In the Bible, Satan means “accuser” or “adversary” in Hebrew and appears as a title for a celestial being who opposes God and humanity, particularly in the books of Job and Zechariah. He is also used more generally to refer to any adversary, such as a human political foe or even the Angel of the Lord who blocked Balaam’s path. In the New Testament, Satan is a distinct personification of evil, the “father of lies,” a murderer from the beginning who deceives the world and is the enemy of God, Christ, and believers.
Meaning and Origin
Hebrew origin:
The word “Satan” (Hebrew: שָׂטָן) means “adversary” or “one who resists”.
Title vs. Proper Name:
In the Old Testament, the use of the definite article (“the Satan”) suggests a title for a specific being, while its absence can refer to any human or angelic adversary.
Satan in the Old Testament
The Accuser in Job:
In the books of Job, “the Satan” is presented as a subordinate courtier of God, challenging Job’s righteousness and acting as an accuser before the divine throne.
Human and Angelic Adversaries:
The term “satan” is used for human political enemies of Solomon (1 Kings 11) and for the Angel of the Lord who opposes Balaam in Numbers 22.
Satan in the New Testament
Personification of Evil:
Here, Satan is a distinct, personal being and the source of evil, also called “the Devil”.
Enemy of God and Humanity:
He is depicted as a deceiver, a liar, and a murderer who opposes God’s plan and leads humanity astray.
The “Roaring Lion”:
Satan is described as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” tempting and seeking to capture believers.
Overcome by Christ:
The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ won a decisive victory over Satan and the demonic forces, delivering believers from his dominion.
Other Names for Satan
The Devil:A common New Testament name for the evil one.
The Serpent:The ancient deceiver who brought sin into the world.
The Evil One:A simple reference to his wicked nature.
online bible dictionary satan in the bible
Online Bible dictionaries explain that
the name “Satan” is a Hebrew word meaning “adversary” or “one who resists,” and it refers to the chief enemy of God. The concept of Satan evolved throughout the Bible, appearing in different forms and with different roles in the Old and New Testaments.
Meaning of the name
The Hebrew word śāṭān means “adversary,” “accuser,” or “opponent”.
When a definite article (in Hebrew, “ha”) is used, it refers to a specific divine adversary, “the satan,” such as in the Book of Job. Without the definite article, it can refer to any human or divine adversary.
In the New Testament, the Greek word satanas is a direct loanword from Hebrew. It is often used interchangeably with the Greek word for “devil,” diabolos, meaning “slanderer”.
Satan in the Old Testament
Book of Job: In this book, “the satan” is a member of the divine court who acts as a prosecutor or accuser, testing humanity’s faith. With God’s permission, he brings suffering to Job to test his righteousness, but Job remains faithful despite the trials.
Zechariah 3:1–2: In a vision, “the satan” is seen accusing the high priest Joshua, representing the sins of Israel. However, the Lord rebukes Satan and forgives Joshua.
1 Chronicles 21:1: Satan appears as an inciter of evil. This verse, which records Satan inciting David to take a census, shows a clear shift toward Satan acting maliciously and in opposition to God’s will.
The serpent in Eden: The serpent in the book of Genesis is not identified as Satan in the Old Testament itself. However, later New Testament authors and Christian tradition explicitly connect the serpent to Satan.
Satan in the New Testament
Personalized evil: Unlike the Old Testament’s more limited view, the New Testament presents Satan as a distinctly evil, superhuman being and the chief opponent of God.
The Tempter: Satan actively tempts both believers and Jesus himself. He tempts Jesus in the wilderness and is depicted as the one who tempts believers through a lack of sexual self-control and other weaknesses.
Opponent of God’s work: Satan works to hinder the spread of the Gospel by snatching away the word of God sown in people’s hearts.
Defeated, but still at work: The New Testament teaches that while Christ has broken Satan’s power through his death and resurrection, Satan is not yet powerless. He is portrayed as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8) and must be resisted by believers.
Final doom: The Book of Revelation describes Satan’s final defeat. He will be bound and imprisoned before ultimately being cast into the lake of fire, along with those who followed him.