Baal
Ba’al, geographical. This word occurs as the prefix or suffix to the names of several places in Palestine, some of which are as follows:
1. Baal, a town of Simeon, named only in 1 Chron. 4:33, which from the parallel list in Josh. 19:8 seems to have been identical with Baalath-beer.
2. Baalah (mistress). a. Another name for Kirjath-jearim, or Kirjath-baal, the well-known town, now Kuriet el Enab. Josh. 15:9, 10; 1 Chron. 13:6. b. A town in the south of Judah, Josh. 15:29, which in 19:3 is called Balah, and in the parallel list, 1 Chron. 4:29, Bilhah.
3. Baalath (mistress), a town of Dan named with Gibbethon, Gath-rimmon and other Philistine places. Josh. 19:44.
4. Baalath-beer (lord of the well). Baal 1, a town among those in the south part of Judah, given to Simeon, which also bore the name of Ramath-neger, or “the height of the south.” Josh. 19:8.
5. Baal-gad (lord of fortune), used to denote the most northern, Josh. 11:17; 12:7, or perhaps northwestern, 13:5, point to which Joshua’s victories extended. It was in all probability a Phœnician or Canaanite sanctuary of Baal under the aspect of Gad or Fortune.
6. Baal-hamon (lord of a multitude), a place at which Solomon had a vineyard, evidently of great extent. Song. 8:11.
7. Baal-hazor (village of Baal), a place where Absalom appears to have had a sheep-farm, and where Amnon was murdered. 2 Sam. 13:23.
8. Mount Baal-hermon (lord of Hermon), Judges 3:3, and simply Baal-hermon. 1 Chron. 5:23. This is usually considered as a distinct place from Mount Hermon; but we know that this mountain had at least three names (Deut. 3:9), and Baal-hermon may have been a fourth in use among the Phœnician worshippers of Baal.
9. Baal-meon (lord of the house), one of the towns which were built by the Reubenites. Num. 32:38. It also occurs in 1 Chron. 5:8, and on each occasion with Nebo. In the time of Ezekiel it was Moabite, one of the cities which were the “glory of the country.” Ezek. 25:9.
10. Baal-perazim (lord of divisions), the scene of a victory of David over the Philistines, and of a great destruction of their images. 2 Sam. 5:20; 1 Chron. 14:11. See Isa. 28:21, where it is called Mount Perazim.
11. Baal-shalisha (lord of Shalisha), a place named only in 2 Kings 4:42; apparently not far from Gilgal; comp. 4:38.
12. Baal-tamar (lord of the palm tree), a place named only in Judges 20:33, as near Gibeah of Benjamin. The palm tree (tâmâr) of Deborah, Judges 4:5, was situated somewhere in the locality, and is possibly alluded to.
13. Baal-zephon (lord of the north), a place in Egypt near where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Num. 33:7; Ezek. 14:2, 9. We place Baal-zephon on the western shore of the Gulf of Suez, a little below its head, which at that time was about 30 or 40 miles northward of the present head.