BAALZEBUB bāl ze’ bub (Baal-Zebub, Beelzebul) (בְּבַ֤עַל זְבוּב׃֙, Lord of flies). A Philistine god of whom Ahaziah, son of Ahab, king of Israel inquired after he had fallen from his upper room in Samaria (2 Kings 1:2). He was evidently the god of Ekron having a considerable reputation for the king to send for a word from him. God sent Elijah to rebuke Ahaziah for this faithless act (1:3, 6), and punished the king by declaring that he would surely die (1:16). The name is strange and why the god was so called is not known. Speculation has been made that he protected his worshipers from flies, or that he was a god who sent messages swiftly as a fly moves. Another possibility is that the seeming omnipresence of flies suggested an everpresent all-seeing god. That this Baal was related to the great Baal of Syria is probable.

From this name is derived the name Beelzebub (Beelzebul) in the NT (q.v.).