Beelzabub is a twisting of the name of the Philistine god Ba’al Ze’Bul that means ‘The Lord on High.’ Beelzebub is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Ba’al-zibbul meaning ‘Lord of the Fly.’ In the Greek, it suggests more than flies, but the dung to which flies are drawn.
This ‘fly god’ was worshiped to obtain deliverance from the injuries by flies. He was invoked to drive away the flies that surrounded the blood sacrifices. Archaeological digs at ancient Philistine sites have uncovered golden images of flies.
The King of Samaria sent a messenger to inquire of Ba’al-zibbul to see if he would be healed from his bloody injuries when he fell through the lattice of a window. The prophet Elijah was sent to the king to tell him that he would die because he dared call on the name of a foreign god (2 Kings 1:1-8).
Sometimes Ba’al-zibbul and the ‘Shining One’ have been interchangeable names for the Adversary in the Hebrew Scriptures. However, they are not the same entity within the demonic hierarchy. Ba’al-zibbul was a prince of the seraphim or ‘burning ones’ that surrounded the throne of Adonai. He was one of the first three angels to fall from heaven along with the ‘Shining One’ and Leviathan. He works as the ‘chief of staff’ for the Adversary and presides over the Order of the Fly.
Ba’al-zibbul as a reference to the Adversary is only found in the New Testament. During the time of Yeshua, Ba’al-zibbul was known as the prince of demons and used by religious leaders to insult Yeshua.
“The Torah-teachers who came down from Yerushalayim said, “He [Yeshua] has Ba‘al-Zibbul in him,” and “It is by the ruler of the demons that he expels the demons” (Luke 3:22).
“So if the Adversary too is divided against himself, how can his kingdom survive? I’m asking because you claim it is by Ba‘al-Zibbul that I drive out the demons. If I drive out demons by Ba‘al-Zibbul, by whom do your people drive them out? So, they will be your judges!” (Luke 11:18-19).
“It is enough for a talmid that he become like his rabbi, and a slave like his master. Now if people have called the head of the house Ba‘al-Zibbul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:25).
Hebrew Word Pictures
Ba’al-zibbul – בעל זבול
ב Bet – A House means ‘house’ or ‘family.’
ע Ayin – An Eye means ‘see’ or ‘understand.’
ל Lamed – A Shepherd’s Staff means ‘urge forward.’
ז Zayin – A Weapon means ‘divide’ or ‘cut.’
ב Bet – A House means ‘house’ or ‘family.’
ו Vav – A Nail means ‘binding.’
ב Bet – A House means ‘house’ or ‘family.’
The Hebrew Word Picture for ba’alzebub: house sees urging forward to divide family binding.
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