And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. Isaiah 7:18 Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean lord of flies, or lord of the (heavenly) dwelling. Originally the name of a Philistine god, Baal, meaning Lord in Ugaritic, was used in conjunction with a descriptive name of a specific god. Jewish scholars have interpreted the title of Lord of Flies as the Hebrew way of calling Baal a pile of dung, and comparing Baal followers to flies. The Septuagint renders the name as Baalzebub (βααλζεβούβ) and as Baal muian (βααλ μυιαν, Baal of flies). Beelzebub, also Beelzebul, is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the prince of the demons. In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab / zubaab (بعل الذباب), literally Lord of the Flies. Biblical scholar Thomas Kelly Cheyne suggested that it might be a derogatory corruption of Ba‘al Zəbûl, Lord of the High Place (i.e., Heaven) or High Lord. The word Beelzebub in rabbinical texts is a mockery of the Baal religion, which ancient Hebrews considered to be idol (or, false god) worship.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 15:02:12 +0000
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