Beelzebub

Beelzebub, also known as Ba'al Zabub or Ba'al Zvuv, is a name that comes from an old Philistine god who was once worshipped in a place called Ekron. Over time, the name Beelzebub was used in some Abrahamic religions to describe a powerful demon. This name is linked to the Canaanite god Baal.

In stories about demons, Beelzebub is one of the seven important demons, often connected to feelings like gluttony and envy. A book called the Dictionnaire Infernal describes Beelzebub as able to fly and calls him the "Lord of the Flies" or the "Lord of the Flying Demons." The name also appears in the famous novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding because of its connection to ideas about hell and the themes in the book.

Judaism

Hebrew Scriptures

The name Beelzebub comes from the Books of Kings. It was written as Baʿal zəvuv and refers to a god worshipped by the Philistines in the city of Ekron.

The story tells of King Ahaziah of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, who fell and hurt himself. He sent messengers to ask Baʿal-zəvuv, the god of Ekron, if he would get better.

Elijah told the king that he should ask God instead and said Ahaziah would not recover from his injuries.

Testament of Solomon

In the Testament of Solomon, a book said to be written by King Solomon, Beelzebul is described as a leader among bad spirits. The story says Beelzebul used to be an important angel connected to the bright planet Venus. The book talks about how Beelzebul causes trouble, like starting wars and making people fight.

Rabbinical literature

In Jewish writings, Baʿal-zəvuv from Ekron is called the “lord of the flies.” Jewish teachers saw this as a way to make fun of people who followed Baal, because the Hebrews thought this was wrong worship.

Christianity

Christian Bible

In the stories about Jesus Christ, some people accused him of using special powers from Beelzebub, who they called the leader of bad spirits. Jesus answered them by saying that if a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. He explained that if he used Beelzebub’s power to help people, then their own leaders would also use Beelzebub’s power. But he said he used the power of God, which showed that God’s kingdom had arrived.

Gnostic tradition

See also: Gnosticism

In some old writings called the Gospel of Nicodemus, the name Beelzebub is sometimes used to refer to the leader of bad spirits. Different versions of these writings might use slightly different names.

Christian tradition

Beelzebub is often described as one of the most important bad spirits in stories about Hell. Some writers from long ago, like Johann Weyer and Sébastien Michaëlis, told stories about Beelzebub being a very important bad spirit. The famous writer John Milton wrote about Beelzebub as one of the top bad spirits in his poem Paradise Lost.

People in history have sometimes blamed Beelzebub for strange and upsetting events. For example, during the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, people talked about Beelzebub a lot.

Translation concerns

We do not know if Symmachus the Ebionite was right when he talked about these names. The word Zeboul might come from a slurred way of saying zebûba; or from zebel, a word meaning "dung" in the Targums; or from the Hebrew word zebûl used in 1 Kings 8:13 in the phrase bêt-zebûl, meaning "lofty house". The Septuagint used the name Baalzebub (Βααλζεβούβ) and also Baal muian (Βααλ μυῗαν, "Baal of flies"). Symmachus might have been using an old insulting name when he wrote Beelzeboul.

The name Beelzebub replaced Beelzeboul in the Syriac translation and the Latin Vulgate translation of the gospels. This change was also used in the King James Version. The older form Beelzeboul was not well known in Western European cultures until newer translations brought it back.

Another possibility is that the deity’s real name was Baʿal zəvul, meaning "lord of the (heavenly) dwelling", and that Baʿal zəvuv might have been an insulting joke made by the Israelites.

In Arabic translations, the name is written as Baʿl-zabūl (بعلزبول).

Etymology

The word Baal means "Lord" in ancient Ugaritic and Cananitic languages. It was used as a title for many local gods. The name Baʿal zəvuv is found in the Hebrew Bible as the god of the Philistine city of Ekron. Some think the name means "lord of (the) flies." Stories from ancient times show that flies were sometimes seen as pests or even linked to sickness. There are also stories of gods, like Zeus Apomyios or Myiagros (“fly-averting Zeus”), who were thought to keep people safe from flies.

Some experts believe the name Baʿal zəvuv might have been a real local god of Ekron, possibly connected to healing. This idea comes from a story in 2 Kings 1:2–3, where a king sent messages to Baʿal zəvuv to ask for help in getting better after an injury.