I believe that 4:20 has its origins in the Lord of the Rings.
In ROTK (I am paraphrasing from memory), Sam uses the magic earth that came with the mallorn seed from Galadriel to help heal the ravaged Shire. The harvest of Shire calendar year 1420 which followed was exceptional, as was the beer brewed from the grain which resulted, to the point that 1420 entered the lexicon as a metaphor for excellence. A hobbit would say over a mug of particulary fine beer, “Ah! That was proper fourteen-twenty, that was!”
My theory holds that pothead Tolkien geeks uttered the same words of praise in imitation over their own pipeweed. As the usage spread, the awkward to pronounce “fourteen-twenty” got shortened to “four-twenty.”
Well, no, it’s usually a translation of “adonai”, which means “my Lord” But, in the bible, you do find the word “elohim”, which also means “lords”, which, most of the time is translated as “gods”.
The words “baallim” and “elohim” come from the same route. “Lord” isn’t really the best translation for “ba’al”…a better one would probably be “master” or “owner”. To answer your question, when “baal” is being used to represent ownership, it’s translated…when it’s used to refer to a deity, it’s not.
Hmmm… I was under the impression that Ba’alzebub (Lord of the Flies) was a play on words from Ba’alzebu (Lord of All), and was intended to mock those who worshiped the god. Is this just another urban legend?
Back in the day when I wasn’t the law-abing citizen that I am now:D I heard alot of theories as to where 4:20 came from. One theory was that the legislation that banned Marijuana use was passed at 4:20 in the afternoon.
IMHO I don’t really think that this is true but it makes for a good theory when lighting up.