Sunday, April 10, 2016

Shanks on the Eshba'al inscription

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: First Person: Banning Ba’al (Hershel Shanks).
Was the proper name Eshbaal—man of Ba’al—banned in Judah after King David’s time? A recent analysis suggests that it was.

Ba’al, meaning lord or master, was a common divine appellative in Canaan and neighboring areas during Biblical periods, most frequently referring to the storm god.

[...]
It does look like it, yes.

There's more on the Eshba'al (Ishba'al) inscription from Khirbet Qeiyafa here, here, here, and here. Cross-file under Epigraphy.