Bible Dictionary
Beelzebub
Beelzebub, or Beelzebul, was a title for the prince of demons and was identified with Satan. Jesus’ enemies falsely attributed His power to cast out demons to this evil ruler.
Definition
Beelzebub is the New Testament form of the name Beelzebul and was used for the chief or prince of demons. It was identified with Satan. The name is probably connected with Baalzebub, the deity of Ekron, though the precise development of the form is uncertain.
Biblical Usage
Jesus’ opponents accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebul’s authority. The accusation attributed the supreme manifestation of goodness to the worst source and is described in the supplied material as the Jews’ unpardonable sin.
Historical Background
Suggested explanations connect the name with “lord of flies,” “lord of dung,” or “lord of the house.” The change from Baalzebub to Beelzebul is treated as conjectural.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Gr. form Beel’zebul), the name given to Satan, and found only in the New Testament (Matt. 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22). It is probably the same as Baalzebub (q.v.), the god of Ekron, meaning “the lord of flies,” or, as others think, “the lord of dung,” or “the dung-god.”
Smith's Bible Dictionary
[See Beelzebul]
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>be-el'-ze-bub (in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) is an error (after the Vulgate) for Beelzebul (Revised Version margin) Beelzeboul; Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek, Beezeboul): In the time of Christ this was the current name for the chief or prince of demons, and was identified with SATAN (which see) and the DEVIL (which see). The Jews committed the unpardonable sin of ascribing Christ's work of casting out demons to Beelzebul, thus ascribing to the worst source the supreme manifestation of goodness (Mt 10:25; 12:24,27; Mr 3:22; Lu 11:15,18,19). There can be little doubt that it is the same name as BAALZEBUB (which see). It is a well-known phenomenon in the history of religions that the gods of one nation become the devils of its neighbors and enemies. When the Aryans divided into Indians and Iranians, the Devas remained gods for the Indians, but became devils (daevas) for the Iranians, while the Ahuras remained gods for the Iranians and became devils (asuras) for the Indians. Why Baalzebub became Beelzebul, why the b changed into l, is a matter of conjecture. It may have been an accident of popular pronunciation, or a conscious perversion (Beelzebul in Syriac = "lord of dung"), or Old Testament zebhubh may have been a perversion, accidental or intentional of zebhul (= "house"), so that Baalzebul meant "lord of the house." These are the chief theories offered (Cheyne in EB; Barton in Hastings, ERE).</p><p>T. Rees</p>