Belial

[ bee-lee-uh l, beel-yuh l ]

/ ˈbi li əl, ˈbil yəl /

Theology. the spirit of evil personified; the devil; Satan.

(in Milton's Paradise Lost) one of the fallen angels.

Origin of Belial

< Hebrew bəliyyaʿal, equivalent to bəlī without + yaʿal, worth, use

They dreaded excommunication, men of Belial though they were.

The House of Walderne |A. D. Crake
When the sword of the Spirit began to be waved, Belial and his infernal legions began to retreat, and the Pope to falter.

The Sleeping Bard |Ellis Wynne
Belial signifies worthlessness; and hence, lawlessness, or evil.

Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 (of 7) -- Notes to the Canterbury Tales |Geoffrey Chaucer
Count not thy handmaid for one of the daughters of Belial: for out of the abundance of my sorrow and grief have I spoken till now.

The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version |Various

And he could scarce have charged him with more odious sin, than to be "A bloody man, and a man of Belial."

A Christian Directory (Part 4 of 4) |Richard Baxter

Belial

/ (ˈbiːlɪəl) /

a demon mentioned frequently in apocalyptic literature: identified in the Christian tradition with the devil or Satan

(in the Old Testament and rabbinical literature) worthlessness or wickedness

C13: from Hebrew bəlīyya`al, from bəlīy without + ya`al worth