Lexical Summary Asherah: a Phoenician goddess, also an image of the same Original Word: אֲשֵׁרָהTransliteration: Asherah Phonetic Spelling: (ash-ay-raw') Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine Short Definition: a Phoenician goddess, also an image of the same Meaning: a Phoenician goddess, also an image of the same Strong's Concordance grove Or masheyrah {ash-ay-raw'}; from 'ashar; happy; Asherah (or Astarte) a Phoenician goddess; also an image of the same -- grove. Compare Ashtoreth. see HEBREW 'ashar see HEBREW Ashtoreth Brown-Driver-Briggs H842. Asherah אֲשֵׁירָה אֲשֵׁרָה, 2 Kings 17:16 proper name, feminine Ashera (Assyrian proper name, feminine Aš-ra-tu, with sign for deity, in Canaanitish proper name Abad-Ašratum, servant of A. SchrZA 1888, 363, compare Wkl & AbelThontafelfund see El Amarna ii. No. 77, 1. 9, & SayceRP2. ii. 67, iii. 71; on derivatives compare Assyrian aširat, adjective feminine gracious, COTGloss): **see now also GFMEB ASHERAH DrDeuteronomy 16:21 AllenDB ASHERAH, all doubtful as to Canaanite goddess Asherah; question left open by ZimKAT 3. 436 ff. (on Semitic goddess Aširtu-Ašratu Id.ib, 432 ff.); but see JeremAT im Licht d. Alten Orients 207 (name of goddess Aširat in letter found at Taanach by Sellin (1902-3) and Id.ib. 37. 237) (Oppenheim's find at Ras el-`Ain in Mesopotamia, stone shaft with veiled head as top, supposed to identify post with goddess; if 2 Kings 23:7 refers to draped Asherim [see on text Benz Bur], this even more plausible), Id.ib. 23, 208 f. 236. On pictorial representations of Asherah+?AJSL xix.l (Oct.1902). — usually with the article: probably a. a Canaanitish goddess of fortune & happiness; having prophets 1 Kings 18:19, an image 15:13 2 Chronicles 15:16; 2 Kings 21:7, sacred vessels 23:4, houses 23:7. b. a symbol of this goddess, a sacred tree or pole set up near an altar 1 Kings 16:33; 2 Kings 13:6; 17:16; 18:4; 21:3; 23:6, 15; prohibited Deuteronomy 16:1; burnt by Gideon Judges 6:25-26, 28, 30. Plural אֲשֵׁרוֺת a. the goddess 3:7 (probably error for ᵑ9 עַשְׁתָּרֹת). b. sacred trees or poles2 Chronicles 19:3; 33:3; elsewhere אֲשֵׁרִים id. Isaiah 27:9 12t.; suffix Micah 5:14 5t.; — Exodus 34:13 (J) Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3; Isaiah 17:8; 27:9; Jeremiah 17:20; Micah 5:13; 1 Kings 14:15, 23; 2 Kings 17:10; 23:14; 2 Chronicles 14:2; 17:6; 24:18; 31:1; 33:19; 34:3-4, 7. — (compare also StaZAW 1881, 344 f. RSSemitic i. 171 f., 175 n. WeH 235, who think ׳א only the sacred pole.) |