the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Strong's #6253 - עַשְׁתֹּרֶת
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
- Ashtoreth = "star"
- the principal female deity of the Phoenicians worshipped in war and fertility
- also ´Ishtar´ of Assyria and ´Astarte´ by the Greeks and Romans
- the principal female deity of the Phoenicians worshipped in war and fertility
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עַשְׁתֹּרֶת f. [Ashtoreth], Greek Ἀστάρτη, Astarte, pr.n. of a female idol, worshipped by the Phœnicians (2 Kings 23:13); sometimes also by the Hebrews (1 Kings 11:5, 33 1 Kings 11:33; 1 Samuel 7:3); and the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:10), with great honour, together with Baal (Judges 2:13, 10:6 1 Samuel 7:4, 12:10 compare the pr.n. of Phœnician men, as Abdastartus, = עֶבֶד עַשְׁתֹּרֶת, also אמת עשתרת Inscr. Cit. 2, Astarimus, etc.)
I have no doubt that the name itself, the origin of which was long a matter of inquiry, is the same as the Syriac ܥܣܬܪܘܬ, ܙܣܬܪܐ (from the Pers. ستاره), and pr.n. אֶסְתֵּר star; specially the planet Venus, the goddess of love and fortune, for this latter reason called also אֲשֵׁרָה and מְנִי, which see. I have given more account of this idol in Comment. on Isa. iii. p. 237, and more fully in Gruber’s Univ. Encycl. vol. xxi. p. 98, 99. There is also a passage of Sanchoniathon containing the mythos concerning Astarte (ap. Eusebium de Præp. Evang. i. 10), in which the reason of the horned statues of Astarte (see plur. No. 3) is shewn: “Ἀστάρτη δὲ ἡ μεγίστη, καὶ Ζεὺς Δημαροῦς, καὶ Ἄδωδος (הדד) βασιλεὺς θεῶν ἐβασίλευον τῆς χώρας, Κρόνου γνώμῃͅ· Ἡ δὲ Ἀστάρτη ἐπέθηκε τῇ ἰδίᾳ κεφαλῇ βασιλείας παράσημον κεφαλὴν ταύρου· περινοστοῦσα δὲ τὴν οἰκουμένην, εὗρεν ἀεροπετῆ ἀστέρα, ἃν καὶ ἀνελομένη ἐν Τύρῳ τῇ ἁγίᾳ νήσῳ ἀφιέρωσε.” “Τὴν δὲ Ἀστάρτην Φοίνικες τὴν Ἀφροδίτην εἶναι λέγουσι.”
Plur. עַשְׁתָּרוֹת
(1) Astartes, i.e. statues of Astarte (comp. בְּעָלִים, אֲשֵׁרוֹת, Ἑρμαὶ), Judges 2:13, 10:6 1 Samuel 7:3, 1 Samuel 7:4, 12:10 31:10.
(2) עַשְׁתְּרוֹת צאֹן Deuteronomy 7:13, 28:4, 18 Deuteronomy 28:18, 51 Deuteronomy 28:51, the loves of the flocks, i.e. the offspring procreated, the increase, progeny of the flock; [in Thes. “breeding ewes.”]
(3) pr.n. of a city of Bashan, Deuteronomy 1:4; Joshua 13:12 more fully called עַשְׁתְּרוֹת קַרְנַיִם (“the horned Astartes”), [Ashtaroth-karnaim], Genesis 14:5, and בְּעֶשְׁתְּרָה which see, so called doubtless from a temple and statues of Astarte. Gent. noun עַשְׁתְּרָתִי 1 Chronicles 11:44.
