What Are Demons? Pt. 1
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Main Question for today
What is a demon/ what are a demon's characteristics?
Based upon your understanding of the Old Testament alone, what is a demon?
Origins of Demons
There are four potential theories that could explain where demons came from
Theory #1
Demons are disembodied spirits from a pre-Adam race of human-like beings
Possible shortcomings with this view:
1) This view aligns with theistic evolution
2) There is no biblical evidence to support this view as the Bible story does not indicate that such a race of human-like beings ever existed.
Theory #2
Demons are beings that coexisted with angelic beings known as Nephilim found in Genesis 6:1-4 and were human-angel hybrids
Possible shortcomings with this view:
1) This view only works if one interprets the "sons of God" as angelic beings.
It's much more likely that these "sons of God" were simply human kings as this was a common phrase used in the ancient world for kings.
2) If the "sons of God" were angels, the Bible never describes angels as having relations with human women to produce offspring.
This was an idea that came from the intertestamental texts such as 1 Enoch.
Theory #3
Demons are Spirits of humans who escaped Sheol as seen in the Witch of Endor story in 1 Samuel 28:7-25
Possible shortcomings with this view:
1) There is only one passage in the whole Bible that supports this view.
2) Would God allow such an instance to take place regarding a persons' soul?
Theory #4
Demons are fallen angels who were cast down with Satan from heaven
Ezekiel 28:13-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-9
Possible shortcomings with this view:
1) Our previous discussions on the Ezekiel and Isaiah passages could just as easily be referring to the human kings of Tyre and Babylon as laid out in the text. This perspective forces a spiritual/apocryphal meaning onto a plain and clear text about human kings
2) 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 are most likely quoting a passage from 1 Enoch, a text from the apocrypha.
3) Revelation 12:7-9 could be talking about a future event rather than an event that took place before creation. Additionally, if the angels described here are "bound" and awaiting judgement, how could they be on the earth now?
Words for "demon"
1) There doesn't seem to be a single word or concept that cleanly describes demons in the Old Testament
2) The few Hebrew words we do have are rare and occur only a handful of times.
3) The words we do use to translate as "demon" often refer to both evil entities as well as neutral "anonymous gods" in the Old Testament.
"Hairy ones"
This Hebrew word occurs about 50 times in the Old Testament
Two Hebrew words are used:
Seirim--> ("Hair ones" or "Satyrs") שעירים
Isaiah 13:21 and Isaiah 34:14
Sedim--> ("demon") שדים
Deuteronomy 32:17 and Psalm 106:37
These terms are often associated with the male goats that were presented as a sacrifice for sin offerings on the Day of Atonement.
Seirim and Sedim are also often associated with Azazel ("scape goat") found throughout Leviticus 16. The scape goat was a sacrifice that the sin of Israel was placed upon one of these goats, while the other was driven away from the Israelite camp to live in the desert places.
"Lilith"
Seen in other Ancient Near Eastern texts as a female demon associated with the Seirim and other unclean creatures. Also described as a succubus and a "child stealing" demon in other ancient cultures.
Translated as "night creature" in Isaiah 34:14
"Azazel"
Seen all throughout Leviticus 16 and is translated as "scape goat."
Leviticus 16 can refer either to the goat itself or to a place in the wilderness as the Hebrew could be understood as the goat itself, or to a specific place in the wilderness, or as the name of a specific demon that lives in the wilderness to which the scape goat is dedicated to.
Demons responsible for or present within natural phenomena
Plague/ pestilence--Hosea 13:145; Hab. 3:5; Psalm 91:6
Destruction-- Deut. 32:24; Isaiah 28:2; Hosea 13:14
Flame/firebolt-- (Deut. 32:24 translates "flame/firebolt" as "pestilence"); Hab. 3:5
Terror in the night-- Psalm 91:5
These identifications are based upon our understanding of other ancient near eastern texts and how they associated these phrases to demons and evil spirits. It seems that such phrases do not simply refer to the natural phenomena themselves, but to the demon or god responsible for, or present within, them.
Evil or Lying Spirits
Check out 1 Sam. 16:14-16, 23 and 1 Kings 22:19-23
These were lying or evil spirits sent by God.
What do we do with these. If God sent these spirits, why is God commanding evil spirits in the first place? Why did God command these evil spirits to afflict and cause harm? What do we do with these negative functions of these entities?
Relationship to Satan
Notice what major figure we left out of our discussion on demons so far?
Satan
Why is that?
The answer is because Satan is never mentioned alongside demonic entities within the Old Testament. Satan is strikingly absent within the Old Testament when it comes to language that describes demons.
As seen in our previous lesson on Satanology above, within the Old Testament, Satan seems to be functioning as an independent being who acts upon God's commands to carry out negative (note: not necessarily evil) functions as a prosecuting attorney.
Take Away
What are our take away's from this?
Are demons a major aspect of the Old Testament, or does it seem to be focused on other stuff?
If the Old Testament isn't focused on demons, what does that mean for us?
Should we be super fixated on demons or other entities such as these? Why or why not?
Sources
Kuemmerlin-McLean, Joanne K., "Demons." In The Anchor Bible Dictionary: Volume 2, edited by David Noel Freedman, 138-140. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1992.