The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

Beelzebub

BEEL'ZEBUL (be-el'ze-bul), a heathen deity.

[bee EL zih bub]-- New Testament form of Baal Zebub

Believed to be the prince of evil spirits (Lk 11:15-28). By some Beelzebul is thought to mean ba`al zebel, the "dung god," an expression intended to designate with loathing the prince of all moral impurity.

It is supposed, at the same time, that the name Beelze bub, the Philistine god of flies, was changed to Beelze bul ("god of dung") and employed in an approbrious way as a name of the devil.

Others prefer to derive the word from ba`al zebul, the "lord of the dwelling" in which evil spirits dwell.

The fact that Jesus designates Himself as "master of the house" would seem to indicate that Beelzebul had a similar meaning.