A number of figurines and
depictions of 'El survive from various archaeological excavations in
the region. He appears most frequently as an old man with a long beard who is
often seated on a throne, and this also reflects his presentation in the myth
of Canaan. A form of the same word, 'ayil (אַיִל), can also
mean “bull” or “ram” in both Ugaritic and Hebrew (i.e. Deut 32:14; Job 41:17;
Pss 29:1; 89:7; Ezek 32:21), and is also occasionally an expression of power
and leadership (i.e. Exod 15:15; Jer 25:34; Ezek 17:13). Some images and
statues of bulls found in the region are thought to have been representations
of the great god—be it 'El , Bacal or YHWH. (Kipp Davis, God’s
Propaganda: Pulling Back the Curtain On What the Bible Wants You To See [Chilliwack,
British Columbia: Paleographers Press, 2025], 98)
