“Satan” is used as a personal name for the Devil (Heb. ןטשׂ, 1 Chr 21:1; Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-4, 6-7; Zech 3:1-2). It means “adversary.” Fighting against God and His people, Satan is the ultimate adversary, or enemy, said to be the fourth most powerful being in the universe, after the trinity (see Jude 9, 10). 1 Pet 5:8 warns believers to be sober and alert, using a different word for “adversary” to describe the devil, who intends to devour God’s people like a “roaring lion.” Though believers by themselves cannot match the power of Satan, we can, indeed, certainly defeat him as an enemy in the power of God! The doomed fate of Satan is sealed, and “the God of peace will soon crush” him under our feet (Rom 16:20).
Beel-zebub and Baal-zebul
Word Study
| Steve Stanley
ΒεελζεβούλBeelzeboúl·Strong's G954
This is another name for Satan and means “lord of filth,” from the Hebrew זְבוּל בַּעַל (ba’al zebul). It is a variation of זְבוּב בַּעַל (ba’al zebub), “lord of flies,” the name of a Palestinian deity. The term Baal-zebub is used four times in the OT (2 Kings 1:2, 3, 6, 16) referring to the “god of Ekron.” Whether or not this variation of spelling and meaning in the NT is intentional is not known. Jesus took the accusation of His association with Beelzebub very seriously and condemned it soundly.
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope, 2to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, 4and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith. 5But the goal of this command is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith, 6from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned away to vain talking, 7desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say nor about what they strongly affirm.
8But we know that the law is good if a person uses it lawfully, 9as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, 11according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
12I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service, 13although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, 20of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they might be taught not to blaspheme.