Beelzebub: How an Ancient Hebrew Pun Turned a Philistine God into the Lord of the Flies
According to TheCollector, the Philistine god Baal-zebul, which translates to 'exalted lord,' was derogatorily altered to Baal-zebub, meaning 'lord of the flies,' by Hebrew writers. The Book of Kings narrates that during the mid-9th century BC, King Ahaziah of Israel fell in his palace and dispatched messengers to Ekron to inquire of Baal-zebub regarding his health. The prophet Elijah intercepted these messengers, proclaiming that the king would perish. Ahaziah then sent soldiers to confront Elijah, resulting in fire consuming all but one of them, ultimately leading to the king's demise. This renaming served to ridicule the deity, implying a lack of deserving reverence. In the New Testament, Beelzebul is referred to as a prince of demons, appearing in various cultural representations that highlight the power of such insults.
Key facts
- The Philistine god originally named Baal-zebul ('exalted lord') was renamed Baal-zebub ('lord of the flies') by Hebrew scribes as a deliberate insult.
- King Ahaziah of Israel fell through his palace lattice in Samaria in the mid-9th century BC and sent messengers to Ekron to consult Baal-zebub about his survival.
- The prophet Elijah the Tishbite intercepted the messengers and told them the king would die; Ahaziah later perished.
- The Hebrew pun replaced the letter lamed with bet, turning 'zebul' (princely) into 'zebub' (flies).
- Theories for the insult include rotting offerings attracting flies and excrement attracting flies, making the god unworthy of worship.
- Mark 3:22 in the New Testament refers to Beelzebul as a prince of demons.
- Christian demonology depicts Beelzebub as Satan's right-hand demon, commander of legions and insect swarms, and a prince of Hell linked to gluttony and envy.
- Artworks cited include a 1794 illustration by Richard Westall and Jean Pierre Simon, an 1863 Dictionnaire Infernal image, and James Gillray's June 1797 cartoon The kitchen below, or: Beelzebub going to supper.
Entities
Artists
- Elijah the Tishbite
- King Ahaziah of Israel
- Richard Westall
- Jean Pierre Simon
- William Hayley
- James Gillray
Institutions
- TheCollector
- Louvre Museum
- Wikimedia Commons
- Bodleian Library
- London und Paris
Locations
- Ekron
- Samaria
- Israel
- Ugarit
- Jerusalem