HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H1100
בְּלִיַּ֫עַל
be.liy.ya.al — Belial
A name like sa.tan (שָׂטָן "Satan" H7854) This name means worthless, base, wicked
26 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY
Belial
Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term
How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.
GREEK · G955
Βελίαλ
Belial — Belial
Βελίαλ, ὁ, indecl. (Heb. בְּלִיַּעַל, worthlessness, but see DB, i, 268), Belial, a name of Satan: 2Co.6:15, Rec. See next word.† Βελιάρ, ὁ, indecl. (another form of previous word, "due to harsh Syriac pronunciation," or else Heb. בֵּל יַעַר, lord of the forest), Beliar, a name of Satan: 2Co.6:15 (see DB, i, 269).† (AS)
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →Historical dictionary entry
Worthlessness, frequently used in the Old Testament as a proper name. It is first used in Deut. 13:13. In the New Testament it is found only in 2 Cor. 6:15, where it is used as a name of Satan, the personification of all that is evil. It is translated “wicked” in Deut. 15:9; Ps. 41:8 (R.V. marg.); 101:3; Prov. 6:12, etc. The expression “son” or “man of Belial” means simply a worthless, lawless person (Judg. 19:22; 20:13; 1 Sam. 1:16; 2:12).
Scripture references
Deuteronomy 13:132 Corinthians 6:15Deuteronomy 15:9Psalms 41:8Proverbs 6:12Judges 19:22Judges 20:131 Samuel 1:161 Samuel 2:12
Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.