For millennia, seers have reported visions of the divine council’s activity in the unseen realm. From ancient Mesopotamia to early Christianity to today, individuals with spiritual sight described scenes of the heavens, divine thrones, angelic warfare, and realms beneath the earth. The Bible is full of such visions, from Isaiah and Ezekiel to St. John the Revelator. But seers outside the biblical tradition also recorded visions— albeit interpreted through a distorted lens.
Among the more striking of these pagan visions may be found in the Baal Cycle, a mythic narrative from the ancient Canaanite city of Ugarit. Preserved on clay tablets from the 13th century BC, this cycle tells the story of Baal’s rise to cosmic kingship, through Baal’s conflicts with Yam (sea god of chaos), the construction of his palace, and his struggle with Mot (the god of death). It likely reflects a seer’s vision of the divine council, filtered through the lens of a Baal-centric worldview. What may have been a genuine encounter with the spiritual realm became, in Canaanite society and too often with tragic results in ancient Israel and Judah, a celebration of the storm-god Baal.
The Day the Gods Put Their Heads Between Their Knees
One powerful scene in the Baal Cycle (KTU 1.2:I.30–40) takes place when Yam, the god of the chaotic sea, sends messengers to demand Baal’s submission. These messengers arrive at the divine council, and the response is shocking:
There! the Gods perceive them,
Baal Cycle, Vol 1, 1.II.I, lines 22- 25.
They perceive Yamm’s messenger
The legation of Judge [River|
They lower their heads
On top of their knees
On their royal thrones
The gods are utterly paralyzed, overcome with fear. This mirrors biblical reactions to divine encounters (e.g., Daniel 10:9, Revelation 1:17), and could reflect a shared memory of spiritual beings recoiling from the presence of chaos or judgment.
When Baal Stands Alone
Amid the terrified silence, Baal alone rises. He refuses to submit to Yam. Baal rails against the idea that the divine council should be ruled by a tyrant and rebukes the gods for their cowardice.
Them Baal rebukes:
Baal Cycle, Vol 1, 1.II.I, lines 25-29
“Why do you lower, O Gods, your heads
On top of your knees,
On your royal thrones? …
Raise, O Gods, your heads
From the tops of your knees
On your royal thrones…
He lifts his hand to strike down the messengers, though another deity (likely El or Athirat) restrains him, reminding him of the proper protocols regarding emissaries.
Line 27 stands out, nš’u . r’ištkm . ’ilm, translated by Mark S. Smith,The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, Volume 1, page 267 as “Raise, O Gods your heads.”
Breakdown of the Text
- nš’u: Ugaritic verb meaning “lift up” or “raise.” It is an imperative plural, addressing multiple subjects (e.g., “you all, lift up”).
- r’ištkm: Ugaritic noun r’išt (plural of r’iš, meaning “head”) with a second-person plural suffix -km (“your”). Together, it means “your heads.”
- ’ilm: Ugaritic noun meaning “gods,” addressing the divine assembly.
A literal rendering of KTU 1.2 I, line 27 is: “Lift up your heads, O gods!”
The is Baal’s rallying cry to the divine council and Baal’s first step toward asserting cosmic kingship.
While the other gods cower, Baal stands and prepares for war. Through Baal’s war first with Yam and then Mot, the god of death, over whom the Baal Cycle declares Baal victorious, Baal finds himself behind bars of bronze in the underworld, guarding the dead.
This moment shines shimmering light on biblical passages. Consider Psalm 82, where God takes his place in the divine council and rebukes the “gods” for injustice. Or Psalm 89, where Yahweh is declared to be feared by the gods in the divine council, or Psalms 29 and 68, which seized Baal’s label as rider of the clouds and repurposes it to Yahweh. Similarly Psalm 74 and Isaiah 27 declare Yahweh and not Baal who wrestled victoriously over the sea serpent, taming the chaos to create the cosmos. Yahweh does what Baal only claims to do—stand alone, challenge chaos, and reign supreme.
In addition, Psalm 24 may directly lift this line as a polemic mocking Baal.
Dr. Stephen De Young’s Interpretation
Dr. Stephen De Young, an Orthodox priest, biblical scholar and co-host of the Lord of Spirits podcast, offers a compelling interpretation of this scene in light of biblical theology. I first heard this interpretation while listening to Dr. De Young’s teachings on the podcast regarding the underworld and read more on his blog post:
- Baal fomented rebellion among the gods, trading messages with Yam.
- As Yam’s messengers arrive, the gods submit in fear (heads between knees).
- Baal gives a rousing speech, urging: “Lift up your heads, O you gods!”
- After this speech, Baal murders the messengers and prepares to war against Yam.
- Psalm 24, then, uses Baal’s own words, specifically “Lift up your heads, O gates” against him in mockery, since Yahweh was always supreme over the divine council, and Baal instead is now in charge of the gates to the underworld holding the dead.
- Psalm 24 then sees Yahweh, the true King of Glory, storming the gates of Baal’s underworld palace to rescue the righteous dead.
In De Young’s reading, Baal is a type of Satan, and Psalm 24 becomes a Holy Saturday battle cry. The phrase “Lift up your heads, O gates!” is a cosmic reversal of Baal’s power asserted in the Baal Cycle, mocking the demonic kingdom and announcing its defeat.
Mainstream Scholarly Views
Most scholars agree on the literary power of this Baal Cycle episode but stop short of De Young’s cosmic warfare interpretation.
Mark S. Smith
Smith, foremost scholar of Ugaritic religion, reads this episode as Baal’s individual assertion of power. Baal does not lead a rebellion; he acts alone. The gods are passive.
Nicholas Wyatt
Wyatt agrees the Baal Cycle is royal propaganda wrapped in myth. The scene is not rebellion, but ritual legitimization of Baal’s kingship. Wyatt reads Psalm 24 as a Zion procession hymn, not a cosmic descent.
Michael S. Heiser
Heiser affirms the divine council setting and many biblical polemics against Baal, but takes a more nuanced view equating Baal with Satan. In Demons: What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness, Heiser writes,
In the Baal Cycle, Mōt (the Canaanite god of death) initially conquers Baal, so Baal appears to be dead. However, Baal revives and conquers Mōt. “Prince Baal” (Ugaritic: baʿal zebul) ascends to the coregency and becomes lord of the underworld in the process. This Canaanite title is the backdrop for Beelzebul, a name for Satan/the devil in the New Testament (Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), 14).
Heiser reads Psalm 24 as Yahweh going up into the Temple, and not a descent into the underworld or mockery of Baal. However, Heiser reads other passages as Jesus descending to the underworld to defeat the powers of darkness (Acts 2:27-31 and 1 Peter 3:18-20) (The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition, page 440).
The Gospel of Nicodemus and the Harrowing of Hell
An early Christian text known as the Gospel of Nicodemus (also called the Acts of Pilate), written in the 4th century AD, describes Christ’s descent into Hades after His crucifixion. The gates of Hades tremble. Death and Satan panic. Christ bursts in and rescues the righteous dead, from Adam onward. This may reflects early Christian teaching and interpretation of Psalm 24.
The Gospel of Nicodemus, specifically in the section known as the Descensus Christi ad Inferos (Christ’s Descent into Hell), contains a quote that directly references Psalm 24:7-10 in the context of the Harrowing of Hell. In this apocryphal text, which elaborates on Christ’s descent to liberate the righteous souls from Hades, the following passage appears:
“And while Satan and the prince of hell were discoursing thus to each other, suddenly there was a voice as of thunder and the rushing of winds saying, Lift up your gates, O you princes; and be you lift up, O everlasting gates, and the King of Glory shall come in.”
This is a direct allusion to Psalm 24:7, which in the Septuagint and Latin Vulgate reads, “Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in.” The passage is repeated later in the text:
“Then there was a great voice, as of the sound of thunder saying, Lift up your gates, O princes; and be lifted up, you gates of hell, and the King of Glory will enter in.”
In this dramatic dialogue, the “voice as of thunder” is understood to herald Christ’s arrival in Hades, demanding entry as the triumphant “King of Glory.” The quote is used to depict Christ’s victorious descent, breaking the gates of Hell to free the captives, aligning with the imagery of Psalm 24 where the “King of Glory” enters triumphantly. This connection underscores the theological interpretation of the Harrowing of Hell as Christ’s conquest over death and Satan.
This “Harrowing of Hell” motif became central in Eastern Christian theology. In this light, De Young sees Psalm 24 as a liturgical reflection of Christ’s victory over death. The gates of Baal’s underworld (Sheol/Hades) are breached, and the captives are freed.
Evaluation
Dr. De Young’s interpretation offers a theologically rich and provocative typology. It aligns with the Orthodox Church’s Holy Saturday liturgy and ancient apocalyptic expectations.
- In KTU 1.2 I:27, Baal explicitly says: “Raise, O gods, your heads.” (cf. Mark S. Smith, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, vol. 1, p. 267). This shows that Baal does rally the divine council, making the parallel to Psalm 24 stronger than previously acknowledged.
- Baal does not ultimately kill the messengers—he is restrained by divine etiquette.
- Psalm 24 does not explicitly mention Baal or Sheol, but its structure may deliberately echo Baal’s rallying cry, now reclaimed by Yahweh as a declaration of true kingship.
Thus, De Young’s reading is strengthened by this textual insight, offering a compelling vision of Yahweh’s triumph through Christ. De Young’s interpretation is theologically coherent, especially when reading Scripture as a spiritual polemic against paganism. Other biblical passages that inform this view include:
- 1 Peter 3:18–20 – Christ proclaims to the spirits in prison.
- Ephesians 4:9 – Christ “descended into the lower parts of the earth”, although there are other ways to read this passage.
- Revelation 1:18 – Christ holds “the keys of Death and Hades.”
- Isaiah 26:19, Hosea 13:14 – Hints of resurrection from Sheol.
- Psalm 68:18 – A conquering king leads captives in his train.
When read canonically and liturgically, especially through the lens of early Church tradition, De Young’s vision of Yahweh storming the gates of Hades becomes a powerful reinterpretation of Psalm 24, placing it at the center of cosmic victory. I frankly love it.
Jesus Christ the King of Glory
While the Baal Cycle presents a story of a god clawing toward kingship through violence and chaos, the Bible reveals Jesus Christ as the embodied Yahweh, who created the cosmos with no struggle and by his word alone, willingly descended into the realm of the dead to lovingly rescue the righteous. Yahweh did not seize power like Baal but emptied Himself (Philippians 2:5–11) and triumphed through the cross, becoming King over the Cosmos.
By storming the gates of Hades, Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave, bringing life and immortality to light. For those who trust in Him, there is this sure hope: that when they die, they will be with Christ in Paradise, awaiting the Resurrection of the Dead, when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead, and from there will reign with Christ for all time.
Until that day, those who believe in Jesus are already partakers of life in the age to come—right now and into eternity. This is the glory of the Gospel. This is the true victory.
And the seer gift is given to lead more of us into closer relationship to the Father in submission to King Jesus’ rule and reign starting now.
Note: An earlier version of this post asserted the “Lift up your heads, you gods” line was not in the Baal Cycle. However, I was looking in the wrong column. A review pointed out the mistake and I was able to locate the line.
So the one who can ascend the mountain of the Lord is not a human who is devoted the Yahweh – or, now, a participant in the New Covenant, but Christ who descended to Hades and then rose? Or is it both?