Person Old Testament
Baal-zebub
Baal-zebub was the god of Ekron whom Ahaziah consulted about his illness. Mentioned in 4 verses across 1 book, first at 2 Kings 1:2.
Why it matters. A Philistine god worshiped at Ekron.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Baal-zebub
Baal-zebub, meaning "Lord of the Flies," was the god of the Philistine city of Ekron. In 2Kings 1, King Ahaziah of Israel sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub whether he would recover from an illness. This action provoked God's anger, and the prophet Elijah confronted the king, prophesying that he would die for seeking guidance from a pagan god rather than the Lord. The narrative presents Baal-zebub as a false god whose worship was forbidden for Israelites. Consulting this deity was seen as a direct violation of the commandment to worship only the one true God. The passage also demonstrates the futility of trusting in false gods, as Baal-zebub had no power to heal Ahaziah or overturn God's decree of judgment.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 4 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.