Who is Asherah? Is Asherah mentioned in the Bible? What does the Book of Kings say about Asherah? 1 Kings 18:19 states that Asherah had prophets in Tyre just as the Canaanite god Baal had prophets. In addition, 2 Kings 23:6 states that the priests of Solomon’s Temple brought out “all the objects made for Baal and Asherah and all the host of heaven”.

Asherah, is also known as an ancient West Semitic goddess. She is known as the wife of God. Her name also means “She Who Walks on the Sea”. She was also called Elath or Elat, “the Goddess”. She is sometimes called Qudshu, “Holiness”.

Asherah is mentioned over 40 times in the Hebrew Bible. Asherah has been identified as Yahweh’s wife. The worship of Asherah is so deeply embedded within the socio-religious practices of the Jewish, that Asherah became regarded in ancient Israel and Judah as the worship of Yahweh. Biblical Archaeology Review*

Is Asherah the wife of God?

Asherah, the Shekinah, is known as the consort and beloved of Yahweh. God-the-Mother. Her sacred pillars or poles once stood right beside Yahweh’s altar, embracing it. Moses and Aaron both carried one of these Asherah “poles” as a sacred staff of power. The Children of Israel were once dramatically healed simply by gazing at the staff with serpents …

The term, Yahweh and his Asherah, was used commonly is ancient times.

Regardless of her importance, Asherah has largely been edited out of the Bible.  

What other hints are in the Bible?

Genesis 1:26 ESV

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:27 ESV  

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Bold highlight is added by me.

I’ve always wonder who God was talking about when He said, “in our image”. And furthermore, “created in his own image, male and female”.

The explanations I heard through the years never rang true for me. What I was told was that humans were created in the image of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But how can that be when all three are the male image?

These explanations seem to forget about the woman in the creation. God can’t break his own laws of nature that He set into existence. It takes a male and female to create another being.

Canonization of the Bible

I’m not going into detail on the history of how or why the Bible was canonized. What I am saying, however, is that during the time of canonization, the culture was controlled by men. Women had little or no say in decision making. But, I will include a short summary.

According to “Got Questions” https://www.gotquestions.org/Old-Testament-canon.html this is one explanation:

There is little historical data detailing the formation of the Old Testament canon. The scribes compiling the canon would have been mindful of:

• the reputation of each book’s human author
• doctrines and statements within a given manuscript that conflict with the clear teachings of established biblical writings
• historical inaccuracies and/or spurious prophetic utterances that would cast a shadow of doubt on a manuscript
• a book’s widespread acceptance or rejection by respected scholars

Based on these exacting standards, the ancient Jewish scribes demonstrated the highest measure of diligence and scholarship as they settled on the Old Testament canon.

Jesus never questioned the authenticity of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus said the prophets spoke of Him (Luke 24:13–27). Therefore, we have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the Old Testament.

I encourage you to research this for yourself. There are many excellent reference sources that addresses this question.

My point in the above information is the authenticity of the Old Testament is not questioned. So, why was Asherah reduced to a pagan goddess?

What else has been changed in the Bible to reflect the social beliefs of the time? Many stories about Jesus’ childhood were removed from the Bible during the canonization process.

It’s well established that Mary Magdalene was a benefactor to Jesus’ ministry. However, she was portrayed as a prostitute. We also know that the apostles were jealous of her. Could this jealousy be the reason why she was defamed?

In summary

I have questioned many things in the Bible through the years. To question the Bible is healthy. Why? Think about how many times it has been translated from one language to another. Meanings are changed in the translation. The New Testament was written by men who had an agenda. These agendas were not necessarily self-serving, but we all struggle with the Ego. Especially when we have a point we want to prove or make.

I’m not saying Asherah is God’s wife or that she’s not. I am saying, we need to do our own research and not blindly accept what has been handed down to us through the last 2,000 years. As more information comes to light from archeological discoveries, we have to be prepared to look at the new evidence. We need consider that perhaps the history in the Bible is incomplete and maybe this is why new evidence is coming into focus. New revelations where discovered about Asherah in 2011. It has opened up a heated debate in the religious world. The debate is healthy. It makes us look at all the evidence and encourages us to open our minds and think about what is being presented to us.

As a child, my mother used to tell me, “God gave you a brain, use it!” I heard it a lot when I was in trouble for doing something dumb.

Are we willing to look at the evidence as it becomes available? Or are we going to be “stiff necked” and refuse to examine the facts that are being presented to us?