Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online

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Osiris אסיר
(1,103 words)

I. Name

Osiris is a prominent Egyptian god. P. de Lagarde (Symmicta [Göttingen 1877] 105) proposed to replace ʾassîr, ‘prisoner’, in Isa. 10.4 by ʾōsîr. He thus obtained a reading similar to the Phoenician and Aramaic renderings of the name of the Egyptian god Osiris. Another reflection of the cult of Osiris might be found in the personal name אסיר, if indeed it stands for Osiris (Exod. 6.24; 1 Chr. 6.7, 1 Chr. 8, 1 Chr. 22; Noth, IPN 63 n. 2).

II. Identity

Osiris’ anthropomorphic body is always represented wrappe…

Cite this page
M. Heerma van Voss, “Osiris אסיר”, in: Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online, Edited by: Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst. Consulted online on 28 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Osiris>



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