Ba’al Hadad, the king of the gods in the pantheon of Canaan, was a storm god often depicted in an action pose wielding a lightning bolt. (In appearance, this is remarkably similar to Zeus.) Many statues, figurines, stelae, and altars representing and dedicated to Ba’al Hadad have been discovered in Canaan, especially in the period from approximately 1800-1100 BC. This corresponds to the time of the patriarchs, Joshua, and the judges.
Ba’al means “lord”; it is not a proper name. The title Ba’al Hadad was often used to refer to the chief god of the Canaanite pantheon. In the Hebrew Bible, this god is always referred to in the singular, as Baal. References to “the Baals” refers to other pagan male deities.
A stone statue, probably carved about the 15th century BC in Canaan, represents Ba’al Hadad in striding pose. It originally included a bolt of lightning, which we know because archaeologists have discovered more intact depictions of Ba’al Hadad, which allow us to guess at what the original statue would have looked like.
Although the Israelites had been commanded to destroy these symbols of pagan worship, many of the Israelites adopted the worship of Ba’al Hadad, especially in the Judges period and the divided kingdom. However, archaeologists have discovered some traces of Israelite obedience in the remnant evidence of ritual desecration. For example, at Hazor, excavation of a pagan temple showed the full extent of the destruction by the Israelites. The temple had been burned, and the head of a basalt statue of Ba’al Hadad had been cut off. Cutting off the heads and hands was not only physical destruction of an idol, but it symbolically depicted them as powerless false gods.
