Βεελζεβούλ

Ancient Greek

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew בַּעַל זְבוּב (báʿal zəḇūḇ).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /be.elz.de.bǔːl/ → /βe.el.zeˈβul/ → /ve.el.zeˈvul/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /be.elz.de.bǔːl/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /be.el.zeˈbul/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /βe.el.zeˈβul/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ve.el.zeˈvul/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ve.el.zeˈvul/

Proper noun

Βεελζεβούλ • (Beelzeboúl) m (indeclinable)

1. Beelzebub, a name for Satan.

Usage notes

Βεελζεβούλ is generally translated as Beelzebub as a result of the usage of בעל זבוב (“lord of the flies”) in 1 Kings. Scholars are uncertain as to whether this word is a phonetic evolution of בעל זבול (“lord of the high places”), a mistranscription, or a deliberate insult to the foreign deity.

References

• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Βεελζεβούλ in the Diccionario Griego–Español en línea (2006–2024)
• G954 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible