Ashtoreth

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ashtoreth \Ash"to*reth\, n.; pl. {Ashtaroth}.
     The principal female divinity of the Ph[oe]nicians, as Baal
     was the principal male divinity. --W. Smith.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:



  Ashtoreth
       n : an ancient Semitic fertility goddess; identified with
           Phoenician Astarte and Babylonian Ishtar

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Ashtoreth
     the moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive
     principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently
     associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male
     deity (Judg. 10:6; 1 Sam. 7:4; 12:10). These names often occur
     in the plural (Ashtaroth, Baalim), probably as indicating either
     different statues or different modifications of the deities.
     This deity is spoken of as Ashtoreth of the Zidonians. She was
     the Ishtar of the Accadians and the Astarte of the Greeks (Jer.
     44:17; 1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13). There was a temple of
     this goddess among the Philistines in the time of Saul (1 Sam.
     31:10). Under the name of Ishtar, she was one of the great
     deities of the Assyrians. The Phoenicians called her Astarte.
     Solomon introduced the worship of this idol (1 Kings 11:33).
     Jezebel's 400 priests were probably employed in its service (1
     Kings 18:19). It was called the "queen of heaven" (Jer. 44:25).