Baal-Zebub
/ˌbeɪ.əl zɪˈbʌb/noun
A Philistine god-name later used in Jewish and Christian tradition as a title for a demon or the devil.
Did you know?In the Hebrew Bible, Baal-Zebub is the god of Ekron, and later Jewish and Christian writers turned the name into a symbol of corruption, decay, and demonic power.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Northwest Semitic
NW Semitic
baʿal
“lord, master, owner”
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
zəḇūḇ
“fly”
Hebrew Bible
Hebrew
baʿal zəḇūḇ
“Lord of Flies, a Philistine deity named in 2 Kings”
Septuagint / Late Antiquity
Greek
Beelzeboub / Beelzebul
“a demonized rendering of the name in Jewish and Christian tradition”
Modern English
English
Baal-Zebub
“a name for a demon or devil in biblical and later religious usage”