Biblical Archaeology Review

Stager points out that “virgin oil” was still being used in sanctuary lamps in this century in Artas, a Moslem community near Bethlehem. G. M. Crowfoot and L. Baldensperger, in From Cedar to Hyssop (New York, 1932), pp. 28–29, describe the oil manufacturing this way:

As BAR was about to go to press, a phone call from Trude Dothan, co-director of the excavations at Tel Miqne (Biblical Ekron), brought us news of yet another oil press, uncovered this past summer at Ekron. This one, dated to the seventh century B.C., is also the type with a central basin flanked by basins on either side. In addition, the excavators found perforated stones and charred wood from a beam. Nearby, Dothan reports, a small horned altar was discovered.

Independently, the same interpretation was offered by Oded Borowski in “A Note on the ‘Iron Age Cult Installation’ at Tel Dan,” Israel Exploration Journal 32:1 (1982).

Bamah refers to a large open-air platform used for cultic rituals such as sacrifices. Sometimes a bamah is called a “high place.”

A monolatric religion has one god but admits the possibility of other gods for other nations or peoples.

See the Ugaritic goddesses “Qudshu” (qds, etyrnologically “sanctuary”) and “Athirat” (atrt, etymologically “[holy] place”) and the Aramaic god “Bethel” (byt-’l, etymologically “house of god,” “temple”).

As in ’dnb‘l, “Adonibaal,” ‘zrb‘l, “Azorbaal,”/“Azdrubal,” b‘lhn’ “Baalhano.” F. L. Benz, Personal Names in the Phoenician and Punic Inscriptions (Rome, 1972), pp. 280, 288–290.

The Ugaritic t (th) is equivalent to the Hebrew s (sh), and the Ugaritic feminine ending -t is equivalent to the Hebrew -h.