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Baal-berith

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(Baal of the covenant). Form of Baal worshipped ay the Shechemites (Judg. 8:33; 9:4³³And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. (Judges 8:33)
⁴And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him. (Judges 9:4)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

The god signifying “covenant lord” set up at Shechem (Judg. 8:33³³And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. (Judges 8:33); Judg. 9:4⁴And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him. (Judges 9:4)). He is called BERITH in Judges 9:46⁴⁶And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. (Judges 9:46).

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

1170 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

Ba`al

Phonic:

Briyth

Meaning:

from 1168 and 1285; Baal of (the) covenant; Baal-Berith, a special deity of the Shechemites

KJV Usage:

Baal-berith

Jackson’s Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names:

lord of the covenant

Potts’ Bible Proper Names:

a special deity of the Shechemites, Judg. 8:33. {Dominus foederis-Lord of the covenant:}

From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Judges 8:33³³And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. (Judges 8:33). The children of Israel ... .made Baal-berith their god.

Baal-berith, or the covenant Baal, was one of the numerous Baalim that the Israelites worshiped at different times. We have no definite description of this god. A temple was built for him at Shechem (Judges 9:46⁴⁶And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. (Judges 9:46)), but what were the special ceremonies we do not know. The worship is supposed to have been an imitation of the worship of Jehovah; an adulteration of that worship, in which Baal was put in the place of Jehovah.

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