Judges 2:11

Baalim. This is a plural form of the Heb. ba‘al, which is variously rendered “husband,” “man,” “master,” “lord.” The term is also applied to heathen deities. At that time the Baal that was the most widely worshipped in Canaan was a god of agricultural fertility. He was thought to be the giver of rain, whose energizing power caused plants and animals to grow. He was worshiped in many places and under different guises. The name gave rise to various terms such as Baal-peor, Baal-hermon, Baal-zebub, etc. In the myths of the Canaanite people Baal was an opponent of the god Death (Mot). He was aided and abetted by two female deities, Anath, his sister, and the sun-god Shamash.

Sometimes Baal was equated with Hadad, the Syrian rain or storm god. Since Canaan was predominantly an agricultural country, the worship of Baal under different titles was the supreme form of worship. Sometimes the Hebrew writers used his name as the equivalent of any heathen deity, and that may be the case here.

The Israelites must have known of the terrible results of such worship, and of the eventual punishment to be meted out to those who took part in it. They could hardly be ignorant of the experience of Baal-peor, when the plague carried off 24,000 people as a result of Baal worship and practices connected with it (Num. 25:3-9).