Image Details

© THE ISRAEL MUSEUM, JERUSALEM

LORD OF HEAVEN. The winged figure engraved on this eighth-century bone handle from Hazor shows a fair-faced, four-winged deity in stride, holding in each hand a bough from a small stylized tree (not visible here). Reflecting Phoenician and Egyptian influence, this imagery may depict the solarized weather god Baal-Shamem, “Lord of Heaven.” As evidenced by royal seal impressions, the kings of northern Israel appropriated such traditional Baal imagery to enhance the status of their patron god Yahweh. The fragment is 7 inches tall.