Beelzebub Literally Means 'Lord of the Flies'

The name Beelzebub sounds ominous and otherworldly, fitting for one of Christianity's most notorious demons. But the literal Hebrew translation is surprisingly... gross. It means "Lord of the Flies." Not exactly the intimidating title you'd expect for a prince of Hell.

This wasn't meant to be flattering. The name originates from Ba'al Zəvûv, a Philistine deity worshipped in the ancient city of Ekron around 800 BCE. The Israelites, who had their own god to promote, engaged in some creative name-calling. They took the Philistine god's name—possibly originally Ba'al Zəbûl ("Lord Prince" or "Lord of the Dwelling")—and twisted it into an insult.

Ancient Trolling at Its Finest

By changing just one syllable, they transformed a title of honor into "Lord of the Flies." Imagine someone changing your name from "Alexander the Great" to "Alexander the Bug Collector." That's basically what happened here.

The insult wasn't random. Flies were associated with decay, death, and impurity in ancient cultures. Calling someone's god the "Lord of Flies" was like saying he presided over garbage dumps and rotting corpses. It was theological trash talk.

From Pagan God to Christian Demon

When Christianity emerged, Beelzebub got a career change. The New Testament mentions him as a powerful demon, with some passages suggesting he's second only to Satan himself. In the Gospels, Jesus is accused of casting out demons "by Beelzebub, the prince of demons."

Medieval Christian tradition ran with this. Beelzebub became one of the seven princes of Hell in demonology, sometimes associated with the sin of gluttony (fitting for someone whose name involves flies and decay). John Milton's Paradise Lost featured him as Satan's chief lieutenant.

The name stuck because it was memorable—and because that ancient insult had done its job. What started as Hebrew shade-throwing became permanently attached to evil itself. The Philistines' god was successfully rebranded as a demon for eternity.

Pop Culture's Favorite Demon Name

Today, "Lord of the Flies" is most famous as the title of William Golding's 1954 novel about schoolboys descending into savagery. Golding chose it deliberately, using the Beelzebub translation to symbolize the evil within humanity.

The name appears everywhere from horror movies to heavy metal songs. Not bad for a 2,800-year-old insult about flies. Sometimes the best burns really do last forever.