בְּלִיַּ֫עַל
be.liy.ya.al
Belial: destruction
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word בְּלִיַּ֫עַל, translated as "Belial" and defined as "destruction," appears 8 times in the Bible. This word conveys a sense of chaos, ruin, or devastation. Its meaning is stark and negative. In terms of usage, the word בְּלִיַּ֫עַל is often associated with individuals or groups who are considered worthless or destructive. For example, in Psalm 141, the psalmist asks God to not be with people who have the spirit of Belial. This suggests that a person embodying the spirit of Belial is someone who is malevolent or destructive. The significance of this word lies in its connotation of chaos and destruction. By invoking Belial, the Bible portrays these individuals or forces as a threat to order, peace, and stability. As such, the word בְּלִיַּ֫עַל serves as a powerful symbol of the destructive forces that oppose the values and principles of the biblical authors.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences across the text
Who says to a king, ‘Vile!’ or to nobles, ‘Wicked!’?
Psalms 101:3I will set no vile thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of faithless men. They will not cling to me.
Proverbs 6:12A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth,
Proverbs 16:27A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.
Proverbs 19:28A corrupt witness mocks justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.
Nahum 1:11There is one gone out of you, who devises evil against Yahweh, who counsels wickedness.
Nahum 1:15Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.
Deuteronomy 15:9Beware that there not be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing; and he cry to Yahweh against you, and it be sin to you.