Deities of the ancient Near East |
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Religions of the ancient Near East |
Baʽal Zephon (Hebrew: בַּעַל צְפֹן Baʿal Ṣəfōn; Akkadian: Bēl Ḫazi (dIM ḪUR.SAG); Ugaritic: baʿlu ṣapāni; Hurrian: Tešub Ḫalbağe;[1] Egyptian: bꜥr ḏꜣpwnꜣ[2]), also transliterated as Baal-zephon, was an epithet of the Canaanite storm god Baʿal (lit. "Lord") in his role as lord of Mount Zaphon;[1][n 1] he is identified in the Ugaritic texts as Hadad.[7][8] Because of the mountain's importance and location, it came to metonymously signify "north" in Hebrew;[9] the name is therefore sometimes given in translation as Lord of the North.[n 2] He was equated with the Greek god Zeus in his epithet Zeus Kasios and later with the Roman Jupiter Casius.
Because Baʿal Zaphon was considered a protector of maritime trade, sanctuaries were constructed in his honor around the Mediterranean by his Canaanite and Phoenician devotees.[1] "Baal-zephon" thereby also became a placename, most notably a location mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures' Book of Exodus as the location where the Israelites miraculously crossed the Red Sea during their exodus from Egypt.
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