Beelzebul

Beelzebul is a variant form of the name Beelzebub, used in many modern translations of the New Testament. While older English Bibles typically rendered the Greek Βεελζεβούλ (Beelzeboul) as "Beelzebub" following the Latin Vulgate, contemporary scholarly editions have restored the original Greek spelling, giving rise to the form Beelzebul. Both names ultimately derive from the Philistine god worshipped at Ekron, but their meanings and theological connotations differ.

Etymology

The root name Beelzebub comes from the Hebrew בַּעַל זְבוּב (Baʿal Zevuv), meaning "lord of flies," as found in 2 Kings 1:2–16. This is widely believed to be a derisive parody of the original epithet Baʿal Zevul ("Ba'al of the exalted house"), a title for the Canaanite god Ba'al. The alteration mocked the Philistine deity by associating him with dung and decay. The New Testament Greek form Beelzeboul (Βεελζεβούλ) better preserves the original honorific "Ba'al of the exalted dwelling," but Christian tradition reframed him as a chief demon.

Biblical Usage

In the New Testament, Beelzebul appears in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 10:25, 12:24–27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15–19) as the prince of demons, whom Jesus is accused of serving. The spelling Beelzebul in modern translations—such as the Revised Standard Version and the New International Version—reflects the Greek manuscripts, whereas the Latin Vulgate and its English descendants (e.g., the King James Version) used Beelzebub. This divergence has led to ongoing debate among textual critics about the original reading of sources like the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, but Beelzebul is now broadly accepted in critical editions.

In Demonology and Culture

Later Christian demonology ranked Beelzebub among the seven princes of Hell, associated with gluttony and envy. In demonological treatises such as The Dictionnaire Infernal, Beelzebub is depicted as a flying entity, the "Lord of the Flies." This imagery was famously appropriated by William Golding for his novel Lord of the Flies (1954), where the "lord of the flies" becomes a symbol of savage instinct. As a demon, Beelzebub also appears as Satan's right hand in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667). Notable early modern works, including the Faust legend and the Cologne witch trials, refer to him under variants like Belzebuth.

• Meaning: "Lord of the flies" (from Hebrew Ba'al Zevuv) or possibly "Ba'al of the exalted house" (from Ba'al Zevul)
• Origin: Philistine deity, later a Hebrew demonic name
• Type: Biblical name, used as a devil or demon title
• Usage: Modern English translations of the New Testament, Christian demonology, literature
• Related Forms: Baal-Zebub, Beelzeboul (Biblical Greek), Ba'al Zevuv (Biblical Hebrew)