El (deity)

El depicted with two lions on the back of the handle of the Gebel el-Arak Knife ʾĒl (written aleph - lamed , i.e. אל , 𐤀𐤋 , 𐎛𐎍 etc.) is the Northwest Semitic word for " deity ", cognate to Akkadian ilum . In the Canaanite religion , or Levantine religion as a whole, Eli or Il was the supreme god, the father of humankind and all creatures and the husband of the goddess Asherah as recorded in the tablets of Ugarit . The word El was found at the top of a list of gods as the Ancient of gods or the Father of all gods, in the ruins of the Royal Library of the Ebla civilization, in the archaeological site of Tell Mardikh in Syria dated to 2300 BC. He may have been a desert god at some point, as the myths say that he had two wives and built a sanctuary with them and his new children in the desert. El had fathered many gods, but most important were Hadad , Yam , and Mot .

He receives gifts from a priest or king or lesser deity. ʾĒl (or 'Il, written aleph - lamed , e.g. , , , , or إله , cognate to ) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning " god " or " deity ", or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major Ancient Near East deities. A rarer spelling, "'ila", represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite . The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic archaic biliteral ʔ-L , meaning "god". Specific deities known as El or Il include the supreme god of the Canaanite religion , the supreme god of the Mesopotamian Semites in the pre-Sargonic period, and the God of the Hebrew Bible .

Northwest Semitic word meaning "god" or "deity", or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities ʼĒl (or ʼIl , ; ; ; ; or إله ; cognate to ) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning " god " or " deity ", or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ʼila , represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite . The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic archaic biliteral ʼ‑l , meaning "god". Specific deities known as ʼEl or ʼIl include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia's Early Dynastic Period .

Northwest Semitic word for "god" Gebel al-Arak knife Possible depiction of El with two lions, B.C. 3450 ʼĒl (also ' Il , ʾīlu ; ʾīl ; ʾēl ; ʾīyl ; ʾīl or إله ʾilāh ; cognate to ) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning "god" or " deity ", or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ' ila , represents the predicate form in Old Akkadian and in Amorite . The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil- , meaning "god". Specific deities known as ' El , ' Al or ' Il include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia's Early Dynastic Period . Among the Hittites , El was known as Elkunirsa ( Elkunīrša ).

Northwest Semitic supreme deity This article contains Ugaritic text. Without proper rendering support , you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Ugaritic alphabet . El is a Northwest Semitic word meaning 'god' or ' deity ', or referring (as a proper name) to any one of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities . A rarer form, ' ila , represents the predicate form in the Old Akkadian and Amorite languages. The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic *ʔil- . Originally a Canaanite deity known as ' El , ' Al or ' Il the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in the Early Dynastic Period of Mesopotamia (c. 2900 – c. 2350 BCE). Among the Hittites , El was known as Elkunirša ( Hittite : 𒂖𒆪𒉌𒅕𒊭 Elkunīrša ). Although El gained different appearances and meanings in different languages over time, it continues to exist as El- , -il or -el in compound proper noun phrases such as Elizabeth , Ishmael , Israel , Samuel , Daniel , Michael , Gabriel (Arabic: Jibra'il), and Bethel . Monotheism and Yahweh's Appropriation of Baal . The Mother of the Lord . Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan . The Storm-god in the Ancient Near East . The Invention of God . In Longman III, Tremper; Enns, Peter (eds.). The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud, Volume 1 Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading and Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity . Studi epigrafici e linguistici sul Vicino Oriente antico (v. 24). The Book of Daniel .