I. Name
Baal-berith (‘Baal of the Covenant’; Judg. 8.33 and Judg. 9.4) and El-berith (‘El of the Covenant; Judg. 9.46) occur only in the Book of Judges as specifications of the Canaanite fertility gods Baal and El of Shechem, an ancient Canaanite city in the hill country between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Also in Ugaritic texts brt (‘covenant’) is found in connection with Baal.
II. Identity
In the OT Shechem is often mentioned. Already in Gen. 12.6–7 we are told that Abram went as far in Canaan …