Asherah was one of the chief deities of the ancient world. Unfortunately, we do not know what place these held within the worship of Asherah, nor do we have any lasting depiction of these idols. Asherah of the Sea, as she is called there, was the consort of the old god El, the head of the pantheon, and she was the creator of the gods, their mother (Did God Really Have a Wife? by Shmuel Ahituv, BAR, Sept./Oct. You bet. The relation of the literary references to an asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered a literature of debate. Learn Religions, Nov. 28, 2022, learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125. What we need is a living encounter with God. (Keller, Counterfeit Gods, 155). The ruling elite propagandized against goddess worship by integrating the story of the fall of mankind to the tree which was clearlyassociated with Asherah. None the less, they were and have been instructed not to do this by the WORD of . Ackerman, Susan. Tim Keller says it well: idols cannot simply be removed. He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. A modest proposal is that they were originally living trees but eventually became wooden poles. Lachish ewer dedicated to Asherah is decorated with images of sacred trees. In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. In older translations, it will often be interpreted as grove. Their appearance in the Old Testament, as to be expected, is always in the negative. In a break with previous rulers, Sargon didnt appropriate the highest religious office but instead appointed his daughter as high priestess of the moon god. As Owen would say, Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you. We see from history that when the Israelites refused to cut down the Asherah poles it was an indicator that their hearts were not fully given over to the Lord. The Canaanite association of Asherah with sacred trees is also found in Israelite tradition. For example, one of the Canaanite epithets of Asherah, elat, goddess, is etymologically identical to the Hebrew word for the terebinth tree (ela). ]. If a correspondence holds, then the trees of life and of knowledge in the Eden narrative may also reflect Asherah imagery. In 1 Kings 14, we see that Jeroboam and his followers would be judged by the Lord because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. The same judgment would befall Maacah, the mother of Asa, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. (Jg 6:25) Jezebel, the Sidonian wife of Ahab the king of Israel, entertained at her table 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the sacred pole, or Asherah.1Ki 18:19. Iron Age Comb Made from Human Skull Discovered Near Cambridge, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort, The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt. COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604. (Ex 34:13; De 12:3) They may have simply been uncarved poles, perhaps even trees in some instances, for Gods people were instructed: You must not plant for yourself any sort of tree as a sacred pole.De 16:21. Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? Yet even in these earlier materials, we sometimes see evidence of a phenomenon that comes to dominate in the exilic period: the impulse to assimilate the attributes of the many gods and goddesses of older polytheistic systems to the one god, YHWH. 7 Things I Would Do Differently if I Were Raising My Children California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. These appendages of idolatry, likely phallic symbols, were associated with grossly immoral sex orgies, as is indicated by the reference to male prostitutes being in the land as early as Rehoboams reign. Do we still have Asherah poles today? Predominantly, the pillar figurines were found in private homes, suggesting their domesticity. You so want to say God (Yaweh) had a wife. There is also a connection with Abraham whom the Hittites referred to as a prince and an ancient tradition of self-governance in Canaan; Hear us my lord, you are the prince (nesi) of God among us (Genesis 23:6). He thus divided the administration of government between this Czars militaristic empire-building sphere and the cultic-religious sphere with his daughter in her capacity as patroness of the arts. Abraham prepares a calf for the visitors (Genesis 18:7) which happens to be the symbol of the fertility god Baal, who is noticably absent from the Tale of Aquat, perhaps off on a journey or just retired (1 Kings 18:27): Furthermore, this objection is no longer valid if one accepts that 'asherah', like Babylonian istaru might also mean a synonym or title for a goddess, in particular, the divine spouse. Meinhardt Dukstra El, the God of Israel Israel the people of YHWH: On the Origins of Ancient Israelite Yahwism in Only One God? and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel. It was essentially a phallic symbol. For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. This name brings to mind the founder of the Akkadian Empire, Sargon, or Sarukin (legitamate king) and his descendant on the throne who was the last functioning emperor, Sharkalisharri (king of all kings). We will consider what/who is Asherah and the significant role it plays within the biblical narrative. May they all topple at the feet of Christ. Was this something present within their own communities that they would have to abandon once they reached the land, or would this be a new temptation for them upon coming into contact with these nations? The Israelites also worshiped Asherah from as early as the time immediately following the death of Joshua (Judges 2:13). One of the primary reasons Israel fell to the Assyrians was because of Gods anger over their worship of Asherah and Baal (2 Kings 17:523). Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitic Literature. One of these Pagan Phoenicians was "Jezebel" (Izebel), who married Ahab, king of Israel (Samaritan king). Would the Israelites have known of this worship before entering the Canaanite areas? 1992. There is some biblical evidence that does see women as particularly attracted to goddess cults (for example, womens role in the cult of the queen of heaven, according to Jer 7:18 and 44:1719, 25), and the various female figurines found in domestic contexts at multiple Israelite sites might also suggest this, assuming, as many scholars do, that women played an especially important role in family-centered religious activities. Since the 1920s, archaeologists have uncovered more than 850 terracotta female figurines throughout Israel and Judah dating to the eighth and seventh century BC. Canaanites associated Asherah with sacred trees, an association also found in the Israelite tradition. Mary Fairchild is a full-time Christian minister, writer, and editor of two Christian anthologies, including "Stories of Calvary.". It could be that all of the middleeastern goddesses of love, were very similiar in nature, together with Ishtar and Inanna. In the time of Hezekiah, there was a similar revival to that of Asa. Nevertheless, the presence of Asherahs cult in the Jerusalem temple and in the cult city of Bethel indicates that worship of the goddess was also appealing to men, given that it was an all-male clergy that officiated at these (and at every) Israelite religious site. One possibility is that in royal circles, especially in the southern capital city of Jerusalem, the cult of Asherah was particularly attractive to the kings mother. Inscription: Uriyahu the prince wrote it: Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh and his Asherah, for from his enemies he has saved him." The Hittites also had a pair of bull gods named Hurri and Surri and Hurri is obviously connected to the Hurrians, or mountain folk, while the name Surri is derived from the word Sar which means lord, king, perhaps referring to a ruling class. In the Scriptures, the Hebrew word for Asherah is used both for the goddess herself and for the poles erected in her honor. of Biblical Literature 105 (1986): 385408. https://www.learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125 (accessed March 4, 2023). I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about 7,500-year-old Juniper Stump Is Believed Oldest Goddess Asherah Idol, about Tracing The Footprints Of The Philistines To Minoan Knossos On Crete, about The Resurrection of Asherah, Mother-Goddess of Humankind, about Goddess NinkharsagAncient Powerful Mother who Faded into The Holy Ghost, about Unravelling the Roots of Hera, the Wrathful Goddess of Marriage, Dizzying Inca Rope Bridges Were Grass-Made Marvels of Engineering. Judges 3:7 ). The Queen Mother and the Cult in Ancient Israel. Journal The discussion of these texts revealed that scholars differ about the interpretation (of the Kuntillet el-'Ajrud inscriptions), reading either 'Asherata' or 'his Asherah' and also about the question whether only the sacred pole is implied. By God himself, of course. Is the Bible Trustworthy? The story starts with Aquats father Daniel (Ezekial 15:14,20) who upon seeing the approach of the craftsman god Kothar wa-Khasis (skillful and clever), tells his wife to prepare a lamb. She's within the Holy Trinity during the middle ages people used to say I baptize you in the name of The Father, The Son, and in the name of the Mother aka Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. WebThe image of Asherah was a tree used by the Pagan Canaanites and Phoenicians. No wonder those clay figurines were so popular, enabling immediate access to the goddess, while the serpent is planning his trap like acting inquisitive to find out which fruit is prohibited and she says something like Oh, I heard those cannabis cookies are a way too potent and those chocolate chip cookies are high in calories, and the serpent knows that the ingredient in chocolate makes her feel satisfied and she is not desiring for her husband (Genesis 3:16) It also states that God would put enmity between (bein) the woman and the serpent and between (bein) her descendants and serpent (Genesis 3:15), whose head is located at the lowest part of the human brain where the baser instincts are located. In the beginning of the history of Israel as well as the beginning of history of many peoples, it mentions that Abrahams wife was named Sarai which means princess and Nahors wifes name was Milcah which means queen but in Assyrian, Sarru means king and Malika/Malku means prince.When God changes their name in Genesis 17 Abraham is told that kings shall issue from him (17:6) using the term malekim for kings but in Sarahs case, she is told that rulers of people shall issue from her, using the term malekai and depending on which vernacular you are using, the y as a suffix can mean my ruler.. The garden of Eden with the fall of man . Figures by Rubens, landscape and animals by Brueghel. Such religious symbols ("groves") are frequently alluded to in Scripture ( Exodus 34:13 ; Judges 6:25 ; 2 Kings 23:6 ; 1 Kings 16:33 , etc. This can easily happen in either the old Hebrew or the Aramaic script. Not only was the queen mothers position in the palace generally paralleled by Asherahs position as mother goddess in the heavens, but also the queen mothers status as the wife of the kings father suggests an affinity to Asherahs cult. In the final revision of the history of the first temple period, Asherah is only a foreign deity that needed to be banned, though the Samaritans and Edomites still worshiped her after the Jews returned from captivity in Babylonia. A Sacrificial feasts were held in the sacred GROVES of Asherah in Jerusalem according to Apion." Based on the study of artwork and drawings from the ancient Near East, biblical scholars suggest that some images of plain and carved poles, staffs, a cross, a double ax, a tree, a tree stump, a headdress for a priest, and several wooden images could be illustrations representing the goddess Asherah. This is one of the helpful points that the Puritan John Owen made in his work The Mortification of Sin. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. Put simply, an Asherah pole is a wooden idol (likely in the shape of a tree) used to worship the goddess Asherah. The relation of the literary references to an asherah and archaeological finds of Judaean pillar-figurines has engendered a literature of debate. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. Your email address will not be published. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Burial inscription from Khirbet el-Quom, 8th cent. The sacred poles apparently stood upright and were made of wood, or at least contained wood, the Israelites being commanded to cut them down and to burn them. and frequently mentions that they stood on every high hill and under every green tree (1 Kgs 14:23; 2 Kgs 17:10; 18:4; 21:3; 23:1314; 2 Chr 14:3; 17:6; 31:1; 33:3, 19; 34:3; Jer 17:2). Like a pole or tree, they can be said to be planted, stood up, or erected. Is an Asherah Pole Ever Mentioned in the Bible? Judah was punished for the sin of idol worship: Jeremiah 17:14The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron chiselengraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts and on the corners of their altars. This fact suggests that Jehu perceived the sacred pole as appropriate in the worship of YHWH. I just have found that there were discovered cylinders from XIV century B.C. Rusty and rough looking. Every Green Tree: Popular Religion in Sixth-Century Judah. inscriptions that mention YHWH and his Asherah (meaning YHWHs companion [consort? They are not the last word, only the Bible . WebMeaning of asherah pole. This same command is given in Deuteronomy 7:5 and 12:3. It makes a great difference to God! She has an M.A. On occasion in Ugaritic myth, Asherah performs the maternal role of wet nurse. As much as the ruling elite tried to inhibit Asherah and Yahwehs marriage, their union appears solidified in an ancient blessing seen with some regularity at a number of excavation sites in the region. of Biblical Literature 112 (1993): 385401. The presence of Asherahs cult in Israel also raises questions about the nature of the monotheistic confession that is often assumed to be a core principle in Israelite faith. The painting on the jar depicts a pole with thin branches in the shape of a stylized tree. When northern Israel was dispersed into the nations by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, they carried this "tree" custom with them. p. 106) . If Jezebel had the goddess Asherah Astarteas the one she worshiped.. One should know it was nothing to do with The Lord God most High Jehovah. It has been suggested that the poles represented the female principle, whereas the pillars represented the male principle. Hence the term nesi is related to the word ns which means to lift up, and in the Sumerian term ensi it refers to a ruler in the capacity of having his/her legitimacy derived from the local deities in their respective cities. From Israels inception, God commanded His people not to worship idols or any other false gods (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). In the Kabbalah it is the attribute referred to as Binah, means understanding; God founded the earth with wisdom and established the heavens with understanding (Binah) (Proverbs 3:19); In a possible reference to the goddess; Say to Wisdom, You are my sister, and proclaim Understanding (Binah) a kinswoman (Proverbs 7:4). Your email address will not be published. The main reason Israel was exiled was because of her sins of idolatry: 2 Kings 17:16They rejected all the commands of the LORD their God and made two calves from metal. In ancient times these altars were typically built under green trees. inscription from Khirbet el-Qom, about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem, contains similar language in 1 Kgs 15:13 and 2 Kgs 18:4, 21:7, and 23:6 (with parallels in 2 Chronicles) indicate that at least during certain points in the ninth, eighth, and seventh centuries B.C.E., Asherahs sacred pole was perceived as an appropriate icon to erect in Jerusalem, even in YHWHs temple. At times, to appease Baal and Asherah, human sacrifices were made. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple (2 Kings 21:7, NLT). inscriptions from the Sinai; the late-thirteenth-century B.C.E. An Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother goddess Asherah, consort of El. The Jews had been commanded by the Lord to tear down and completely destroy all the high places and sacred sites throughout the territory. In their mythology, the Canaanites (or Israelites of a certain Canaanite cult) sometimes paired Asherah with Yahweh, as though she was Yahwehs wife. It was closely associated with the worship of Baal: The Israelites did evil in the LORDs sight. The goddess Asherah was the Canaanite deity of fertility. So it seems they were not merely wooden poles, but probably quite large carved images. In Proverbs Wisdom is often referred to as Her at some point in 1st King's and 2nd Chronicles God became enraged for Judah and Israel's defiant worship of the Queen of Heaven in the form of Idolatry the 2nd Commandment from God in Exodus Chapter 20 and Deutronomy chapter 5 Thou Shall Not make unto the any Graven Image neither what is in the Air, what is in the Sea, what is on the Land He Shall Not Bow before them. The Old Testament writers do not give a detailed description of Asherah or an Asherah pole nor of the origin of the worship of Asherah. "Who Is Asherah in the Bible?" By way of contrast, the intellectual community in the metropolis produced a text, which was written entirely from the perspective of the upper or ruling classes. Two Millennia, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. Either way, God made it clear that the people of Israel shouldnt flirt with such syncretism. Every Green Tree: Popular Religion in Sixth-Century Judah. ( Queen of Heaven ). From what i know Asherah is a false god(dess) which the Children of Israel worshiped and abandoned God for. Webcrimecon 2022 speakers. (NLT). By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Another word for terebinth (alla) and two words for oak (elon and allon) are also closely related. In 2 Kings 17, we see how prominent the worship of Asherah and Baal had become throughout the land as they set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree. At this point, they were all-in on the worship of these false gods. It is likely through the various secular conquests and the changing political landscape that God kept his promise to root out the Asherah images.. BC., Museum of Israel. Evidence suggests that Asherah was observed in ancient Israel and Judah as early as the 12th century BC, to a few decades before the fall of the southern kingdom of Judah (587-588 BC), a time known as the pre-exilic period. They must be uprooted. New York: 2000. He cut down her obscene pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley (1 Kings 15:1213, NLT; see also 2 Chronicles 15:16). But, you see, here in the dark nobody sees me bowing down and worshipping these idols.". Cut them down. The wonderful possession I have reserved for you will slip from your hands. I don't believe her name is Asherah I think from what I've learned from Enoch and Jubilees Asherah was so supposed to have been married to a bad angel name Baraqiel or Baraqel it means Lightening Giver in Hebrew Baraqiel name was shortened I believe to Baal a weather deity like Zeus or Marmaduke in Babylon. (2Ki 13:6, ftn) However, it is not always possible to determine whether a particular scripture is to be understood as referring to the idolatrous object or to the goddess. This is always the remedy for idolatry. The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. ), was allowed to remain standing by the reformer King Jehu (1 Kgs 16:33; 2 Kgs 13:6), even though Jehu was generally at pains to remove all non-Yahwistic cults and cult imagery from the land. There are other Hera, also known by her Latin title as Juno, is best known in Western culture as the wife of Zeus, king of the gods. Women in Scripture. Baal, the chief of the Canaanite pantheon, was the god of storm and bringer of rain. He was recognized as the sustainer of the fertility of crops, animals, and people. Why is God jealous. These cult objects are generally described as being in the shape of a pole or stylized tree. In the mid-1970s, a large pottery storage jar known as a pithos was found at Kuntillet Ajrud in the northeast part of the Sinai Peninsula. Asherah figures prominently as the wife of Elthe supreme godin a treasure trove of cuneiform texts found in the second millennium port city of Ugarit (in todays Northern Syria). Asherah. The sacred pole of Samaria, moreover, which was erected during the reign of King Ahab (reigned 873852 B.C.E. [8] This role gave her a similarly high rank in the Ugaritic pantheon. But by God we do not mean a general belief in his existence. And the prophets began to exalt the fullness of the Lord and they would do so at the idols expense. Ugaritic and other Canaanite materials further associate Asherah with lions (indicating power), serpents (representing immortality or healing), and sacred trees (signifying fertility). (From Forerunner Commentary). You have proven without doubt the disobedience of the chosen people of , to run after the gods of other nations. Generally speaking, biblical scholars assume that full-blown, radical, or philosophical monotheism came to Israel fairly late in its history, during the time of the exile in the sixth century b.c.e. The poles were either carved to look like trees or to resemble the goddess (this could also be reflected in the numerous pillar figurines found throughout Israel ). Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down. (NLT). ( Public Domain ), Whereas Asherahs influence was restrained in the official religion, her presence loomed large in the rural communities, most often in the form of figurines which are prolific in the region. Day, John. The Untersberg is a great mountain straddling the Austro-German border opposite Salzburg. They forgot about the LORD their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles (Judges 3:7, NLT ). WebAsherah the Name of a Syrian Goddess. Webwhat does an asherah pole look like. The full hymn reads: YHWH came from Sinai and shone forth. at his right hand his own Asherah.. Instead, rural communities had their own religious beliefs using statuary and other artifacts. In fact, the very notion of polytheism is inherent in the quest for Asherah. Therefore, Asherah worship often took place in forested areas, under a tree, or in an area marked by a carved "Asherah pole," such as the one made by the evil King Manasseh ( 2 Kings 21:7 ). However, we need to understand that they were committing their idolatry in private. The account of the visitation by angels at the terebinth of Mamre (cult shrine centered on a sacred tree) has its parallel in the Tale of Aquat, who like Isaac, was blessed by a divine entity. For those ancient Israelites who saw Asherah as YHWHs consort, this should suggest a correspondence between the queen mother, the wife of the kings biological father on earth, and Asherah, the wife of YHWH, who was the kings metaphorical father in the heavens. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. WebAn Asherah pole is a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother goddess Asherah, consort of El. Fairchild, Mary. Atlanta: 1988. But this revival would only last about as long as Asaas only a short time thereafter Ahab made an Asherah and did more to provoke the LORDto anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.. Asherah worship turned good people into sex addicts. Have We Turned Our Favorite Preachers and Teachers into Idols? 2006, p.64). A small votive statue of the Mother Goddess of Asherah. She was occasionally called Elath (Elat), the Goddess, and may have also been called Qudshu, Holiness.. In Exodus 34:12-14 the Asherim are specifically mentioned as needing to be cut down once the Israelites enter the land, so as not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and begin worshipping their gods. Were the pre-exilic Israelites and Judeans polytheistic ? Both Israel and Judah disregarded Gods express command not to set up sacred pillars and sacred poles; they placed them upon every high hill and under every luxuriant tree alongside the altars used for sacrifice. In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. Asherah, along with Astarte and Anath, was one of the three great goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon. Answer. Asherah worship was deeply sensual, involving illicit sex and ritual prostitution. And how do you even pronounce it? discord packing lines vendeur in french masculine or feminine streptococcus spp high in stool symptoms jeremy alters berman. I can go to the Temple and look like I'm really somebody in the community. (2Ch 33:11-13, 15, 21-23) This made it necessary for righteous King Josiah, who succeeded Amon to the throne, to pull down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of Jehovah, where the women were weaving tent shrines for the sacred pole.2Ki 23:4-7. I think Ashera was all of the above: A goddess (in Ugarit it was the proper name of a specific goddess); A title for goddesses (such as the great goddess, the queen goddess or the spouse of the god X or Y); And, of course, a Cult Symbol such as a sacred tree, or a pole in a shape of a tree, or even a Menorah in a shape of a tree which stood in temples, and symbolized (at least originally, in the earlier days), the presence of these goddess in the worship sites, The suffix in the form of affiliation modifier ( = his Asherah) which is found in the inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom, and which, in Hebrew, is typical for nouns and not for proper names, may refer to either a still cult object (in the form of a noun), or to a title of a goddess (then Yahweh and his Asherah might mean Yahweh and his queen-goddess) As for the suffix in the plural form which we find the Bible this is typical to the manner in which the Bible refers to other gods too, such as Baal (we find the form Bealim which means Baals) and Aashtoret (we find the form Ashtarot which means Ashtarots). A Hebrew word occurring frequently in the Bible (R. V.) and signifying, except in a few late passages noted below, a wooden post or pole planted near the altars of various gods. Ezekiel 8:17. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. But is removal and uprooting all that is required? WebIn Judges 6, a sacred pole of Asherah is said to have stood beside the altar of the Canaanite storm god, Baal. A famous Asherah pole stood in Samaria in the days of King Jehoahaz (2 Kings 13:6). According to Giovanni Pettinato in Archives of Ebla; An Empire Inscribed in Clay (p.278-279), it is suggested that the word nesi referred to ruler in ancient Ebla and is related to the Egyptian term nsw or king (of upper Egypt) and the Sumerian term ensi or ruler and that these terms were imposed into the vocabulary of Sumer and Egypt when the Canaanite exerted their influence over them. Manasseh, King of Judah, followed the despicable practices of the pagan nations. Understandings and Misunderstandings about the Ancient Practice of Sacred Prostitution, 7,500-year-old Juniper Stump Is Believed Oldest Goddess Asherah Idol, Tracing The Footprints Of The Philistines To Minoan Knossos On Crete, The Resurrection of Asherah, Mother-Goddess of Humankind, Unravelling the Roots of Hera, the Wrathful Goddess of Marriage. What they sowed earned captivity. The inscription reads: I have blessed you by Yahweh.and his Asherah. Not only was this engraving found in the 9th-8th century BC Israelite caravanserai, Kuntillet Ajrud, the same text was found in a number of sites thought to be Yahweh sanctuaries, such as in Samaria, Jerusalem, Teman, and in the Biblical kingdom of Judah, at the ancient burial site of Khirbet el-Qom, dating to 750 BC. Baruch haba bshem Adoni YAHUAH. Copyright 2011-2023 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. The initial objection to the rendering 'his Asherah' that a possessive pronoun could not be attached to a proper name, is increasingly proved to be unfounded by a great deal of comparative material (Especially P. Xella, 'Le dieu et sa desse: I'utilisation des suffixes pronominaux avec des thonymes d'Ebla Ugarit et Kuntillet 'Ajrud', UF 27 (1995), pp. Worship of Asherah in biblical times was widespread throughout Syria, Phoenicia, and Canaan. Scripture does tell us however that the Asherah or groves were usually set up near Baal images, and that Asherah and Baal together symbolized both male and female sexual properties. : Yet despite these and other references associating Asherah with apostasy (for example, Exod 34:13; Deut 7:5; 12:3; Judg 3:7; 1 Kgs 18:19), and despite the fact that the Israelites are explicitly forbidden in Deut 16:21 to erect one of Asherahs sacred poles beside an altar of YHWH, there are multiple indications in biblical tradition that many in ancient Israel did regard Asherahs cult icon as an appropriate sacred symbol within the religion of YHWH.