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[Wanker]

So I came across this idea that God had a wife, at first it seemed like some poor attempt at disproving the Bible, but the more I looked into it the more I found out, that it genuinely seems that God's wife who is called "Asherah" was written about in the Bible.

My question is, Who is Asherah and why was she written about? Is it representative of something? Did the Israelites fall away and start worshipping more than one God as usual?

[jimwalton]

YHWH doesn't have a wife. Some archaeological discoveries that appear to link YHWH and Asherah are less than convincing.

Asherah (or "trunk; sacred stake") is connected with the Canaanite pantheon and was the consort of Baal, which the Israelites were guilty of compromising themselves many times through history. Such connection was never approved by YHWH, however, nor by His prophets. Certain trees were connected with divinity and were even the location of various theophanies, and so they traditionally and cultically became associated with divine power. Recognition of Asherah or any worship connected with her/it was definitely frowned upon by the biblical prophets with the word of the Lord (Isa. 1.29; 57.5ff; Jer. 2.20, 27; 3.6; Ezk. 6.13; 20.28, etc.)

An artifact (a taanach stand) was discovered that appears to link the Holy of Holies in Solomon's Temple, where YHWH dwelled, with Asherah's symbol, a tree. But the tie of YHWH with a tree of life is also thoroughly Israelite, and so its alleged claim that Asherah was YHWH's wife is speculative.

Why was Asherah written about? Because she was a significant part of leading Israel into idolatry, and therefore the Bible speaks harshly of her. In Israel she represented and became symbolic of their religious apostasy.