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NASB | Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jonah 1:3 But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the LORD [and his duty as His prophet]. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading cities]. So he paid the fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the LORD. [Gen 4:16; Job 1:12; 2:7] |
Subject: What happens when you refuse God? |
Bible Note: Oh dear, please please seek out a God fearing man or woman and let them help you! Please do not find my words offensive. I say this out of love and great concern for you. Ashtoroth and Baal were not spirits. They are false god's! They are not even real gods. They were made up in the minds of sinful people separated from the one true God. Please get away from those who teach you these false teachings. Look to God's word for His truth. 1 Samuel 7:3 (NASB) Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines." Judges 2:11-13 (ESV) 2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 2:12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 2:13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. ASHTAROTH — is the plural form of Ashtoreth, a Canaanite goddess of fertility, love, and war and the daughter of the god El and the goddess Asherah. 1. OT uses the plural form, Ashtaroth, more than the singular form, Ashtoreth. The only references to Ashtoreth come in 1 Kings 11:5,33; 2 Kings 23:13. The Hebrew scribes replaced the vowels of the name ’Ashtart or ’Ashteret with the vowels from the Hebrew word for shame, boshet, to bring dishonor to the memory of the goddess. This exchanging of vowels formed the word Ashtoreth. The Greek form of the name is Astarte. In Canaanite mythology she appears to be the sister of the goddess Anath and the spouse of the god Baal. Anath also was the spouse of Baal, as well as the goddess of love and war. Some confusion, therefore, exists regarding Ashtaroth’s relationship to Anath. Anath and Ashtaroth may have referred to the same goddess, or they may have been two separate deities. Among the people of Palestine Ashtaroth may have taken over Anath’s role. The Egyptians gave the title “Lady of Heaven” to Astarte, Anath, and another goddess, Qudshu. In Moab, Astarte was the spouse of the major god, Chemosh. The Babylonians and Assyrians called her Ashtar and worshiped her as goddess of fertility and love. The people of the ancient Near East during the Hellenistic and Roman periods referred to her as Aphrodite-Venus. Apparently the word “ashtaroth” at one time meant “womb” or “that which comes from the womb.” This word, “ashtaroth,” appears in Deut. 7:13 and 28:4,18,51 to describe the young of the flock. This use may demonstrate the link between the goddess Ashtaroth and fertility. The biblical writers often coupled Baal with Ashtaroth as a designation of pagan worship (Judg. 2:13; 10:6; 1 Sam. 7:3-4; 12:10). In addition to her worship by the Canaanites, the OT mentions the people of Sidon (1 Kings 11:5) and the Philistines (1 Sam. 31:10) as reverencing her. At Beth-shan, the Philistines erected a temple to Ashtaroth (1 Sam. 31:10). The reference to the Queen of Heaven (Jer. 7:18) may have Ashtaroth in mind, but this is uncertain. The Israelites worshiped her, and the biblical writers specifically refer to Solomon’s leadership in promoting the worship of Ashtaroth (1 Kings 11:5). She was only one of many foreign deities revered by the Israelites. Josiah destroyed the shrines built to her (2 Kings 23:13). —Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Steve |