Demons in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament there is frequent mention of demonic beings, but their true identity and where they have come from remains unclear. Mostly they are the dangerous, supernatural beings that wander around remote areas.

The Old Testament does not have one, uniform representation of demons and consequently there is no one, specific word in Hebrew to refer to them as a collective. It seems as if the perception of demons became increasingly negative in ancient Israel, but opinions differ on how exactly this developed.
Some exegetes assume that, in an early period, people believed demons were spirits that belonged to God. They were sometimes sent to people by God to cause them misfortune. Only later did people start to believe that only the good spirits were sent by God, and that demons were evil spirits, independent from God. Others think that the people of ancient Israel always believed that demons were independent forces of evil.

In the Old Testament there are different beings who can be classified as “demons”. They are often beings who dwell in dangerous areas. They are frequently depicted as a combination of human and animal. Examples are:

In the Old Testament there are also demons that are sent by God to bring people misfortune. In 1 Samuel 16:14, God sends an evil spirit to Saul, who causes Saul to be consumed by jealousy. In Exodus 12:23, God sends an “Angel of Death” to Egypt to kill all the first-born sons. This “Angel” can also be seen as an evil spirit.