Belial
Americannoun
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Theology. the spirit of evil personified; the devil; Satan.
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(in Milton'sParadise Lost ) one of the fallen angels.
noun
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a demon mentioned frequently in apocalyptic literature: identified in the Christian tradition with the devil or Satan
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(in the Old Testament and rabbinical literature) worthlessness or wickedness
Etymology
Origin of Belial
< Hebrew bəliyyaʿal, equivalent to bəlī without + yaʿal, worth, use
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Messiah, the Teacher of Righteousness, is opposed to a Demon of Evil, most frequently known as Belial or Beliar.
From The New Yorker • May 6, 1955
He tongue-lashed the backwoods yokelry until they jumped up, tore hair, foamed at mouth, shrieked remorse, fought Belial, collapsed exhausted but good Methodists.
From Time Magazine Archive
Belial and Moloch�to help them turn base metal into gold.
From Time Magazine Archive
The circus is operated by Magnus the Great�a kind of Barnum and Belial character who sits in his tent and manipulates human marionettes strung on ropes high in the air.
From Time Magazine Archive
Belial: Through something specious, 'neath some seeming 'guised.
From Vondel's Lucifer by Vondel, Joost van den
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
