Baal-Zaphon
/ˌbeɪəl ˈzeɪfən/noun
An ancient Northwest Semitic storm-god name and the name of a sacred place associated with Mount Ṣapānu, mentioned in Ugaritic, Egyptian, and biblical sources.
Did you know?In Ugaritic tradition, Ṣapānu was the mountain where the storm god Baal held court, making the name both a divine title and a sacred geographic reference.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*baʿal
“Owner, master, or lord; a title later used for several Northwest Semitic deities”
Late Bronze Age
Ugaritic
bʿl ṣpn
“Baal of Ṣapānu, the storm god associated with the sacred northern mountain”
Late Bronze Age
Ugaritic
Ṣapānu
“The name of the divine mountain later connected with the north; traditionally identified with Mount Jebel al-Aqraʿ”
1st Millennium BCE
Phoenician/Hebrew
בַּעַל צְפֹן / Baʿal Ṣāfōn
“Baal of the North; also used as a place-name for a cult site or settlement”
3rd–1st Century BCE
Greek
Βεελσεφών / Beelzephon
“Greek-rendered form of the Baal-Zaphon name, appearing in ancient geographical and religious contexts”
Modern English
English
Baal-Zaphon
“An ancient deity-name and biblical place-name, commonly interpreted as “Lord of the North””