Belial
“Worthlessness; from 'without' (beli) and 'profit' (ya'al)”
Summary
A Hebrew term meaning 'worthlessness' or 'wickedness,' used to describe base or wicked persons, and later developed into a name for Satan.
☩Old Testament Usage
In the Old Testament, Belial is not a proper name but a Hebrew term meaning 'worthlessness' or 'wickedness.' The common phrases 'son of Belial' or 'man of Belial' denote worthless, lawless persons following Hebrew idiom. The men who demanded Lot's visitors, the worthless sons of Eli, those who rejected King Saul, and Nabal are all called 'sons of Belial.'
☩Development into Satan's Name
By the intertestamental period, Belial evolved from a descriptive term into a proper name for Satan or Antichrist. Jewish apocalyptic literature such as the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and the Ascension of Isaiah use 'Belial' or 'Beliar' as a name for the chief evil spirit. Paul employs this usage when he asks, 'What accord has Christ with Beliar?' The best manuscripts read 'Beliar' rather than 'Belial.'
Related Verses16 mentions
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Belial," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Belial, Beliar," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 3.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "Belial," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. II (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).