Nibhaz

{{Short description|Deity of the Avim}}

Nibhaz ({{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|נִבְחַז}}}} Nīḇḥaz) was a deity of the Avim during the time of Shalmaneser I ({{bibleverse|2|Kings|17:31|KJV}}). Some indications of worship have been found in Syria, between Berytus and Tripolis, in the form of a dog, a contention first found in the Talmud.{{cite book|last=Easton|first=Matthew George|authorlink=Matthew George Easton|title=Easton's Bible Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/eastonsbibledict00east|edition=3|year=1897}}{{cite web|url=http://www.christnotes.org/dictionary.php?dict=sbd&id=3190|title=Nibhaz|work=Smith’s Bible Dictionary|accessdate=7 June 2010}} Others identify Nibhaz with the Persian god Ibnakhaza or even with the Babylonian Nebo. Those who understand Nibhaz as being related to dogs tie it to the Egyptian deity Anubis.{{cite book|author=Reuven Chaim Klein|title=God versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry|year=2018|publisher=Mosaica Press|isbn=978-1946351463|pages=350–351}}