Adon

Adon (Phoenician: "Lord") has an uncertain etymology, although it is generally believe to be derived from the Ugaritic 'ad, “father.”
==Ugaritic Tradition==
The pluralization of Adoni (Hebrew: "My Lord") is Adonai (Hebrew: "My Lords").Otto Eissfeldt theorizes that Adonai is a post positive element attested to in Ugaritic writing. He points to the myth of the struggle between Baal and Yam as evidence. Some theorize that Adonai was originally an epithet of the God Yahweh depicted as the chief antagonist of "The Baals" in the Hebrew Bible. Only later did the epithet come to be used as an euphemism to avoid invoking the deity's proper name, Yahweh
In Canaanite/Ugaritic tradition, ʾadn ilm (Hebrew: "Lord of Gods") is an epithet of El. However, ʾadn (Hebrew: "Lord") could also be an epithet of other gods. When Yam is described as being at the zenith of his might, he is proclaimed ʾadn (Hebrew: "Lord of the Gods"). In some Ugaritic texts, the term ʾadn ʾilm rbm (Hebrew: "Lord of the Great Gods") is used to refer to the lord and father over deceased kings. Some think that this is a reference to Baal. Others suggest this is a reference to a human necromancer traveling to the land of the dead. Karel van der Toorn disagrees he believes that it is a reference to Milku, Yaqar, Yarikh, or possibly El. Ugarit. family households were modeled after the structure of the divine world, each headed by an ʾadn (Hebrew: "Master" or "Patron"). Generally, this was the patriarch of the family and there may be some relation between ʾadn and the Ugarit word for "father," 'ad.
==Other Ancient Sources==
In Syria, Tammuz was referred to as Aduni-turi (Hebrew: “My Lord is my rock”) among others similar names. The Assyrians seem to have copied this. In late Assyrian inscriptions, Tammuz came to be known as Adunu (Hebrew: “Lord”). Inscriptions date from 850 BCE to 660 BCE with most being nearer the later have been found. This likely caused Tammuz to become associated with Adonai among the Hebrews.
Among the Greeks, a God named Adonis separate from Tammuz was worshipped. Adonis is thought to have been derived from Adon. By the time of Sappho, a cult worshiping Adonis had emerged in Ancient Greece. The early Christians came to associate Adonis with Tammuz. This association is not explicitly made until the 3rd century CE.
==Hebrew Bible==
In the Hebrew Bible, Adoni (Hebrew: “My Lord”) pronounced "adonee," from the root Adon “Lord,” is always a non-Deity title usually referring to a human superior or occasionally an angel. Adonai (Hebrew: "My Lords") is reserved for The One God alone. In Jewish tradition, the pluralization is used to distinguish God from Earthly Lords and to increase His majesty. Many modern critical scholars see Adonai as a remnant of a polytheist past, and that the meaning of the word only later came to refer to "The One God." It is thought that at least some Biblical authors used the word originally in a polytheist sense. In the Hebrew Bible, no human is addressed as Adonai. On the other hand, Adoni is reserved for human superiors. In a Messianic reading of Psalm 110.1, an important verse in Christianity, the Messiah is called Adoni, The Lord of David.
==See also==
*Adonai
==References==
Category:Ancient Semitic religions
Category:West Semitic gods