Q

uestion

145

Is it true that the word “Satan” is never

used in the Bible to refer to an evil spirit? If

so, where did the word come from?

Jason Boyett

Who is...

?

Jason Boyett

I believe there is no better food combination on

Earth than chocolate chip cookies and milk.

A.

Honestly, it’s not clear. In the Old Testament there is a character

called in Hebrew ha-satan or “the satan,” as if it’s a title rather than

a personal name. The title is best translated “the accuser” or “the

adversary.” Mentioned fewer than a dozen times, this satan doesn’t come

across as an evil spirit, but more as a member of God’s heavenly court, subject

to God’s control.

For instance, the satan needs God’s permission to test Job, like a prosecut-

ing attorney under God’s authority. The satan shows up as part of God’s coun-

cil in Zechariah 3:1–7 and opposes a high priestly selection. In Psalm 109:6, the

psalmist asks God to appoint the satan to fi nd an enemy guilty. It’s as if the

satan’s job is a legal one. He weeds out the unfaithful.

The only place Satan appears as a proper name is in 1 Chronicles 21:1,

which describes Satan inciting David to take a census of Israel—an action that

God condemns. Oddly, 2 Samuel 24:1 gives a parallel account of this story, but

there, God is the one who commands David to take the census.

Like the doctrine of hell, the concept of Satan seems to have evolved

sometime after the Babylonian exile, possibly due to the infl uence of Persian

Zoroastrianism. Now known by a proper name, Satan takes on a much larger

role as the devil (which comes from the Greek word for “adversary”). From

Jesus in the gospels to New Testament writers such as Peter and Paul, the

devil does seem to be considered the evil opponent of God, albeit one with

limited power and bound by God’s control.