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BELIAL - JewishEncyclopedia.com JewishEncyclopedia.com A AACH - ABDI ABDI - ABRA ABRA - ABRA ABRA - ADLE ADLE - AINM AIRE - ALGA ALGE - AMOR AMOS - ANTU ANTW - ARTA ARTA - ASSE ASSE - AZZU B BAAL - BAKH BAKI - BARN BARN - BEAB BERA - BELM BELM - BENJ BENJ - BERN BERN - BIED BIEG - BLUM BLUM - BORN BORO - BROD BROD - BYZA C CABA - CANS CANS - CARP CARP - CEME CENS - CHAS CHAT - CHRI CHRI - COHE COHE - COLO COLO - CORD CORD - CREM CREM - CZYN D DABB - DANO DANO - DAVI DAVI - DAVI DAVI - DEDE DEDI - DENM DENV - DEUT DEUT - DIES DIET - DLUG DLUG - DOSA DOSA - DUAL DUAR - DYVI E EAGL - EFES EFOD - EJEC EKAH - ELEA ELEA - ELIE ELIE - ELIJ ELIJ - ELTE ELVI - ENGE ENGE - EPIC EPIG - ESTE ESTE - EVIL EVIL - EZRA F FABL - FARH FARH - FELB FELD - FEUE FEUS - FISC FISC - FLEX FLIS - FORG FORG - FRAN FRAN - FRAN FRAN - FRID FRIE - FROH FROH - FURT G GABB - GAMA GAMA - GEDA GEDA - GERM GERM - GHIR GHIR - GLOG GLOG - GOLD GOLD - GORD GORD - GRAZ GRAZ - GUAR GUAR - GYMN H HAAR - HAIN HAIR - HAMN HAMN - HARA HARA - HAUS HAUS - HAZZ HAZZ - HEKS HELA - HERR HERS - HILL HILL - HOCH HOCH - HORO HORS - HYSS I I - IBNM IBNM - IBNY IBNY - ILLE ILLI - INDI INDI - INTE INTE - ISAA ISAA - ISAA ISAA - ISAB ISAI - ISPA ISRA - ISRA ISRA - ISRA ISRA - IZRA J JAAR - JACO JACO - JAFF JAGE - JEHO JEHO - JEWI JEWI - JOD JOEL - JONA JONA - JOSE JOSE - JOSE JOSE - JUDA JUDA - JUDE JUDE - JUWE K KAB - KALI KALI - KANA KANI - KASA KASH - KEMP KEMP - KIEV KIHA - KITE KITT - KNOT KNOX - KOKE KOLB - KOSM KOSS - KROC KRON - KUTT L LAPE - LAND LAND - LAZA LAZA - LEMO LEMU - LEVI LEVI - LEVI LEVI - LEWI LEWI - LILI LILI - LIVE LIVE - LOND LONG - LOWY LOWY - LYSI M MAAC - MALA MALA - MARK MARK - MEAS MEAT - MENA MENA - METE METH - MILL MILM - MOND MONE - MOSE MOSE - MOSE MOSE - MYST N NAAM - NAHU NAHU - NASI NASI - NATH NATH - NEBU NECH - NESE NESV - NEUZ NEVA - NICH NICH - NISS NISS - NOSE NOSS - NYON O OAKA - OHOL OHOL - OPFE OPHE - OREG OREN - OSTR OSTR - OZER P PABL - PAPP PAPP - PATT PAUL - PENI PENN - PESI PESS - PHIN PHIN - PINS PINS - POLA POLA - PORG PORG - PREG PREM - PROV PROV - PYKE Q QUAD - QUOR R RAAB - RABI RABI - RAME RAMI - RAUS RAVE - REGG REGG - REPT RESC - RIBA RIBA - RITT RITT - ROMI ROMI - ROSE ROSE - ROTH ROTH - RYSS S SAAD - SAMB SAMB - SAND SAND - SCHM SCHM - SELA SELA - SHAT SHAV - SHUS SHUS - SIMH SIMH - SOLO SOLO - SPIE SPIE - STRA STRA - SZOL T TAAM - TALM TALM - TARR TARR - TEHI TEHI - TENN TENT - THEB THEB - TIBE TIBE - TOBI TOBI - TORT TORT - TREB TREB - TRIW TROK - TYRO U UBAL - UNGA UNGE - URI URIB - UZZI V VAEZ - VANS VANC - VELL VEND - VERS VERV - VINE VINE - VIZH VOCA - VULT W WAAD - WALL WALL - WATE WATE - WEIG WEIL - WEIS WEIS - WESS WEST - WIEN WIEN - WILL WILL - WISE WISM - WOLF WOLF - WOOL WOOL - WYSB X XABI - XYST Y YAAB - YARH YARM - YEVR YEZE - YIZH YIZH - YOMK YOMT - YUSU Z ZABA - ZALI ZALM - ZARF ZARF - ZEBI ZEBI - ZEDE ZEDE - ZEIT ZEIT - ZEPH ZERA - ZIMM ZIMR - ZODI ZOHA - ZUKE ZUKU - ZWEI BELIAL. By: Morris Jastrow, Jr., Gerson B. Levi, Marcus Jastrow, Kaufmann Kohler Table of Contents —Biblical Data:In Apocalyptic Literature.—In Rabbinical and Apocryphal Literature: —Biblical Data: A term occurring often in the Old Testament and applied, as would seem from the context in I Sam. x. 27; II Sam. xvi. 7, xx. 1; II Chron. xiii. 7; Job xxxiv. 18, to any one opposing the established authority, whether civil, as in the above passages, or religious, as in Judges xix. 22; I Kings xxi. 10, 13; Prov. xvi. 27, xix. 28; Deut. xiii. 14, xv. 9; II Sam. xxiii. 6. A somewhat weaker sense, that of "wicked" or "worthless," is found in I Sam. i. 16, ii. 12, xxv. 17, xxx. 22. The use of the word in II Sam. xxii. 5 is somewhat puzzling. Cheyne explains it as "rivers of the under world," while more conservative scholars render "destructive rivers."The etymology of this word has been variously given. The Talmud (Sanh. 111b) regards it as a compound word, made up of "beli" and "'ol" (without a yoke). This derivation is accepted by Rashi (on Deut. xiii. 14). Gesenius ("Dict." s.v.) finds the derivation in "beli" and "yo'il" (without advantage; i.e., worthless). Ibn Ezra (on Deut. xv. 9), without venturing on an etymology, contents himself with the remark that "Belial" is a noun, and quotes the opinion of some one else that it is a verb with a precative force, "May he have no rising." Cheyne ("Expository Times," 1897, pp. 423 et seq.) seeks to identify Belial with the Babylonian goddess Belili (Jastrow, "Religion of Babylonia," pp. 588, 589). Hebrew writers, according to this view, took up "Belili" and scornfully converted it into "Belial" in order to suggest "worthlessness." Hommel ("Expository Times," viii. 472) agrees in the equation Belial = Belili, but argues that the Babylonians borrowed from the western Semites and not vice versa. This derivation, however, is opposed by Baudissin and Jensen ("Expository Times," ix. 40, 283).J. Jr. G. B. L.In Apocalyptic Literature. —In Rabbinical and Apocryphal Literature: In the Ḥasidic circles from which the apocalyptic literature emanated and where all angelologic and demonologic lore was faithfully preserved, Belial held a very prominent position, being identified altogether with Satan. In the Book of Jubilees (i. 20), Belial is, like Satan, the accuser and father of all idolatrous nations: "Let not the spirit of Belial ["Beliar" corrupted into "Belhor"] rule over them to accuse them before thee." The uncircumcised heathen are "the sons of Belial" (ib. xv. 32). In the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Belial is the archfiend from whom emanate the seven spirits of seduction that enter man at his birth (Reuben ii.; Levi iii.; Zebulun ix.; Dan. i.; Naphtali ii.; Benjamin vi., vii.), the source of impurity and lying (Reuben iv., vi.; Simeon v.; Issachar vi.-vii.: Dan. v.; Asher i., iii.), "the spirit of darkness" (Levi xix.; Joseph vii., xx.). He will, like Azazel in Enoch, be opposed and bound by theMessiah (Levi xviii.), "and cast into the fire forever" (Judah xxv.); "and the souls captured by him will then be wrested from his power." In the Ascensio Isaiæ, Belial is identified with Samael (Malkira [Dan. v.]; possibly Malak ra = the Evil Angel [i. 9]), and called "the angel of lawlessness"—"the ruler of this world, whose name is Matanbuchus" (a corrupt form of "Angro-mainyush" or Ahriman?) (ii. 4). In Sibyllines, iv. 2 (which part is of Christian origin) Belial descends from heaven as Antichrist and appears as Nero, the slayer of his mother. In the Sibyllines, iii. 63 (compare ii. 166) Belial is the seducer who, as the pseudo Messiah, will appear among the Samaritans, leading many into error by his miraculous powers, but who "will be burned up by heavenly fire carried along by the sea to the land [an earthquake?] to destroy his followers," "at the time when a woman [Cleopatra] will rule over the world."In regard to the meaning and etymology of the word "Belial" there has always been a wide difference of opinion. The Septuagint, in translating it "lawlessness"—ἀνόμημα (Deut. xv. 9), ἀνομία (II Sam. xxii. 5), or παράνομος (Deut. xiii. 14; Judges xix. 22; and elsewhere)—follows a rabbinical tradition which interpreted it as "beli 'ol" the one who has thrown off the yoke of heaven (Sifre, Deut. 93; Sanh. 111b; Midr. Sam. vi.; Yalḳ. to II. Sam. xxiii. 6; so also Jerome on Judges xix. 22, "absque jugo." Belial was accordingly considered the opponent of the rule of God; that is, Satan, or the antagonist of God (see Antichrist). Aquilas (LXX., I Kings xxi. 13) translates it ἀποστασία = sedition, in the same manner that the "naḥash bariaḥ," or dragon ( = Satan), is described as the apostate. The various modern etymologies, taking the word as a combination of "beli yo'il" (without worth) (Gesenius), or of "beli ya'al" (never to rise)—that is, never to do well (Ibn Ezra, Lagarde, Hupfeld, Fürst)—are alike rejected by Moore as extremely dubious (commentary to Judges, p. 419). Theodotion to Judges xx. 13, Ibn Ezra (Deut. xv. 9), and so Luther and the A. V. occasionally take Belial as a proper noun. It was Bäthgen (commentary to Ps. xviii. 5) who first translated Belial, "the land from which there is no return," and then Cheyne (in "Expositor," 1895, pp. 435-439, and in the "Encyc. Bibl." s. v. "Belial"). They proved it to be the exact equivalent of the Assyrian "matu la tarat" (the land without return). Tiamat, the dragon of the abyss, having been identified with Satan, thus gave rise to the various uses of the word, and the legends of Belial Antichrist. Baudissin, in Hauck-Herzog's "Realencyklopädie," s. v., still takes a skeptical attitude as to the mythical character of Belial in the Old Testament, without, however, explaining the peculiar history of the word. Compare Satan.Bibliography: T. K. Cheyne, The Development of the Meanings of Belial, in The Expositor, 1895, i. 435-439; idem, in Encyc. Bibl. s.v.; Bousset, Antichrist, 1895, pp. 86, 99-101; Charles, The Ascension of Isaiah, li.-lxxii. and pp. 6-8; Riehm and Hauck-Herzog's Realencyklopädie, s.v. Belial.J. Sr. K. Images of pages V:2 P:658 V:2 P:659 About Jewish Encyclopedia Literary Directorate Listing Preface Synopsis of Jewish Encyclopedia Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names Abbreviations Listings List of Patrons ©2002-2021, JewishEncyclopedia.com. 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