Meaning and history
From Hebrew בַּעַל זְבוּב (Baʿal Zevuv), meaning “lord of flies,” the name refers in the Old Testament to a Philistine god and may be a mocking alteration of בַּעַל זְבוּל (Baʿal Zevul), meaning “Ba’al of the exalted house.” This Hebrew form appears in the Latin translation of the Old Testament and is commonly rendered Baal-Zebub or Baalzebub in English translations. In the New Testament, the same spelling occurs in the Latin text and in most older English translations, although the Greek original has Βεελζεβούλ (Beelzeboul); newer English translations usually prefer Beelzebul. In later Christian tradition, Beelzebub is a demon or fallen angel, and in John Milton’s 1667 Paradise Lost he is Satan’s chief lieutenant.