Terror, Awe, Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in the Old Testament

Yahweh was originally a storm, mountain, and war god. Sometimes portrayed with a cock’s head, coiling serpent legs, and a lightning bolt, at other times, he was shown in his aspects of a ram or bull. Also called Yod-He-Vau-He (YHWH) or Ja-Ho-Vah, he is the original “Jehovah.” Balaam was an early Semitic god-form that pre-dated Yahweh. Also known as “Bal,” “Bel,” or “Beli,” Balaam was an indigenous god, the male aspect of the Tree of Life, revered in the settled agricultural lands invaded by Early Hebrew nomadic pastoralist tribesmen. He and his…