en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies
1 correction found
The title is a literal translation of Beelzebub, a biblical demon considered the god of pride and warfare.
This misdescribes Beelzebub. Standard references identify Beelzebub/Baal-zebub as “lord of the flies,” the Philistine god of Ekron, or in the New Testament the “prince of demons” — not a biblical figure specifically considered the god of pride and warfare.
Full reasoning
The first half of the sentence is broadly right: "Lord of the Flies" does derive from Baal-zebub / Beelzebub. But the rest of the claim is inaccurate.
Reliable reference works describe Baalzebub as the Philistine god of Ekron and explain the name as "Lord of flies". They also describe Beelzebul/Beelzebub in the New Testament as "the prince of demons" or another name for Satan. None of these standard sources describes Beelzebub as the god of pride and warfare.
In other words, the article conflates Beelzebub with later or nonstandard demonological associations and adds "warfare" without support from the usual biblical/reference tradition. A more accurate formulation would be that the title translates Baal-zebub / Beelzebub (“Lord of the Flies”), a Philistine deity later associated in Christian tradition with a major demon or the prince of demons.
3 sources
- Baalzebub - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway
"BAALZEBUB ... (Baal-Zebub, Beelzebul) ... 'Lord of flies'. A Philistine god ... He was evidently the god of Ekron."
- Beelzebul | Encyclopedia.com
"Beelzebul is a name used in the New Testament for 'the prince of demons' ... The explanations ... of Beelzebub (Baal-Zebub) to mean 'lord of the flies' ... express Israelite disparagement of the Philistine deity of Ekron."
- Beelzebub - Easton's Bible Dictionary Online | Bible Study Tools
"Beelzebub ... the name given to Satan ... probably the same as Baalzebub ... the god of Ekron, meaning 'the lord of flies.'"