SATAN (sa'tan), (Heb. gat, saw-tawn' ; Gr.
Ecrravas, sat-an-as', an opponent), the chief of fallen spirits.
The doctrine of Satan and of Satanic agency is to be made out from revelation, and from re flection in agreement with revelation.
(1) Scripture Names or Titles. Besides Satan, lie is called the Devil, the Dragon, the Evil One, the Angel of the Bottomless Pit, the Prince of this World, the Prince of the Power of the Air, the God of this World, Apollyon, Abaddon, Bella!, Beelzebub. Satan and Devil are the names by which he is oftener distinguished than by any other, the former being applied to him about forty times, and the latter about fifty times.
,„ Satan is a Hebrew word, saw-lawn', trans ferred to the English. It is derived from a verb which means 'to lie in wait,' to oppose,' to be an adversary.' Hence the noun denotes an adver sary or opposer.
(2) Old Testament References. The word in its generic sense occurs in r Kings xi :I4, 31, 'The Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon,' i. e., Hadad the Edomite. In the 23d verse the word occurs again, applied to Rezon. It is used in the same sense in I Sam. xxix :4, where David is termed an adversary ; and in Num. xxii :22, where the angel 'stood in the way for an adver sary cIy';') to Balaam,' i, e., to oppose him when he went with the princes of Moab. (See also Ps. cix:6.) In Zech. 2, the word occurs in its specific sense as a proper name: 'And he showed me Joshua the high-priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist (to satanize) him." And the Lord said unto Satan, 'The Lord rebuke thee, 0 Satan.' Here it is manifest both from the context and the use of the article that some particular adversary is denoted.
In the ist and 2d chapters of Job, the same use of the word with the article occurs several times. The events in which Satan is represented as the agent confirm this view. He was a distinguished adversary and tempter. (See also 1 Citron. xxi :t.) (3) New Testament Teaching. When we pass from the Old to the New Testament, this doctrine of an invisible evil agent becomes more clear. With the advent of Christ and the opening of the Christian dispensation, the great opposer of that kingdom, the particular adversary and antagonist of the Savior, would naturally become more active and more known. The antagonism of Satan and his kingdom to Christ and his kingdom runs through the whole of the New Testament, as will appear from the following passages and their con texts: Matt. iv :ro; xii :26 ; Mark iv:15 ; Luke x :IS; xxii :3, 31; Acts xxvi :18; Rom. XYI :20; 2 CM xi :r4 ; Rev. xx :2, 3; xii :9. Peter is once called Satan. because his spirit and conduct, at a certain time, were so much in opposition to the spirit and intent of Christ, and so much in the same line of direction with the workings of Satan. This is the only application of the word in the New Testament to any but the prince of the apostate angels.
Devil (Diabolos) is the more frequent term of designation given to Satan in the New Testament. Both Satan and devil are in several instances ap plied to the same being (Rev. xii :9), 'That old serpent, the Devil, and Satan.' Christ, in the temptation (Matt. iv), in his repulse of the tempter.
calls him Satan ; while the evangelists distinguish him by the term 'devil.' Devil is the translation of diabolos, from the verb diabolo, 'to thrust through,' to carry over,' and, topically. `to in form against,' to accuse.' He is also called the accuser of the brethren (Rev• xii :to). The He brew term Satan is more generic than the Greek diabolos. The former expresses his character as an opposer of all good; the latter denotes more particularly the relation which he bears to the saints, as their traducer and accuser. Diabolos is the uniform translation which the Septuagint gives of the Hebrew sazutawn when used with the article. Farmer says that the term Satan is not appropriated to one particular person or spirit, but signifies an adversary or opponent in general. This is to no purpose, since it is also applied to the devil as an adversary in particular. There are four instances in the New Testament in which the word diabolos is applied to human beings. In three out of the four it is in the plural number, expressive of quality, and not personality (2 Tim. iii :3; Tit. ii:3). In the fourth instance (John vi :70), Jesus says to his disciples, 'Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?' (diabolos). This is the only instance in the New Testament of its application to a human being in the singular number; and here Dr. Campbell thinks it should not be translated 'devil.' The translation is, however, of no consequence, since it is with the use of the original word that this arti cle is concerned. The obvious reasons for this application of OitifioNos to Judas, as an exception to the general rule, go to confirm the rule. The rule is that, in the New Testament usage, the word in the singular number denotes individuality, and is applied to Satan as a proper name. By the ex ception, it is applied to Judas, from his resem blance to the devil, as an accuser and betrayer of Christ, and from his contributing to aid him in his designs against Christ With these exceptions, the uses loqucndi of the New Testament shows o ALiipoXos to be a proper name, applied to an ex traordinary being, whose influence upon the human race is great and mischievous (Matt. iv :1-I1; Luke viii :I2 ; John viii:44; Acts xiii :io; Ephes. vi :11; I Pet. v:8; t John iii :8; Rev. xii :9). The term devil, which is in the New Testament the uniform translation of diabolos, is also frequently the translation of diamon and diomonon. Be tween these words and diabolos the English trans lators have made no distinction. The former are almost always used in connection with demoniacal possessions, and are applied to the possessing spirits, but never to the prince of those spirits. On the other hand, dipbolos is never applied to the demons, but only to their prince; thus showing that the one is used definitely as a proper name, while the others are used indefinitely as generic terms. The sacred writers made a distinction, which in the English version is lost. In this, our translators followed the German version: tealel, like the term devil, being applied to both diabalos and dianzon.