Ataroth

Not to be confused with Astaroth.

Ataroth (עטרות) means "crowns" in Hebrew.

The Mesha Stele from about 840 BC was erected commemorating Mesha's victory over the "son" of Omri, but he fails to say which one. He states that he massacred all the Israelites at Ataroth as satisfaction for the blood lust of Chemosh and Moab. He adds that he captured Nebo (Ataroth) and killed everybody, 7,000 men, boys, women, girls, and maidens, because he had dedicated it to the goddess Ashtar-Chemosh.[1]

In the Bible, the name Ataroth refers to one of two or perhaps three towns:

Notes

  1. Albright, William Foxwell (1957). From the Stone Age to Christianity. Garden City, New York: Doubleday (publisher). p. 280.