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Chemosh (pronounced /ˈkiːmɒʃ/; from Hebrew: כְּמוֹשׁ [keˈmoʃ]), was the god of the Moabites (Numbers 21:29; Jeremiah 48:7, 13, 46). It is possible that he was worshiped by other tribes as well, and may be the same god as Moloch of the Ammonites. The etymology of "Chemosh" is unknown. He is also known from Ebla as Kamish.
According to the Hebrew Bible, the worship of this god, "the abomination of Moab," was introduced at Jerusalem by Solomon, King of Israel around 1000 BC (1 Kings 11:7), but was abolished by King Josiah of Judah around 620 BC (2 Kings 23:13). On the Moabite stone, King Mesha (2 Kings 3:5) ascribed his victories over the king of Israel to this god, "And Chemosh drove him before my sight."
Chemosh in "Occupation Duty"[]
Chemosh was the principal deity of the Moabites. He was commonly depicted as an old man with a full white beard. Although Chemosh was traditionally the head of a pantheon, many fanatical Moabites believed that not only was Chemosh superior to other gods such as the Philistinians' Dagon, but that he was the one true god, and that Dagon was either a demon or that he did not exist at all.[1]
A particularly offensive graffito in occupied Hierosolyma was "Chemosh cuts off Dagon's scaly tail" indicating their god's superiority.[2]
But the Moabites were not picky about what religion their allies followed, and accepted Sword Buddhist Turks from Babylonia within their ranks.[3] They also courted the tribes of Arabia who worshipped four deities, and a graffito seen in Hierosolyma read "The Sword Buddha and the Four with Chemosh!"
References[]
- ↑ See e.g.: Atlantis and Other Places, pg. 240, HC.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
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