|
|
|
Etymology •
& Meaning •
Hebrew •
Greek •
Bible •
Names •
|
|
|
Meaning and etymology of the name Belial
|
|
| | |
Belial 
The word belial originally shows up in phrases such as "sons of belial" and that's why it became treated as a personal name in later texts, although it isn't a name really. It's applied to satan (2 Corinthians 6:15, see also 2 Tessalonians 2:3), Hannah (daughter of Belial - 1 Samuel 1:16), David (2 Samuel 16:7) and a handful of others others (Deuteronomy 13:13, 1 Samuel 2:12, 1 Kings 21:10).
The word belial comes from the rootverb  (bala), meaning to become old, worn out. This verb generally denotes the process of using something until it's so worn out that it serves no more purpose. As such it indicates items that are temporal. In a way it can be said that the ultimate function of temporal things is to be destroyed, to be undone or to be brought to nothingness. This becomes immediately clear through this verb's derivatives  (bal), meaning not (a particle of negation),  (bilima), meaning
nothingness (Job 26:7);
 (bilade), meaning apart from, except, without, and  (belet), meaning not, except.
Other derivatives of the verb are:
(baleh), an adjective meaning worn out;  (belo) meaning worn out things, rags;  (tablit), meaning destruction.
Because Belial is not really a Biblical name, Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names doesn't treat it. NOBS Study Bible Name List reads Worthless, Wicked, but wickedness is not implied by this word/name. A better rendering would be Obsolete, Beyond Purpose, Beyond Function or (a bit forced) Purposelessness.
Also see the name Bilhah.
|
|
|
•Look for baby names
•Augment your Hebrew language study
•Deepen your knowledge of the Bible
•Enrich your cruise to or travel holiday in Israel
|
|
