The name Ashima (Hebrew: ’Ăšīmā’) is the name of a pagan god worshipped in the ancient Near East. The name itself is believed to be West Semitic in origin and may be related to the concept of “guilt,” “offense,” or even a deity associated with fate or the name/essence of a god.
Ashima is mentioned only once in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of 2 Kings, in the context of the religious corruption that swept through the territory of the fallen Northern Kingdom of Israel.
1. The Deity of Hamath
Ashima was the deity of the people who originally inhabited Hamath, a major city in Syria.
After the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser (or his successor Sargon II), conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) in 722 B.C., he deported the Israelites and replaced them with groups of foreigners from various conquered territories, including Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, and Hamath.
These colonists brought their native gods and cults with them to the vacated land of Samaria:
“And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,” (2 Kings 17:30, KJV, emphasis added).
This single verse serves as the only direct biblical reference to Ashima.
2. The Form and Worship
While the biblical text does not describe the form of the idol, Jewish tradition and later commentary suggest that Ashima was worshipped under the image of a hairless he-goat or possibly a ram or a cat. This has led some scholars to suggest a possible link to the Greek god Pan (a pastoral deity) or to the concept of a god of fertility or health, but these connections are highly speculative.
What is certain is that the worship of Ashima, alongside the other foreign deities, was part of a major religious crisis in the land of Israel. The foreigners, unfamiliar with the true God of the land, suffered attacks by lions. They appealed to the King of Assyria, who sent a deported Israelite priest back to teach them “the manner of the God of the land” (2 Kings 17:27, KJV).
The result was tragic: the foreigners began to worship the LORD and their own gods simultaneously.
“So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.” (2 Kings 17:41, KJV, emphasis added).
The Theological Significance
Ashima’s mention in the Bible provides a profound theological warning against syncretism—the blending of contradictory religious beliefs.
The colonists were not rejecting the God of Israel; they were merely adding Him to their existing pantheon, worshipping Ashima, Nergal, and the LORD all at once. From the biblical perspective, this is still complete idolatry. The true God demands exclusive devotion, as stated in the First Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3, KJV). Ashima thus stands as an enduring symbol of the constant temptation to dilute pure worship with the practices and idols of the world.