אשמדאי

Hebrew

Etymology

Thought to be borrowed from an unattested Avestan *𐬀𐬉𐬴𐬨𐬀𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 (*aēṣ̌madaēuua); from a compound of 𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬆𐬨𐬀 (aēšəma, “wrath”) +‎ 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀 (daēuua, “demon”).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /aʃ.meˈdaj/

Proper noun

אַשְׁמְדַאי • (ashmedáy, ʾašmədʾāy) m

1. Asmodeus; Ashmedai (the king of demons in Jewish tradition).
   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 110a:

     אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף, אָמַר לִי יוֹסֵף שֵׁידָא: אַשְׁמְדַאי מַלְכָּא דְשֵׁידֵי — מְמוּנֶּה הוּא אַכּוּלְּהוּ זוּגֵי, וּמַלְכָּא לָא אִיקְּרִי מַזִּיק.

     Rav Yosef said: Yosef the Demon said to me: Ashmedai, the king of the demons, is appointed over all who perform actions in pairs, and a king is not called a harmful spirit.