A Field Guide to Biblically Accurate Demons (and Their Leader) [Bible Verses]

Written on 03/17/2025
Jacob Edson

Biblically accurate demons and demonic beings are a varied group, ranging from "unclean spirits" to fallen angels, pagan gods, and of course, Satan himself.

The post A Field Guide to Biblically Accurate Demons (and Their Leader) [Bible Verses] appeared first on Bible Gateway News & Knowledge.

True to their nature, demons in the Bible are a tricky category — much harder to pin down than angels. Angels, despite having many types or kinds throughout the Bible, are mostly referred to as malakh in the Hebrew Old Testament and angelos in the Greek New Testament — both literally meaning “messenger.” Demons, though, can refer to many different beings in the Bible.

As a rule, demons in the Old Testament are more varied, ambiguous, and frightening than demons in the New Testament. While the latter are not to be trifled with — they can cause all sorts of harm to people — the former often appear to be much more ancient and cosmically powerful. But there are exceptions.

This article will explore the many types of demons and associated evil beings, and where they can be found in Scripture.

Demonology: A Brief Biblical and Historical Background

Christian demonology developed gradually and comes from combing through and combining a variety of Biblical and extrabiblical sources.

Terms for ‘Demons’ in the Bible

The English word “demon” comes from the Greek daimon, which appears in the New Testament more than 80 times. The two words sound very similar, but their meanings are quite different. The Greek word originally had a broad application: it can mean any divine or spiritual being, good or bad. In the New Testament context, though, they are usually bad.

On the other hand, there is no single word for “demon” in Hebrew, so they do not appear as such in the Old Testament. When you see “demons” in the Old Testament, they could be any of a variety of Hebrew terms, such as shedim, elohim (a word that’s, confusingly, also used for God), or se’irim.

Because of this diversity in their terminology, the Bible is not clear on the overlaps and differences between classes and categories like demons, fallen angels, pagan deities, and other strange, frightening, and sometimes evil entities. Many such figures are named in the Bible (and its adjacent literature), but it seldom specifies their origin or purpose in God’s design.

Ambiguous Purpose

It’s also not clear which of these spiritual beings operate on their own, or in service to Satan, or are themselves manifestations of Satan. Sometimes they even seem to operate under the command — or at least approval — of God!

All of these ambiguities meant that Christians had to do a lot of guesswork in the centuries after Jesus, piecing together the puzzle of what demons are and how they came to be — especially when it comes to their leader, Satan. Not all of their conclusions are actually found in the Bible, but for the most part they were very careful not to contradict it. Still, there remains much we don’t know (and perhaps aren’t meant to).

As for what we do know — it’s usually not hard to discern which spirits are evil (key word, usually: the devil is known as the “Prince of Lies” for a reason). Let’s take a look at each of them now.

Demons and ‘Unclean Spirits’ in the New Testament

Let’s get these out of the way first, because they’re the most straightforward.

Demons in the New Testament refer almost always to malign spirits who take possession of unwitting human beings (and occasionally animals) sometimes causing physical or mental afflictions and other times urging them toward immoral behavior. They are also often referred to as “unclean spirits” (cf. Mark 1:21-28, 5:1-13, Acts 5:16).

It’s this kind of demon that Jesus spends much of his ministry fighting and expelling in the Gospels. There are too many of these verses to list, but see for example Matthew 8:28-34, 9:32-34, 17:14-18; Mark 7:24-30; Luke 4:31-37, 8:26-39.

But despite their prevalence in the New Testament, we never learn where they come from, nor do we receive any physical descriptions of them. It’s likely that they are invisible, at least to those without divine sight. It’s worth mentioning, though, that many of the church fathers believed them to have been connected to the Nephilim, the giants or fallen angels mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4 — perhaps as their disembodied spirits.

The other kind of demon that crops up a few times in the New Testament, mostly in Paul’s letters and Revelation, appears to be of a higher order — perhaps fallen angels or pagan gods, whom we will look at below. These demons receive sacrifices (1 Cor. 10:20), offer teachings (1 Tim. 4:1), and are worshiped as alternatives to the Lord (Rev. 9:20).

Demons, Fallen Angels, and Other Semi-Divine Beings in the Old Testament

The Hebrew of the Old Testament lacks a single, specific word for demons — but it certainly does not lack for evil creatures! Some of these beings appear to be fallen angels (or descended from them), while others are specific entities with proper names who appear to be in a class of their own. A few even seem to be in the service of God.

Nephilim

The Nephilim are a class of angel mentioned briefly in Genesis 6:1-4 and Numbers 13:33, who descended (or fell) and coupled with human women, spawning a race of fearsome giants. Though referred to as “sons of God” and “heroes of old,” they soon took on a more sinister character. They are a central focus of the extracanonical (though highly influential) book of Enoch.

Shedim and Se’irim

The shedim and se’irim are the two types of being in the Old Testament that come closest to what we now think of as demons. Neither appears frequently, but they left a strong impression on the ancient Israelites.

Shedim appear only twice, in Deuteronomy 32:17 and Psalm 106:37, where they are associated with foreign deities who demanded child sacrifice. Their physical appearance isn’t mentioned, but in other ancient texts they are described as winged, sometimes serpentine spirits.

The appearance of the se’irim on the other hand is much clearer: the word is associated with male goats and “hairiness,” and is often translated “goat demon.” Because of this, they are often associated with the goat-legged satyrs of Greek mythology — and are probably where the later depiction of Satan as a goat-legged figure originated. They are usually seen as a much lower form of demon, though. They appear in only four passages: Leviticus 17:6-7; 2 Chronicles 11:14-15; Isaiah 13:21; and Isaiah 34:14.

Lilith

Did you read Isaiah 34:14? It’s also the only mention of Lilith, known as the “Mother of Demons” — though only in later, Medieval thought. In fact, the word in Isaiah is disputed: it could refer to Lilith, or simply a “creature of the night.”

Despite the ambiguity, a dense mythology developed around Lilith in the Middle Ages (long after the Bible was written), describing her as Adam’s disobedient first wife and a consort of witches and succubae.

Azazel

Like Lilith, Azazel is mentioned only once in the Bible (Lev. 16:6-10) and it is similarly disputed whether the passage in question refers to a named demon/fallen angel (as in the ESV, NRSVue, NABRE, CEB, and NLT) or simply to the Hebrew word for “scapegoat” (as in the Septuagint, Vulgate, KJV, NIV, and NASB).

The Hebrew meaning is unclear, but early church fathers interpreted it through the influential extracanonical book of 1 Enoch, which identifies Azazel as one of the fallen angels who fathered the Nephilim. According to this legend, Azazel later gave various gifts (such as weapons and cosmetics) to humanity, before being defeated and chained to a rock by the archangel Raphael.

Prince of Persia (and Other ‘Princes’)

The Prince of Persia is another spiritual or divine being — perhaps a fallen angel — who appears only once in the Bible, though in more detail than Lilith or Azazel, in Daniel 10.

In this chapter, Daniel describes a vision in which an unidentified angel (traditionally associated with the archangel Gabriel) delivers an apocalyptic message about the “end of days” (Dn. 10:13). But first, the angel says he was delayed 21 days in conflict with the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” before “Michael, one of the chief princes” came to his aid. Afterwards, Gabriel will have to return to fight against the prince of Persia, and then the prince of Greece, along with Michael, “your prince” (Dn. 10:20-21).

This passage has led many commentators to believe that there are perhaps angelic or spiritual beings watching over every nation — some evil (e.g., the princes of Persia and Greece) and some good (e.g., Michael). It’s also likely that the angels, principalities, and powers that Paul refers to in Romans 8:38-39 are these very princes.

Mavet (Mot)

Mot — spelled mavet or maveth in Hebrew — was the Canaanite god of death. In Hebrew the word (which appears over 100 times in the Old Testament) usually just means “death,” and that’s nearly always how it’s translated into English.

But there are some places — such as Job 28:22, Psalm 49:14, Isaiah 28:15, and Habakkuk 2:5 — where it seems to become more personified. Is that simply poetical, metaphorical language? Or does it suggest Mot is a demonic entity of some kind? We can’t be sure.

Early Christians debated about whether pagan gods: a) didn’t exist; b) did exist, yet were impotent; or c) did exist, and were malevolent. The score was never really settled, and the conversation continues to this day.

Abaddon

Like Mot, the word abaddon is a Hebrew word with a general meaning — in this case, “destruction.” Unlike Mot, it only occurs six times in the Hebrew Bible, and is understood to be a proper noun — either as a place or an angel. Abaddon is closely associated with Sheol, the place of the dead — and with Mot: they appear side-by-side in Job 28:22. (See also Job 26:6, 31:12; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 15:11, 27:20).

Abaddon also appears in the New Testament under the Greek name Apollyon (Rev. 9:11), where he guards a bottomless pit (probably Sheol, though it’s not named in the passage) from which smoke and horrifying locusts emerge to scourge the people who do not have “the seal of God on their foreheads” (Rev. 9:4).

Destroying Angels: Are They Good or Evil?

Many of the creatures on this list are pretty squarely evil, while a few (such as Mavet and Abaddon) are somewhat ambiguous as to whether they are demonic foes or divine agents of vengeance.

Destroying angels, though, are a special case: also known as “destroyers,” “death bringers,” “messengers of death,” and sometimes simply “the angel of the Lord,” they are fearsome and (as the name implies) destructive. Yet they operate under God’s control to deliver his retribution.

  • In 2 Samuel 24, the Lord asks David to conduct a census. Yet after he has done so, David comes to believe he has sinned, and the Lord sends pestilence upon Israel in punishment. God’s angel is then about to destroy Jerusalem, when God relents and tells him to stop. David then sees what must have been a terrible and astonishing sight, the angel with sword outstretched over Jerusalem. David repents and asks God to punish only him rather than his people.
  • This story is retold in 2 Chronicles 21, yet curiously, here it is Satan that asks David to conduct the census. But it is still God who sends (and recalls) the destroying angel.
  • The angel of the Lord slaughters 185,000 Assyrians when King Sennacherib launches an invasion against Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35).
  • Destroying angels also appear in Exodus 12:23 (as the “destroyer”), Job 33:22 and Proverbs 16:14 (as “death bringers” or messengers), and Psalm 78:49.

Pagan Gods Mentioned in the Bible

The Bible (specifically the Old Testament) mentions quite a few pagan deities (elohim) worshiped by neighboring peoples of the Israelites — and all too often, by the Israelites themselves.

As I said above (while discussing Mawet/Mot, the Canaanite god of death), it’s not altogether clear — either in the Bible or from rabbinical and church authorities — whether these deities should be seen as real demonic entities or impotent idols. But either way, they did often distract the ancient Israelites from true worship of the Lord, and sometimes led to abhorrent practices such as child sacrifice.

Here are some of the more prominent pagan gods mentioned in Scripture:

Chaos Monsters and Dragons

Not demons exactly, chaos monsters were common figures in Near Eastern mythology who represented the forces of nature or supernature that even the gods could not control. The God of the Bible can, of course, control them (in fact, Genesis 1:21 might refer to him creating them — or just to large sea creatures like whales and sharks). But they are often depicted as being in opposition to him.

These include:

Dragons, on the other hand, can represent several different possible creatures, depending on the translation. In some versions, such as the KJV, NRSVue, and NABRE, the word “dragon” often translates the Hebrew word tannîn (e.g., Psalm 74:13). Other times you might see it rendered “sea monster,” “serpent,” or even just “snake” (e.g., Deut. 32:33).

In the book of Revelation, where the word translates the Greek drakon, the translation is much more consistent. Here, it clearly depicts a fearsome being that has come to be associated with Satan himself (see Rev. 12). The question is: which Old Testament “dragons” should be, too?

Satan, Prince of Demons

Satan is of course the leader (or prince) of the demons. He goes by many, many different names, and indeed many of the other entities in this article are frequently associated with him, either as servants, aspects, or epithets.

In other words, exactly who Satan is and how he is connected to the many other angelic, demonic, spiritual, and divine entities mentioned in the Bible is very unclear and a topic of ongoing discussion. Again, that’s partly the point: he’s not known as the “Father of Lies” for nothing.

We don’t have space here for the full picture of how the different understandings of Satan in and out of the Bible developed. But here are a few important aspects to be aware of.

The Adversary/Accuser

Like Mavet and Abaddon, the word “satan” is not actually a proper name but simply a Hebrew word meaning “adversary” or “accuser.” Yet also like Mavet and Abaddon, it became increasingly associated with a very particular Adversary in ancient Israel.

In the Old Testament the word appears many times in both meanings — mostly as a general term in the historical books and as a name in Job and the prophets.

By the time of the Jesus, though, the word Satan had clearly taken on the specific meaning. The New Testament, written in Greek, uses the Hebrew name Satan more than 30 times (more than it appears in the entire Old Testament). Here are just a few of them: Matt. 16:23; Mark 1:13; Luke 11:18; John 13:27; 1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 11:14; Rev. 12:9.

The Devil

The other most common name of Satan in the Bible is the Devil, a translation of the Greek word diabolos meaning — surprise — “accuser” or “slanderer.” So in other words, while the Hebrew word for “accuser” had become the proper name Satan, Satan was also still referred to by the Greek word for “accuser.”

The two terms are used more or less interchangeably in many of the same passages, as well as many others, such as throughout Matthew 4 and Luke 4, and in John 8:44, Ephesians 6:10-11, 1 Peter 5:8, 1 John 3:8-10, and more.

You can also find diabolos in its more general meaning of “slanderer” or “false accuser” in a few places, namely 1 Tim. 3:11, 2 Tim. 3:3, and Titus 2:3.

Other Names Associated With Satan

Many other names and entities in (and outside) the Bible have come to be associated with Satan, though in many cases the Bible itself isn’t explicit about the connection. Here are some of them — you can look up the verses and do your own research using Bible Gateway Plus or your favorite Study Bible.

  • The Serpent (Gen. 3:1-15) is often believed to be Satan based on his manipulative dishonesty and references to “that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” in Rev. 12:9 (RSV, ESV, NRSVue).
  • Lucifer (Isa. 14:12) became associated with Satan because of Luke 10:18, 2 Cor. 11:14, and Enoch’s account of fallen angels.
  • Belial (Jdg. 19:22, 1 Sam. 2:12, 2 Cor. 6:15), a Hebrew word meaning “wicked or worthless,” later became used as a proper name in the same manner as we have seen in other examples above.
  • Azazel (see above)
  • Beelzebub (see above)
  • Abaddon (see above)
  • Ruler of this world (John 12:31) or god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4)

Conclusion: Not All Fun and Games

Taking a long look into the wild, phantasmagoric world of the Bible’s demonology, as we’ve done in this article, can feel like an adventure into a fantasy world. Indeed, angelic and demonic imagery has been mined for many incredible works of fiction — including an excellent Christian board game.

It’s an open question and point of ongoing discussion (for thousands of years) how literally Christians should take all of these demonic creatures. But regardless of whether Lilith, Azazel, and Mavet are real beings or symbolic representations, they speak of the indisputably real evil that Christians (and all people) must contend with in the world. In general, it’s good to be aware of these forces — but not to spend too much time looking into them. Instead, let them be a reminder to put on your spiritual armor every day and turn your gaze to the saving light of Christ through Scripture and prayer.

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The post A Field Guide to Biblically Accurate Demons (and Their Leader) [Bible Verses] appeared first on Bible Gateway News & Knowledge.