Baal-gad

Baal-Gad was a Canaanite town at the foot of Mount Hermon. It is mentioned in the Bible three times, all of them in the Book of Joshua (Josh. 11:17; 12:7; 13:5). In all cases, it is described as the northernmost point of Joshua's conquests. The name may relate to Gad, a Semitic deity of fortune, but more likely simply refers to Baal with the epithet “of fortune”.[1]

Identification

The exact location of Baal-gad is uncertain, but it is generally accepted as being in the vicinity of Wadi al-Taym in southeastern Lebanon. The earliest suggestions identified it with Banias or Baalbek,[2] while Abel suggested identifying it with Hasbaya. However, archeological evidence suggests that neither Banias nor Hasbaya were inhabited before the Hellenistic period,[3] while Baalbek is too far north to fit with the geographical details in Joshua.[4] Simons proposes identifying Baal-Gad with the site of Tell Haush/Tell ez-Zeitun, a small tell just north of Haouch El-Qenaabeh (about 8.5 kilometers southwest of Rachaiya and 12 kilometers north of Hasbaya).[5] Jericke accepts this identification, as Tell Haush/Tell ez-Zeitun is the only site with Late Bronze Age and Iron Age remains between Iyyon [he] (near Marjayoun) to the south and Kumidi to the north.[6]

References

1. Na’aman, Nadav (1999). "Baal-Gad". In van der Toorn, Karel; Becking, Bob; van der Horst, Pieter (eds.). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Leiden: Brill.
2. Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Baal-gad" . Easton's Bible Dictionary – via Wikisource.
3. Jericke 2001, p. 133.
4. Jericke 2001, p. 131.
5. Simons, Jan Jozef (1959). The Geographical and Topographical Texts of the Old Testament. Leiden: Brill. p. 277.
6. Jericke 2001, p. 136.

Sources

• Jericke, Detlef (2001). "Baal-Gad". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (in German). 117 (2): 129–139.