Bastet in the Bible: The Cat-Goddess of Egypt and Her Legacy

1. Bastet in Biblical Reference

The Egyptian goddess Bastet appears in the Bible indirectly, through the place name Pibeseth (Ezekiel 30:17). This town, located in the Nile Delta, corresponds to the ancient city of Bubastis (modern Tell Basta). Its Egyptian name, pr-bꜣstt, means “House of Bastet.”

In Ezekiel’s prophecy of Egypt’s downfall, the text declares: “The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and the women shall go into captivity” (Ezek 30:17). The mention does not highlight Bastet as a deity but situates the city under judgment, just like Egypt’s other centers of power.

Thus Bastet’s biblical presence is not theological but geographical and historical, tied to a city destined for collapse.

2. Bastet in Egyptian Religion

Bastet was one of Egypt’s most beloved goddesses. Her character blended fierce and gentle qualities:

• As lioness: She embodied fiery wrath, destruction, and the burning “Eye of Re.”

• As cat: She symbolized protection, fertility, and domestic peace.

Egyptian myth told of the furious lioness pacified into a cat, her rage cooled by the waters surrounding her temple. This duality made her both dangerous and nurturing, requiring rituals of appeasement.

Her cult center at Bubastis housed a magnificent temple described by Herodotus (2.138): “Other temples may be larger or have cost more to build, but none is a greater pleasure to look at.” The temple was surrounded on three sides by water, forming a sacred lake, a feature common to temples of leonine goddesses.

3. Symbols and Rituals of Bastet

Bastet’s worship was marked by vivid symbols and rituals:

• Iconography

  • Early: depicted as a lion or lion-headed woman.

  • Later: portrayed as a cat-headed woman, reflecting the domestication of cats in the first millennium BCE.

• Offerings

  • Cat bronzes and cat mummies were left as dedications, many found at Tell Basta.

  • Ointment jars, tied to her name’s hieroglyph, linked her with protective and healing powers.

• Festivals

  • Herodotus (2.60) describes processions where men and women sailed to Bubastis, singing, dancing, and consuming vast amounts of wine.

  • These “feasts of drunkenness” paralleled other Egyptian rituals meant to pacify leonine goddesses through revelry.

Through these practices, Bastet became known as a goddess of joy, music, and fertility, standing in contrast to harsher deities like Sakhmet.

4. Bastet’s Name and Meaning

The name “Bastet” is a modern convention, reconstructed from Egyptian writing. In reality, her name may have sounded closer to Ubesti or Obast.

• Hebrew rendering: Pi-beset (Ezek 30:17).

• Greek rendering: Boubastis.

• Egyptian meaning: Possibly “She of the ointment jar,” linking her to protective oils.

The different renderings reflect the fluidity of translation across Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Egyptian contexts.

5. Bastet’s Popularity in Egyptian Society

Bastet’s cult was not confined to myth; it shaped Egypt’s social and political life:

• Bubastis, her city, was once the capital of Egypt during dynasties 22 and 23 (945–730 BCE).

• Pilgrims across Egypt dedicated images and mummies of cats in her honor.

• Festivals reportedly drew hundreds of thousands of people, making them some of the most vibrant in Egyptian religion.

Egyptians described other goddesses as “raging like Sakhmet” but “friendly like Bastet,” a comparison that captures her beloved status as a gentle counterpart to destructive forces.

6. Theological Contrast with the Bible

While Bastet was celebrated as protector and healer in Egypt, the Bible places her name only within the judgment oracle of Ezekiel. This reflects a consistent biblical pattern: cities tied to pagan gods are brought low, while Yahweh alone is exalted.

In Israel’s worldview:

• False gods bring shame (Jer 2:26).

• Idols cannot protect their people (Isa 46:1–2).

• Only Yahweh shields and saves (Ps 18:2).

Bastet’s joyous festivals and protective symbolism could not save Bubastis from the fate decreed by the God of Israel.

Bible Verses on Egypt, Idolatry, and Shame

• Ezekiel 30:17 – “The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and the women shall go into captivity.”

• Isaiah 46:1–2 – “Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock.”

• Jeremiah 2:26 – “As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed.”

• Jeremiah 46:25 – “The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, said: Behold, I am bringing punishment upon Amon of Thebes, Pharaoh, Egypt, her gods, and her kings.”

• Isaiah 19:1 – “Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence.”

• Exodus 12:12 – “On all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.”

• Ezekiel 30:13 – “Thus says the Lord GOD: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis.”

• Psalm 18:2 – “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.”

• Isaiah 44:9 – “All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit.”

• Jeremiah 50:2 – “Declare among the nations… proclaim and say, ‘Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed.’”