Asherah References in Original Deuteronomy
…and at YHWH's right hand sat
"his own Asherah"
Prior to biblical edits, redactions and revisions an earlier original rendition of Deuteronomy 33.2-3 reads:
“YHWH came from Sinai and shone forth…
He showed himself from Mount Paran.
Yes he came among the myriads of Qudhsu,
at his right hand his own Asherah."
The original Deuteronomy 33.2-3
references Asherah twice
(1) with her own name, and
(2) as Qudshu, meaning Holiness.
7 Pairings of Yahweh & “his Asherah” in Hebrew Blessing Inscriptions
- Yahweh and “his Asherah” (7 times) -
The Goddess Asherah is paired with the Hebrew God Yahweh 7 times in 4 dedicatory, Hebrew blessing inscriptions discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom.
- Khirbet el-Qom -
The first Hebrew inscription pairing Yahweh and “his Asherah” was discovered in1967 at Khirbet el-Qom and
pairs the two deities together three times:
“Uryahu the wealthy man had it written:
Blessed be Uryahu
by Yahweh and by his asherah;
from his enemies he saved him!
(written) by Onyahu
. . . and by his asherah
. . . (and by) his (ashe)r(ah)”.
_______
- Kuntillet Ajrud -
Additional Hebrew blessing inscriptions, pairing Yahweh with “his Asherah,” were discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud, an Israelite-Judean way-station in the Sinai desert, with an attached shrine.
Discovered during excavations in 1975-76, three dedicatory, Hebrew inscriptions pair the Hebrew God Yahweh with the Goddess “his Asherah" four times:
(1) “I have blessed you by Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah”
(2) “I bless you by Yahweh of Teman and by his Asherah” and
(3) “. . . give YHWH of Teman and his ASHERAH. . .
YHWH of Teman and his ASHERAH . . .”.
_______
Although discovered decades ago, these inscriptions remain unknown to many.
Asherah’s Worship “Never Died Out . . ."
Although “virtually expunged from the texts of the Hebrew Bible, and all but forgotten by rabbinical times,”
worship of the goddess Asherah
“never died out, but enjoyed a vigorous life throughout the Monarchy.”
-What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?
What Archaeology Can Tell Us about the Reality of Ancient Israel
(Dever 2001:97)
Asherah as Tree of Life on Tanaach Cult Stand (~1,000 BCE)
Asherah as Tree of Life on Tanaach Cult Stand
Dating to ~1,000 BCE, this “four-tiered cult stand found at Tanaach
is thought to represent Yahweh and Asherah,
with each deity being depicted on alternating tiers.
Note that on tier two, which is dedicated to Asherah, is the
image of a living tree…”. -Biblical Archaeology Society
The Tree of Life is an epiphany of the Goddess Asherah.
Photo captions:
Asherah with her signature lion(s)
Asherah on her signature lion, with serpents & a starry “Queen of Heaven” background
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/ancient-israel/asherah www.goddessasherah.com
Asherah Walks on Water (1400 years Before Christ)
Dating to ~1440-1300 BCE, Ugaritic texts describe the Goddess Asherah walking on water ~1400 years before this miracle is attributed to Jesus of Nazareth.
Asherah’s Ugarit epithets include:
“Lady Who Treads on the Sea,”
“Lady Asherah of the Sea,”
“Goddess of the Sea.”
Asherah starts a long tradition of association between the feminine and the sea/water.
Asherah & Divine Feminine HerStory is Slowly Emerging
The lost and forgotten HerStory of Asherah and the Divine Feminine is slowly emerging!
Asherah’s website has had 400,000 page views from 98 countries!!
-The maps below display recent page views.-
More information at http://www.VanquishedGoddessAsherah.com/
Israel’s Great & Blessing Mother Goddess
The question of the importance of Asherah to the people of Israel, is best answered in
The Hebrew Goddess:
The "continuity of Asherah worship
in Israel is a fact
which must be recognized
and remembered . . .
she was the great mother-goddess,
giver of fertility,
that greatest of all blessings.”
-The Hebrew Goddess (Patai 1990:46, 52
Asherah Worshipped as Queen of Heaven
~ Queen of Heaven, Asherah ~
Biblical texts reveal how Asherah was worshipped as the Queen of Heaven in
Judah and Jerusalem:
“We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven
and will pour out drink offerings to her
just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials
did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.
At that time we had plenty of food
and were well off and suffered no harm.
But ever since we stopped burning incense to the
Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her,
we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
Jeremiah 44:17-18
Asherah Worship = Yahweh Worship
The worship of Asherah "came to be regarded as much a feature of popular religion in ancient Israel and Judah as the worship of Yahweh.”
-Biblical Archaeology Review
---
Kuntillet Ajrud Hebrew blessing inscriptions ~830-760 BCE:
(1) “I have blessed you by Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah.”
(2) “…give YWHW of Teman and his ASHERAH…Yhwh of Teman and his Asherah.”
(3) “I bless you by Yahweh of Teman and by his Asherah.”
Hebrew Seal of Asherah & Yahweh ~720-600 BCE
Gaza Coin of Asherah & Yahweh ~538-323 BCE
She Was There From the Beginning - Asherah/Lady Wisdom, Proverbs 8
Despite continual denials, the Bible clearly states that Asherah/Lady Wisdom was there from the very beginning.
Asherah/Lady Wisdom declares:
“The Lord possessed me
in the beginning of his way...
I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning…”
“Then I was by him,
as one brought up with him:
and I was daily his delight… ”
(Proverbs 8:22, 30 KJV)