Bible Word of the Day

Ashtaroth (Ashtoreth, Asherah)

Meaning
Ashtaroth, Asherah, or Ashtoreth was a demon worshipped in Syro-Phoenicia, Palestine, Canaan and Egypt. This was thought by the pagan peoples to be a goddess and she was the primary female deity worshipped by the people along with Baal. This is one of the many false gods whom the Israelites followed in their rebellion against God. The fall of Israel began with the reign of Solomon. At first Solomon followed the Lord and was blessed with great wealth and wisdom. However, he had over six hundred wives and many of them were women from foreign nations who worshiped idols or false gods. As time went on they turned Solomon’s heart away from the Lord and one of the many false gods Solomon worshiped in the end was Ashtoreth. Ashtoreth was also known as Astarte and this goddess was considered to be the counterpart of another false god named Baal. This goddess was also believed to be identified with the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar.

This goddess was considered a fertility god and was represented by a large wooden pole made from a tree trunk planted in the ground. The wood was carved into a representation of the goddess Ashtoreth. In addition, these idols were erected in areas with lots of trees almost like a small park like setting. These places of worship for Asherah were called “groves.” And many times when referenced in the Bible the term could refer either to the goddess or to a grove where she was worshiped. Asherah was also worshiped as the goddess of love and war and was sometimes linked with Anath, another Canaanite goddess. Because Asherah was a fertility goddess, pagan worship often involved ritual prostitution with temple harlots called priestess. These priests and priestesses also practiced divination or fortune-telling which was strictly forbidden by the Lord and His word.