Bel
Summary
The chief god of Babylon, identified in the Old Testament with Marduk (Merodach), whose downfall was prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah.
☩Identity
Bel was the chief god of Babylon, the Babylonian equivalent of the Hebrew Baal ('lord'). Originally, Bel was the patron deity of the ancient city of Nippur, but after Babylon rose to supremacy under Hammurabi, the god Marduk absorbed Bel's prerogatives and the two names became virtually interchangeable. When Scripture speaks of 'Bel' in the prophets, it refers to Marduk, the tutelary deity of Babylon.
☩Prophetic Judgment
Isaiah and Jeremiah both prophesied Bel's humiliation when Babylon would fall. Isaiah depicts Bel and Nebo bowing down, unable to save themselves or the Babylonians who trusted them. Jeremiah declares that God would punish Bel and bring out of his mouth what he had swallowed—referring to the nations Babylon had conquered.
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Bel," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "Bel," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. II (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).
- 3.George Morrish, "Bel," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).