for the foreign gods in Hos 11:2, and in retrospective discourses (13:1; 9:10) it refers to the Baal cult manifested as bull images. However, even the storm god Baal of Hos is very different from his Canaanite counterpart. Baal in Hos 2 is merely a fertility god without any political or warrior functions.