Hebrew word · H1100

בְּלִיַּ֫עַל

beliya'al

worthless

Usually explained as bəlî ('without') + yaʿal ('worth, profit'), meaning 'worthlessness, good-for-nothing-ness'. It is used of base men ('sons/men of belial', Deut 13:13; 1 Sam 2:12; 25:25), of a deadly or vile thing (Ps 41:8; 101:3), and of ruin.

Appears 27 times in 26 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A name like sa.tan (שָׂטָן "Satan" H7854)

This name means worthless, base, wicked

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 18:4

Range of meaning

Usually explained as bəlî ('without') + yaʿal ('worth, profit'), meaning 'worthlessness, good-for-nothing-ness'. It is used of base men ('sons/men of belial', Deut 13:13; 1 Sam 2:12; 25:25), of a deadly or vile thing (Ps 41:8; 101:3), and of ruin. Another long-standing proposal reads it as bəlî + ʿālāh, '(the place from which) one does not come up', that is, the underworld. In poetry like this it sits beside 'death' and 'Sheol' as a name for deadly destruction.

Against the English

KJV has 'ungodly men' and YLT 'the worthless', both reading it in its moral sense about people. WEB and NASB have 'ungodliness', BSB 'chaos', and NIV, ESV and NLT 'destruction'. The renderings swing between a moral sense (wicked people) and a cosmic one (the destroying deep).

How it drifted

Later Jewish writings made Belial (or Beliar) a personal name for the chief of evil spirits. This happens in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where Belial leads the 'sons of darkness', in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, and in 2 Corinthians 6:15. Readers who know that later usage may picture the devil here. The KJV's 'ungodly men' points the other way, turning a picture of the abyss into human persecutors.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Samuel 22:5 has the identical line. In Nahum 1:11 and 2:1 (Eng. 1:15) belial is almost personified as a destroyer. In the Qumran texts (War Scroll 1QM, Community Rule 1QS) it is fully personified as Belial. Scholars such as Cross and Freedman argued for the underworld meaning in this psalm, and HALOT records both explanations of where the word comes from.

From the study of Proverbs 16:27

Range of meaning

Worthlessness, baseness, destructive villainy. Usually found in phrases like 'man of', 'sons of', 'daughter of' or 'witness of' beliyyaʿal, meaning a person who undermines the social and religious order. It can also mean ruin or destruction itself (Ps 18:4, 'torrents of beliyyaʿal'). People so described: men who would lead Israel into idolatry (Deut 13:13), the men of Gibeah (Judg 19:22), Eli's corrupt sons (1 Sam 2:12), Nabal (1 Sam 25:17, 25), and the hired false witnesses against Naboth (1 Kgs 21:10, 13).

Against the English

BSB, WEB and ESV say 'worthless'. NIV says 'scoundrel'. KJV says 'ungodly' (following the Latin Vulgate, 'impius'). To a modern ear 'worthless' can sound like 'useless' or 'lazy', and 'ungodly' sounds like 'not religious'. The Hebrew means someone actively destructive, a menace to the community.

How it drifted

English 'worthless' has weakened toward 'having no value'. 'Ungodly' entered through the Vulgate's 'impius' and now suggests lack of piety rather than villainy. Later still, 'Belial' became a proper name for a demon, which leads some readers to hear this verse as about a devil-possessed person.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Hebrew Bible uses it about 27 times. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, Belial becomes the name of the chief evil spirit, leader of the 'lot of Belial' (War Scroll, Community Rule). Paul's 'Beliar' (2 Cor 6:15) reflects that later personified use. In Proverbs it is still an ordinary description of a person: compare 6:12, 'a man of beliyyaʿal, a man of trouble, who goes about with a crooked mouth', and 19:28, 'a beliyyaʿal witness mocks justice'. The origin of the word is debated (see debates).

From the study of Psalm 101:3

Range of meaning

Worthlessness in the strong sense: baseness, villainy, destructive lawlessness, ruin. It most often appears in phrases like 'sons/men/daughter of beliyya'al': scoundrels who break the bonds that hold a community together. Examples are men inciting idolatry (Deut 13:13), the men of Gibeah (Judg 19:22), Eli's corrupt sons (1 Sam 2:12), Nabal (1 Sam 25:25), the rebel Sheba (2 Sam 20:1), and the hired false witnesses against Naboth (1 Kgs 21:10, 13). It can also describe a base thought (Deut 15:9, 'a beliyya'al thing in your heart'), a deadly affliction (Ps 41:8) and the 'torrents of beliyya'al' alongside death and the grave (Ps 18:4 / 2 Sam 22:5). Where the word comes from is debated. The most common view is beli ('without') + ya'al ('profit, worth'). Others suggest 'the place from which one does not come up', meaning the underworld, or a link to bala' ('swallow').

Against the English

The KJV's 'wicked' and the NIV's 'vile' keep the moral weight. 'Worthless' (BSB, ESV, NASB, YLT) follows the likely origin of the word, but in modern English 'worthless' usually means 'of no value, useless, a waste of time'. That is much milder than the Hebrew, which describes something actively corrupt and destructive.

How it drifted

The English word 'worthless' has weakened toward 'pointless' or 'trivial'. Separately, readers who know 'Belial' as a name for Satan (2 Cor 6:15; Milton) may assume a devil is mentioned here. In this psalm it is an ordinary noun, not a person.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint often renders it as paranomos, 'lawless' ('men of lawlessness', Deut 13:13; 1 Kgdms/1 Sam passages). In this verse it is 'a lawless matter' (pragma paranomon). Between the Testaments the word becomes a proper name: in the Dead Sea Scrolls (the War Scroll, the Community Rule) Belial is the chief of the forces of darkness, and Paul's 'Beliar' (2 Cor 6:15) continues that usage. That personified sense comes later than this psalm.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 13:13 בְלִיַּ֙עַל֙ worthlessness

    that wicked men have arisen from among you and have led the people of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not known),

    Here: 'Worthlessness': men who are good for nothing and actively harmful. Elsewhere in the Bible the word clusters around people who undermine legitimate order: rebels, false witnesses, men who despise rightful authority. Here it is a common noun, not the name of a demon.

  2. Deuteronomy 15:9 בְלִיַּ֜עַל worthlessness

    Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

    Here: A noun describing the 'word': a base, contemptible thought. Deuteronomy uses the same term for men who lead a town into idolatry (13:13). It is a strong word for a quiet business calculation.

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 19:22 בְלִיַּ֗עַל worthlessness

    While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him!”

    Here: 'Worthlessness': men who break every social and religious restraint. It is a common noun here, not the name of a demon.

  2. Judges 20:13 בְלִיַּ֜עַל worthlessness

    Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites.

1 Samuel · 6

  1. 1 Samuel 1:16 בְּלִיָּ֑עַל worthlessness

    Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”

  2. 1 Samuel 2:12 בְלִיָּ֑עַל worthlessness

    Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD

    Here: Not a proper name here. It is a strong word for men who are good for nothing and do active harm: lawless, destructive, contemptuous of what is sacred and of social bonds. In Hebrew narrative it is one of the harshest labels you can give someone.

  3. 1 Samuel 10:27 בְלִיַּ֣עַל worthlessness

    But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him and brought him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it.

    Here: A strong moral label for people who are useless, lawless and destructive to the community. Together with the word before it, it means "base, good-for-nothing men". Here it is not the name of a demon.

  4. 1 Samuel 25:17 בְּלִיַּ֔עַל worthlessness

    Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”

    Here: A harsh word for a good-for-nothing, destructive, lawless person. Coming from a servant about his own master, it is startlingly blunt.

  5. 1 Samuel 25:25 הַבְּלִיַּ֨עַל <the> worthlessness

    My lord should pay no attention to this scoundrel Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.

  6. 1 Samuel 30:22 וּבְלִיַּ֗עַל and worthlessness

    but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”

2 Samuel · 4

  1. 2 Samuel 16:7 הַבְּלִיָּֽעַל׃ <the> worthlessness

    And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!

  2. 2 Samuel 20:1 בְּלִיַּ֗עַל worthlessness

    Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”

    Here: The narrator's verdict on Sheba: a good-for-nothing who tears down social order. Samuel uses the same label for Eli's sons, Nabal, and Shimei's curse on David. It is not yet the name of a demon.

  3. 2 Samuel 22:5 בְלִיַּ֖עַל worthlessness

    For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

  4. 2 Samuel 23:6 וּבְלִיַּ֕עַל and a worthless person

    But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.

    Here: Stands first for emphasis and in sharp contrast to the just ruler of verses 3–5: 'But as for worthlessness…' An abstract noun used for the people who embody it, the scoundrels and troublemakers. The attached 'and/but' marks the turn from the righteous king to his opposite.

1 Kings · 3

  1. 1 Kings 21:10 בְלִיַּעַל֮ worthlessness

    But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

    Here: 'Sons of worthlessness' means good-for-nothing, unscrupulous men who will say anything. Here they are hired perjurers. It is not yet a name for a demon.

  2. 1 Kings 21:13 בְלִיַּעַל֮ הַבְּלִיַּ֜עַל worthlessness, <the> worthlessness

    And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

    Here: "Worthlessness": the standard Hebrew label for people who are corrupt, lawless and socially destructive. Here it marks them as men who will lie under oath for a price.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 13:7 בְלִיַּ֔עַל worthlessness

    Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.

    Here: "Worthlessness." Taken together, "sons of belial" means good-for-nothings or scoundrels, men who are base and destructive. It is a common noun here and not the name of a demon.

Job · 1

  1. Job 34:18 בְּלִיָּ֑עַל worthless person

    who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 18:4 בְלִיַּ֣עַל worthlessness

    The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

    Here: In ordinary Hebrew this word labels what is worthless or ruinous, as in 'sons of belial' for scoundrels. Here it stands parallel to 'death' and to 'Sheol' in the next verse, so it most likely names deadly destruction or the underworld itself: the floods of the abyss. It is not yet the personal name of a devil figure.

  2. Psalm 41:8 בְּ֭לִיַּעַל worthlessness

    “A vile disease has been poured into him; he will never get up from where he lies!”

  3. Psalm 101:3 בְּלִ֫יָּ֥עַל worthlessness

    I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

    Here: This is a strong word for destructive, lawless baseness. 'Sons of beliyya'al' are scoundrels and troublemakers, the kind who bear false witness or stir up revolt. So the 'matter' is a vile, ruinous thing or scheme, not something merely trivial.

Proverbs · 3

  1. Proverbs 6:12 בְּ֭לִיַּעַל worthlessness

    A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,

    Here: An ordinary noun here, not a name: "good-for-nothing-ness", the destructive, lawless character of a scoundrel. "A person of beliyyaʿal" is a stock label for a man who tears the community apart.

  2. Proverbs 16:27 בְּ֭לִיַּעַל worthlessness

    A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.

    Here: With 'man' it means a scoundrel, a destructive good-for-nothing. The same word describes the false witnesses who had Naboth killed. It is a strong word of moral condemnation, not a mild word for 'useless'.

  3. Proverbs 19:28 בְּ֭לִיַּעַל worthlessness

    A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.

Nahum · 2

  1. Nahum 1:11 בְּלִיָּֽעַל׃ ס worthlessness

    From you, O Nineveh, comes forth a plotter of evil against the LORD, a counselor of wickedness.

    Here: The quality of his counsel. It is worthless and destructive, the kind of advice that leads to ruin and chaos. It is not yet the proper name of a demon (see the studies below).

  2. Nahum 1:15 בְּלִיַּ֖עַל a worthless person

    Look to the mountains—the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be utterly cut off.

    Here: 'The worthless one, the man of ruin.' It names the Assyrian oppressor, picking up 1:11, where a 'counsellor of beliyya'al' plots against the LORD. It is the grammatical subject of the 'pass through' clause.

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