Chemosh

The Destroyer

Tribe of Moabite

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Chemosh

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosh

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Chemosh (Moabite: 𐤊𐤌𐤔 Kamōš; Biblical Hebrew: כְּמוֹשׁ Kəmōš) is an ancient Semitic deity whose existence is recorded during the Iron Age. Chemosh was the supreme deity of the Canaanite state of Moab and the patron-god of its population, the Moabites, who in consequence were called the "People of Chemosh". Chemosh is primarily attested from Moabite inscriptions and the Hebrew Bible.

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The name of Chemosh is attested in the Moabite language as 𐤊𐤌𐤔 (kmš), which was pronounced as Kamōš (/kaˈmoːʃ/). The name of Chemosh is of yet uncertain origin, and it is unclear whether it was related to the name of the Eblaite deity 𒀭𒂵𒈪𒅖 (ᴰKamiš), or the Ugaritic divine name 𐎘𐎑𐎆𐎋𐎎𐎘 (Ṯiẓẓu-wa-Kamāṯu),[clarification needed] or an epithet of the Mesopotamian god 𒀭𒌋𒄥 (ᴰNerigal) which might have meant "bull", 𒀭𒅗𒄠𒈲 (ᴰKammuš).

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According to one hypothesis which assumes that the names ᴰKamiš and Kamāṯu, and Kamōš and ᴰKammuš were the same, the first two variants of the name might have been qattil-type substantival participles of B-stem and the latter two variants might have been qattul-type verbal adjectives of D-stem, both meaning "conqueror" and "subduer," thus being related to the Akkadian terms 𒅗𒈾𒋗/𒅗𒈾𒋙 (kanāšu) and 𒅗𒈠𒀀𒋙 (kamāšu)/𒅗𒈠𒋢 (kamāšu), meaning "to submit to an overlord or to a deity" and "to bend," as well as to the Old South Arabian term 𐩠𐩫𐩣𐩪 (hkms), meaning "to crush."

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Chemosh is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible under the name כְּמוֹשׁ (Kəmōš, vocalized as: [kǝˈmoːʃ]). The Hebrew form Kəmōš was itself later Romanised as Chemosh (vocalized as: /ˈkiːmɒʃ/) in translations of the Bible, while the accurate pronunciation of the name of the god, reflecting the Moabite pronunciation Kamōš, is more accurately recorded in the Septuagint as Χαμως (Khamōs) and the Vulgate as Chamos.

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Origins

The origin of the Moabite deity Chemosh is unclear, although he might possibly have been the same as the Bronze Age-period god from Ebla named 𒀭𒂵𒈪𒅖 (ᴰKamiš), whose existence has been attested from around c. 2300 BC, thus suggesting that Chemosh might have been an ancient Semitic deity.

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The significant gap between the attestation of the Eblaite Kamiš during the 23rd century BC and that of the Moabite Chemosh in the 9th century BC, with an absence of any reference to either of these deities in Amorite names from the 21st to the 15th centuries BC, nevertheless make this identification between Kamiš and Chemosh very uncertain.

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Iron Age

In the 9th century BC, Chemosh was the principal god of the Canaanite kingdom of Moab, whose worship was characteristic of the Moabites. The cult of Chemosh appears to have been limited to the Moabites, and his name does not appear in contemporary Ancient North Arabian inscriptions.

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During this period itself, Chemosh was identified with 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓 (ʿAštar), who was the Moabite adaptation of the North Arabian god ʿAṯtar, himself a form of the Semitic deity of the planet Venus, ʿAṯtar, in the combined form of 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤊𐤌𐤔‎ (ʿAštar-Kamōš). The astral role of ʿAštar itself is attested by his mention along with the Moon-God Šaggar in the Deir Alla Inscription, the subject of which is largely the Sun-goddess Šamāš, thus forming a triad of the Sun, Moon, and Venus similarly to the one attested in South Arabia, and suggesting a South Arabian religious influence in Moab.

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During the 9th century BC, the kingdom of Moab had been subdued by the kingdom of Israel during the rule of the latter state's kings Omri and Ahab. The 9th century BC Moabite king Mesha (Mōšaʿ), who ascended to the Moabite throne during the reign of Ahab, wrote in his inscriptions that the Israelites had been able to subdue Moab because Chemosh was angry with his people, that is the Moabites.

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Mesha soon rebelled against Israelite suzerainty and embarked on an expansionist policy against the Israelites, which he carried out as holy war performed as a ritual to Chemosh. After Mesha had captured the Gadite city of Ataroth (ʿAṭārōt), he slaughtered all of its inhabitants as an accomplishment of a vow he had made to Chemosh and to the population of Moab, and he brought the warden of Ataroth, the Gadite chief Uriel, to Kirioth, where Mesha sacrificed him to Chemosh.

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When, following his capture of Ataroth, Mesha conquered the town of Nebo, he sacrificed the whole Israelite population of the town to ʿAštar-Chemosh, likely because of ʿAštar's function as an avenger deity who was invoked in curses against enemies, and he brought all the lambs of the sanctuary of Yahweh, at Nebo to the sanctuary of Chemosh, where he sacrificed them to Chemosh.

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Mesha recorded in his victory stela that he had built a high place dedicated to Chemosh in the citadel of the Moabite capital of Ḏaybān to thank the god for assuring his triumph in his military campaign against the Israelites.

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Later periods

Chemosh was still worshipped after the Moabite kingdom came to an end, and his name was used as a theophoric element by individuals of Moabite descent living in Egypt and Babylonia. An Aramaic inscription from Al-Karak, and dated from the 3rd century BC, mentions Chemosh.

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During the periods of Hellenistic and Roman rule in Moab, Chemosh was identified with the Greek god of war, Arēs, due to which Graeco-Roman records called the city of Rabbat Mōʾāb as Αρεοπολις (Areopolis), Αρσοπολις (Arsopolis), and Αρσαπολις (Arsapolis), all meaning "City of Arēs."

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Biblical

Chemosh is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where he is wrongly called the god of the Ammonites at one point, although he is later correctly referred to as לִכְמוֹשׁ֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב (Kəmōš ʾelohē Mōʾāb, lit. 'Chemosh, the God of Moab'), and later called שִׁקֻּ֣ץ מוֹאָ֔ב (šiqqūṣ Mōʾāb, the lit. 'abomination of Moab').

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According to the Biblical narrative, the Israelite king Solomon introduced the cults of Astarte, Chemosh and Milcom in east Jerusalem for his foreign concubines, and the later Judahite king Josiah later destroyed the high places of these deities during his reform of the cult of his kingdom.

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In the Books of Kings of the Bible, the Moabite king Mesha (Mōšaʿ in Moabite) is alleged to have sacrificed his own son to Chemosh on the wall of his city when faced with a difficult situation in war, after which Chemosh rewarded Mesha by immediately starting to destroy the kingdom of Israel. The claim that Mesha sacrificed his son to Chemosh has so far remained unverifiable and is not attested in any Moabite inscription.

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The 6th-century BC Judahite prophet Jeremiah later announced that Chemosh as well as his priests and his princes would be exiled.

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Cult

Functions

Chemosh had a martial role, due to which the Moabite king Mesha called him "the subduer of the enemies of Moab", and ascribed to Chemosh his own military victories, and due to his identification with 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓 (ʿAštar), who was the Arab deity of the planet Venus, Chemosh appears to also have had an astral aspect.

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As the patron god of Moab, the Moabites believed that the anger of Chemosh against them would result in their subjugation, and his favor would ensure their independence and victory in war. Based on the assumption that his name might have been the same as the epithet 𒀭𒅗𒄠𒈲 (ᴰKammuš) of the Mesopotamian god of the underworld, Nergal, the Moabite god Chemosh might also have had a chthonic aspect.

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Temples

The main sanctuary of Chemosh in Moab was likely located in the important Moabite city of Kirioth, which is presently a site on a high hill where Iron Age I to II period Moabite remains, including potsherds, have been discovered. An inscription of the Moabite king Mesha mentions the existence of a 𐤁𐤕 𐤊𐤌𐤔 (Bēt Kamōš, lit. 'House (Temple) of Chemosh').

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Mesha recorded in his victory stela that he had built a high place dedicated to Chemosh in the citadel of the Moabite capital of Ḏaybān to thank the god for assuring his triumph in a military campaign against the Israelites. Hence, Chemosh was referred to as 𐤊𐤌𐤔 𐤁𐤒𐤓𐤇𐤄 (Kamōš b-Qrḥh, lit. 'Chemosh dwelling in the citadel') in the inscription.

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Mesh also claimed to have rebuilt the site of 𐤁𐤕 𐤁𐤌𐤕 (Bēt-Bāmōt), whose name means "House of High Places" and which is called Bamoth-Baal (בָּמֹ֣ות בַּ֔עַל Bāmōt-Baʿal, lit. 'High Places of Baʿal') in Israelite texts such as the Hebrew Bible, thus suggesting that a sanctuary with seven altars existed at this place.

This sanctuary's remains have however not yet been discovered, and it is unknown whether the cult of Chemosh was performed there.

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Hypostases

Chemosh was equated with the Semitic high god 𐤀𐤋 (ʾĒl) in the personal name 𐤊𐤌𐤔𐤀𐤋 (Kamōš-ʾĒl), meaning "Chemosh is ʾĒl."

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Ashtar-Chemosh

Chemosh was identified with 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓 (ʿAštar), who was the Moabite adaptation of the North Arabian god ʿAṯtar, himself a form of the Semitic deity of the planet Venus, ʿAṯtar, in the combined form of 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤊𐤌𐤔‎ (ʿAštar-Kamōš).

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The astral role of ʿAštar itself is attested by his mention along with the Moon-God Šaggar in the Deir Alla Inscription, the subject of which is largely the Sun-goddess Shamash, thus forming a triad of the Sun, Moon, and Venus similarly to the one attested in South Arabia, and suggesting a South Arabian religious influence in Moab.

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In earlier scholarship from the late 19th century, Ashtar-Chemosh was inaccurately considered to be an independent deity existing separately from Chemosh, and was identified as a form of the Canaanite goddess 𐤏𐤔𐤕𐤓𐤕 (ʿAštart), although the masculine form of ʿAštar in the god's name shows that ʿAštar-Chemosh was a male deity.

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Iconography

Chemosh was likely the masculine deity represented in the Baluʿa Stele, in which he is depicted as handing a sceptre to a Moabite king. The masculine figure represented on a Moabite stele from Shihan wearing a shendyt and holding a spear might also have been a depiction of Chemosh. Chemosh might also have been represented in Hellenistic period Moabite coins as an armed figure standing between two torches.

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Human sacrifice

The Moabites considered human sacrifice to Chemosh to be necessary to obtain the favour of Chemosh in critical situations, as attested by those performed by the Moabite king Mōšaʿ.

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One form of human sacrifice to Chemosh was performed by Moabite kings to thank him for the accomplishment of a vow made to him in a military context, that is, in exchange of the Moabites' victory in war, the enemy population defeated in the said war was killed in the name of Chemosh. This is attested when Mesha had embarked on a policy of conquest of Israelite territories in the 9th century BC, and he slaughtered all of the inhabitants of the Gadite city of Ataroth as an accomplishment of a vow he had made to Chemosh.

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Enemy populations defeated in war were also directly sacrificed to Chemosh, such as when, following his capture of Ataroth, Mesha conquered the town of Nebo, he sacrificed the whole Israelite population of the town to Ashtar-Chemosh, likely because of ʿAštar's function as an avenger deity who was invoked in curses against enemies.

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The Hebrew Bible claims that Mesha sacrificed his own son to Chemosh on the wall of his city when faced with a difficult situation in war, after which Chemosh rewarded Mesha by immediately starting to destroy the kingdom of Israel. The claim that Mesha sacrificed his son to Chemosh has so far remained unverifiable and is not attested in any Moabite inscription.

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Animal sacrifice

After Mesha conquered Nebo, he brought all the lambs of the sanctuary of Yahweh, the God of his Israelite enemies, at Nebo to the sanctuary of Chemosh, where he sacrificed them to Chemosh.

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Read More Namtar God of Death click

Source: https://xesteria.fandom.com/wiki/Chemosh

Morgengrau - Chemosh Enlighten

Lyrics

I sense a timeless pain

Where every greeting is a death

The slow panic of ticking clocks

Thy eyes, dark with fire

What are the mysteries of thy mind

Drifting aimless between the dunes

My demons hide in the sand

Yet on my breast I wear them proud

I know of no other way

Creeping horror too great to bear

I see thy shades, they speak to mine

Brother Chemosh, enlighten me

Ah these scars

They are my god

So at last we are constrained

To struggle madly against the odds

Our burning darkness the only light

So I stand in the stinging wind

The gates before me, an open maw

Brother Chemosh, enlighten me

Video 9:11 Min. Chemosh: The God Who Defeated Yahweh? | God Of The Moabites

Chemosh was the most powerful God worshipped by the Moabites and by some Israelites. The specific characteristics of Chemosh are not clear in many respects. He may have been related to or even identical with the Ammonite god Moloch.

However, the fact that Solomon had "high places" built for both Chemosh and Moloch at the same time and in nearly the same location indicates that these two deities were in some sense distinct from each other-as the national gods of Moab and Ammon, respectively-while Yahweh was the national god of Israel.

The Moabites, Ammonites, and Israelites were reportedly kinsmen, and the Israelites sometimes worshiped Chemosh, as well as their own national god, Yahweh.

Pictures Videos Music and Additional Reading

Chemosh, also known as Kamōš, was the national deity of the Moabites and who was also worshipped by the Ammonites. He was called by the ancient Israelites as "the abomination of Moab".

Source: https://the-demonic-paradise.fandom.com/wiki/Chemosh

Dark Ambient Meditation

Possible depiction of Chemosh as a warrior god on the Shihan stele. Moab, Jordan. Major Cult Center: Kirioth

Chemosh

Source: https://occult-world.com/chemosh/

Chemosh: In 1 Kings, Solomon is said to have built a sanctuary to Chemosh on the Mount of Olives.

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This biblical monarch, hailed in his younger years for his faith and wisdom, is credited with later introducing the Israelites to the worship of this foreign god. Chemosh was a deity in the pantheon of the Moabites, a neighboring people with whom the early Israelites had contact. Chemosh's name is often given as meaning “the destroyer” or “the subduer.” He was possibly a god of war. This notion is supported by the fact that Mesha, a hero of the Moabites, attributed his victories over the Israelites to the god Chemosh. De Plancy and Berbiguier render this name as Chamos.

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Chemosh Semitic Deity

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Semite

Chemosh, ancient West Semitic deity, revered by the Moabites as their supreme god. Little is known about Chemosh; although King Solomon of Israel built a sanctuary to him east of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7), the shrine was later demolished by King Josiah (2 Kings 23:13).

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The goddess Astarte was probably the cult partner of Chemosh. On the famous Moabite Stone, written by Meshaʿ, a 9th-century BC king of Moab, Chemosh received prominent mention as the deity who brought victory to the Moabites in their battle against the Israelites.

Mesha Stele, erected c. 840 BC in honor of Chemosh

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Moabite Stone [Mesha Stele]

Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Moabite_Stone_[Mesha_Stele]/

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The Moabite Stone, otherwise known as the Mesha Stele, contains an ancient inscription by Mesha, King of Moab during the late 9th century BCE, elements of which match events in the Hebrew Bible. The inscription describes two aspects of how Mesha lead Moab into victory against ancient Israel.

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First, he claims to have defeated ancient Israel on many fronts, capturing or reclaiming many cities and slaying the inhabitants. Second, Mesha claims to have reconstructed or repaired many cities and buildings, including a fortress, king's residence, and cisterns for water storage. Unfortunately, the last five lines of the inscription are broken. So, scholars are unsure exactly how the Moabite Stone [Mesha Stele] ends.

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Its measurements are 1.15 metres high and 60-68 centimeters wide. 33 lines of writing are legible on the stone. The written language is most likely Moabite. Currently, the original Moabite Stone is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris. A copy is on display at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.

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The Moabite Stone is written in the 1st person, the speaker being Mesha, King of Moab. Mesha ruled from about 850 BCE until the late 9th century BCE. Moab was located east of ancient Israel and Judah across the Dead Sea. To the south of Moab was Edom and to the north of Moab was Ammon.

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The inscription opens by describing who Mesha is. In addition, the purpose of the stone itself is expressed: “because he (Chemosh, the Moabite deity; also written as Kemoš) delivered me from all assaults and because he let me see my desire upon all my adversaries” (modified from Gibson 1971).

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The adversary is specified as Israel, for King Omri of Israel had captured portions of Moab. Around the time when the son of Omri was king (c. 850 BCE), Mesha began to re-capture lost territory, rebuilding, slaying inhabitants, and taking Israelite slaves (lines 7-21). The next section of text describes various things which Mesha claims to have accomplished for the greater good: rebuilding towns, building cisterns for water, mending roads, and providing land for shepherds (lines 22-31). Unfortunately, the final five lines of the text are unclear and broken.

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In the Moabite Stone, Mesha employs the same imperial strategies as other ancient Near Eastern kings: “A king must convince his god(s) and his subjects that his military acts have just causes in order to gain both divine and public support” (Na'aman 1997). In the Moabite Stone, Mesha accomplishes this by noting that Israel had suppressed Moab.

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Moreover, he mentions two times that Chemosh, the primary Moabite deity, commanded him to go and take the cities of Nebo and Horonaim. In doing so, Mesha provided divine justification for the wars that he waged against Israel.

The Text of the Moabite Stone

[1] I am Mesha, the son of Kemoš-yatti, the king of Moab, from Dibon. My father was king over Moab for thirty years, and I was king after my father.

[2] And in Karchoh I made this high place for Kemoš [...] because he has delivered me from all kings, and because he has made me look down on all my enemies.

[3] Omri was the king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab for many days, for Kemoš was angry with his land. And his son succeeded him, and he said - he too - "I will oppress Moab!" In my days he did so, but I looked down on him and on his house, and Israel has gone to ruin, yes, it has gone to ruin for ever!

[4] Omri had taken possession of the whole land of Medeba and he lived there in his days and half the days of his son, forty years, but Kemoš restored it in my days. And I built Ba'al Meon, and I made in it a water reservoir, and I built Kiriathaim.

[6] And the men of Gad lived in the land of Ataroth from ancient times, and the king of Israel built Ataroth for himself, and I fought against the city, and I captured, and I killed all the people from the city as a sacrifice for Kemoš and for Moab, and I brought back the fire-hearth of [Daudoh] from there, and I hauled it before the face of Kemoš in Kerioth, and I made the men of Sharon live there, as well as the men of Maharith.

[7] And Kemoš said to me: "Go, take Nebo from Israel!" And I went in the night, and I fought against it from the break of dawn until noon, and I took it, and I killed its whole population, seven thousand male citizens and aliens, female citizens and aliens, and servant girls; for I had put it to the ban of Aštar Kemoš. And from there, I took the vessels of YHWH, and I hauled them before the face of Kemoš.

[8] And the king of Israel had built Jahaz, and he stayed there during his campaigns against me, and Kemoš drove him away before my face, and I took two hundred men from Moab, all its division, and I led it up to Jahaz. And I have taken it in order to add it to Dibon

[9] I have built Karchoh, the wall of the woods and the wall of the citadel, and I have built its gates, and I have built its towers, and I have built the house of the king, and I have made the double reservoir for the spring, in the innermost of the city. Now, there was no cistern in the innermost of the city, in Karchoh, and I said to all the people: "Make, each one of you, a cistern in his house." And I cut out the moat for Karchoh by means of prisoners from Israel.

[10] I have built Aroer, and I made the military road in the Arnon. I have built Beth Bamoth, for it had been destroyed. I have built Bezer, for it lay in ruins.

[11] And the men of Dibon stood in battle-order, for all Dibon, they were in subjection. And I am the king over hundreds in the towns which I have added to the land.

[12] And I have built the House of Medeba and the House of Diblathaim, and the House of Ba'al Meon, and I brought there [...] the flocks of the land.

[13] And Horonaim, there lived [...]. And Kemoš said to me: "Go down, fight against Horonaim!" I went down [...] and Kemoš restored it in my days. And [...] from there [...]

[14] And I [...]

(from “The Stela of Mesha,” at Livius.org)

Dawn of Ashes - Tribe of Chemosh (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)

Lyrics

The horns point upward.

To ascend towards the strength of the divine.

Bringing power into spirit.

We are archons from an ancient time.

Call on your ancient winds.

To awaken the beast from slumber.

Call on your ancient winds.

The battle rages on against the Hebrew God.

Spill the blood of Yahweh.

Immolation of a monotheistic cult.

Shine down from the Venus star.

Resurrection of the first prototype.

Hear the drums from the tribe.

We swallow the star.

We take control of the true light.

Smear the blood of the scriptures.

That were burned, pre-christianized.

Star shine down on sacred lands.

To reclaim the origins.

That were distorted.

Call on your ancient winds.

To awaken the beast from slumber.

Call on your ancient winds.

The battle rages on against the Hebrew God.

Hail, hail, hail, hail.

Smear the blood of the Hebrew God.

Hail, hail, hail, hail.

Hear the drums from the War God.

Spill the blood of Yahweh.

Immolation of a monotheistic cult.

Shine down from the Venus star.

Resurrection of the first prototype.

Hear the drums from the tribe.

Chemosh Color Scheme By Terrormokes

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/terrormokes/art/Chemosh-Color-Scheme-435508567