Beelzebub

Beelzebub ('god of flies'), the form of Baal worshipped by the Philistines at Ekron. The Greeks also had Zeus 'Apomyios' or 'Myiagros' ('dispenser of flies'), doubtless a god of flocks and herds. As the heathen deities were all regarded as demons by the Jews, the name Beelzebub became, in course of time, commonly applied to the chief of evil spirits, and in this sense it is employed in the Gospels. The more correct reading of the word is Beelzebul, variously explained as 'lord of the dwelling,' 'lord of the dunghill.' See BAAL.