Greek word · G955

Βελίαλ

belial

Belial

In Paul's day, a proper name for the chief power of evil, Satan. Behind it is the Hebrew בְּלִיַּעַל (beliyyaʿal). The -r ending is a sound shift (l to r) found in Greek and Syriac forms of the name.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

Βελίαλ, ὁ, indecl. (Heb. בְּלִיַּעַל, worthlessness, but see DB, i, 268),

Belial, a name of Satan: 2 Corinthians 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: 2 Corinthians 6:15 (see DB, i, 269).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Corinthians 6:15

Range of meaning

In Paul's day, a proper name for the chief power of evil, Satan. Behind it is the Hebrew בְּלִיַּעַל (beliyyaʿal). That word is usually explained as beli ('without') plus yaʿal ('worth, profit'), giving 'worthlessness.' Other proposals connect it with the underworld ('the place from which none rises') or with a root meaning 'swallow' (HALOT). The -r ending is a sound shift (l to r) found in Greek and Syriac forms of the name.

Against the English

Most translations keep 'Belial.' NLT turns it into 'the devil,' which gets the referent right but loses the Jewish name and its overtones. For a modern reader 'Belial' can sound like an obscure demon, partly because of Milton's Paradise Lost. For Paul's hearers it was the leader of the whole realm opposed to God.

How it drifted

In the Hebrew Bible beliyyaʿal is mostly a common noun: 'sons of belial' means 'worthless men, scoundrels' (Deut 13:13; Judg 19:22; 1 Sam 2:12). KJV prints it with a capital as though it were a name. Between the Testaments the word became a personal name, and that is how Paul uses it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrew Bible: 'Worthless fellows' (Deut 13:13; 1 Sam 25:17). In Ps 18:4 (Hebrew v. 5) 'torrents of belial' stands parallel to death and Sheol. In Nah 1:15 (Hebrew 2:1) it is almost a person: 'belial will never again pass through you.' The Septuagint translates it with ordinary words ('lawless,' 'pest,' 'apostasy'), never as a name.

Dead Sea Scrolls: Belial leads the forces of darkness. In the War Scroll (1QM 1:1) the 'sons of light' fight 'the army of Belial.' The Community Rule (1QS 1–2) speaks of 'the dominion of Belial' and of 'the men of the lot of Belial,' set against 'the lot of God.' The Damascus Document (CD 4:13–15) names Belial's 'three nets': sexual immorality, wealth and defiling the sanctuary.

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Jewish in origin, with some Christian additions): 'Beliar' appears often, as in T. Levi 19:1: 'choose for yourselves either the light or the darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar.' That is very close to Paul's light/darkness and Christ/Beliar pairs.

Other works: Beliar also appears in the Ascension of Isaiah and the Sibylline Oracles 3.63.

Where it appears

2 Corinthians · 1

2 Corinthians 6:15 Βελιάρ; Belial?

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Here: The Jewish name of this period for the chief evil power, Satan, who opposes God. It comes from a Hebrew word meaning roughly 'worthlessness' or 'ruin.' This is the only time it appears in the New Testament, and it is the exact opposite of Christ.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.