The god of Shechem, where he had a temple (Jg 8:33; 9:4); called also El-berith (Jg 9:46). The 'covenant' may be that amongst the Canaanite peoples or that between Canaanltes and Israelites; or the title may be parallel to Zeus Horkios, the god who presides over covenants.
Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god.
They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him.
When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.
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