Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)]

On Sun 16 Aug 98 (22:34:29), 596547 AT ican.net wrote:
> What does Ba(al se(ar in 2 Ki 1:8 mean?  There seems to be some irony
> going on since the messengers of Ahaziah were on their way to meet
> Ba(al-zebub when they were intercepted by Elijah.  I realize that the
> hairy mantle was a distinguishing article of clothing for a prophet,
> but I still don't understand what the messengers were saying.

 Dear Bryan,

 Paul Kissling has given a good answer already; but I'll add my 2c.

 Ba`aL Se`aR "lord of hair" is an idiomatic expression meaning "extremely
 hirsute". You get a similar use of Ba`aL in Isaiah 41:15, where the self-
 deprecating Servant, feeling himself as inadequate as a worm ToWLa`aTh-
 Ya`aQoBh trying to move a mountain, is reassured "I will make of you a
 threshing sledge, sharp, new and having teeth Ba`aL PiYPhiYYoTh". That is,
 not just having teeth, but whole mouthfuls of teeth!  That will drive a
 hole through that mountain as quickly as a modern tunnelling shield!

 Ba`aL ZeBhuWB (the god of Ekron) is a similar idiom: an idol covered in
 flies, or in excrement, depending on how you construe ZeBhuBh. Symmachus
 has PARA TOU BEELZEBOUB QEOU EKRWN for 2 Kings 1:2/6; the Synoptists spell
 it BEELZEBOUL, but the EVV mostly have Beelzebub.

 ZeBhuWL is a Talmudic word for dung or excrement; ZeBhuL (with qibbus) is a
 house or habitation; ZeBhuR (final Resh) is a bee or a bluebottle fly
 (2 Kings 1:2, 6; Matthew 12:27 and parallels). William Golding showed how
 well he understood this when he chose /Lord of the Flies/ for the title of
 his well-known novel. Filth attracts flies.

 We can imagine Elijah as not just being hairy, but having scalpfuls of
 hair all over!  Contrast John the Baptist in Matthew 3:4 and Mark 1:6,
 where the hair is the coat of camel's hair. A hairy mantle was indeed the
 hallmark of the prophet; but also of the false prophet: "in that day, the
 prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied;
 neither shall they wear a rough garment 'aDDeReTh Se`aR to deceive"
 (Zechariah 13:4). Elijah's hairy covering was his own: 'iSh Ba`aL Se`aR,
 not 'iSh 'aSheR LoW 'aDDeReTh Se`aR.

 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
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