Gods and goddesses are beings that people believe have special powers over nature, human life, or the universe. A god is male, and a goddess is female. In ancient times, many people worshiped different gods and goddesses (Jeremiah 10:11). The Bible teaches that there is only one true God (Isaiah 45:18, 21–22; Mark 12:32). However, different nations created and worshiped their own gods, usually more than one. Many of the “foreign gods” (as mentioned in 1 Samuel 7:3) are mentioned in the Bible, which often tells us which nation worshiped each god.
Named Gods and Goddesses in the Old Testament
Mesopotamia was a center of idol worship. The list of gods from this region is the longest in the Bible. People in Mesopotamia created and worshiped many different gods:
Bel (also called "Marduk," Isaiah 46:1; Jeremiah 50:2; 51:44)
Kaiwan (Amos 5:26)
Nebo or Nabu (Isaiah 46:1)
Sakkuth (Amos 5:26)
The Syrians worshipped:
Rimmon (also called "Hadad-rimmon," 2 Kings 5:18; Zechariah 12:11)
The Ammonites worshiped:
The Moabites worshiped:
Baal (Numbers 25:3–5)
The Philistines worshiped:
Baal-zebub (called "Beelzebul" in the New Testament, 2 Kings 1:2–3, 6, 16; Matthew 12:24; Luke 11:15)
The Canaanites worshiped:
Baal
Asherah
Ashtoreth (also called "Ishtar" or the “Queen of Heaven,” Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17–19, 25)
Only two Egyptian gods are named in the Bible:
Amon (Jeremiah 46:25)
Apis (Jeremiah 46:15)
Nibhaz was probably an Elamite god (2 Kings 17:31).
Named Gods and Goddesses in the New Testament
Three Greek and Roman gods are mentioned in the New Testament:
Artemis (called "Diana" by the Romans, Acts 19:24–28, 34–35)
Zeus (called "Jupiter" by the Romans, Acts 14:12–13)
Hermes (called "Mercury" by the Romans, Acts 14:12–13)
The Gods of the Nations Are Not Real
The Bible teaches that the gods of the nations are not real, even though their worshipers believe that they are ((Jeremiah 2:11; 28). God says that “they are no gods at all” (Jeremiah 2:11; 16:20) or are gods "that are not gods” (Jeremiah 5:7). The New Testament has the same message. Paul writes that “an idol is nothing at all” (1 Corinthians 8:4). He said that “man-made gods are no gods at all” (Acts 19:26). From the earliest times, when the Israelites first met people from other nations, God reminded them that he was more powerful than all other gods(Exodus 15:11; 18:11; Deuteronomy 10:17; 1 Chronicles 16:25; 2 Chronicles 2:5; Psalms 86:8; 95:3; 96:4–5; 97:7–9; 135:5, 136:2; Daniel 2:47; Zephaniah 2:11).
Israel's Struggle with Idol Worship
These gods were not worthy of Israel’s attention or worship. Since there is only one God, other gods did not deserve Israel’s worship (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). The Hebrew language did not even have a word for “goddess” and therefore had to use the word for “god” to discuss goddesses (1 Kings 11:5, 33). The Israelites were told not to make images (Exodus 20:4, 23; Leviticus 19:4; Deuteronomy 5:8). They were not to mention the gods and goddesses of the non-Jewish peoples that lived around them (Exodus 23:13; Joshua 23:7).
Despite God's warnings, the Israelites often turned to worship other gods throughout their history. This problem started very early when Jacob's family still kept small idols in their homes (Genesis 31:32). The people continued to worship other gods even after God rescued them from Egypt (Exodus 32:1–4, 8, 23, 31; 34:15; Hosea 11:2).
This unfaithfulness to God had serious consequences. In 722 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed because the people worshiped idols instead of God (2 Kings 17:7–18). Later, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Israel was also destroyed for the same reason (2 Kings 22:17; compare Deuteronomy 29:25–28). When the Jewish people were taken to Babylon as captives, they saw how empty idol worship was and finally turned away from it. They could have avoided much suffering if they had followed Joshua's example when he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).