Beelzebul

Beelzebul is another name for Satan, the leader of the evil spirits.

The meaning of the name Beelzebul is a topic for debate, but nowadays most scholars believe that the name means “Baal the prince”. There is probably a link with Baalzebub, a Philistine god who is mentioned in 2 Kings 1:2. Baalzebub means “lord of the flies”. It is possible that the real name of this Philistine god was Baalzebul, and that the biblical author changed it on purpose into the derogatory name Baalzebub, “lord of the flies”.

The name Beelzebul occurs a number of times in the Gospels. Jesus’ enemies accuse him of casting out demons with help from Beelzebul. In Matthew 10:25 Jesus himself uses this name to indicate Satan.