Home/Biblical Encyclopedia/A/Astarte

Astarte

Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia

(Judg. 2:13) — the chief female deity of the Phoenicians and Syrians, as Baal was their chief male deity, worshiped by the Philistines and other peoples. The worship of Astarte dates from ancient times and was very widespread. Even Solomon introduced the worship of this idol in Jerusalem itself (1 Kings 11:5–33). It is thought that the 400 prophets of the groves who ate at Jezebel’s table (1 Kings 18:19) were in the service of this goddess. Astarte was also called the Queen of Heaven, the goddess of the moon, just as Baal was worshiped as the god of the sun, and was deified as the goddess of love, fortune, war, and so on; she was depicted with a crescent moon on her head, or with horns.

In Holy Scripture she is usually mentioned together with the name Baal. Holy Scripture calls Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians (2 Kings 23:13), since her worship was accompanied by the most disgraceful orgies and depravity.

Scripture cited

Judges 2:133 Kingdoms 11:53 Kingdoms 18:194 Kingdoms 23:13

Related entries

Search the whole Encyclopedia All 4,575 entries, searchable, with every entry linked to the verses it explains.
← AssyriaAtad, otherwise Goren-ha-Atad, or Abel-mizraim →