Translations:Beelzebub/3/en

At the time of Christ it was commonly believed by the Jews that Beelzebub was the leader of the demons. The Pharisees accused Christ of driving out devils from the sick by the power of Beelzebub, “the prince of the devils.” The name Beelzebub is believed to be derived from Baal-zebub, a local Philistine deity worshiped at Ekron (about 25 miles west of Jerusalem), mentioned in II Kings 1:3. Some scholars think the name of the Philistine god may have been Baal-zebul, “lord of the lofty abode” or “lord of the heavenly mansion,” but later altered to the derogatory Beelzebub, meaning “lord of flies.”