Baal-gad
Baal-Gad was a Canaanite town at the foot of Mount Hermon. It is mentioned in the Bible three times, all of them in the Book of Joshua (Josh. 11:17; 12:7; 13:5). In all cases, it is described as the northernmost point of Joshua's conquests. The name may relate to Gad, a Semitic deity of fortune, but more likely simply refers to Baal with the epithet “of fortune”.[1]
Identification
The exact location of Baal-gad is uncertain, but it is generally accepted as being in the vicinity of Wadi al-Taym in southeastern Lebanon. The earliest suggestions identified it with Banias or Baalbek,[2] while Félix-Marie Abel suggested identifying it with Hasbaya. However, archeological evidence suggests that neither Banias nor Hasbaya were inhabited before the Hellenistic period,Template:Sfn while Baalbek is too far north to fit with the geographical details in Joshua.Template:Sfn Simons proposes identifying Baal-Gad with the site of Tell Haush/Tell ez-Zeitun, a small tell in Beqaa Governorate just north of Haouch El-Qenaabeh (Script error: No such module "Lang"., about 8.5 kilometers southwest of Rashaya and 12 kilometers north of Hasbaya).[3] Jericke accepts this identification, as Tell Haush/Tell ez-Zeitun is the only site with Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Levantine remains between Template:Ill near Marjayoun to the south and Kamid el-Loz to the north.Template:Sfn
References
- Sources
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- ↑ Template:Cite wikisource
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