I know I am often a Party Pooper on this site, BUT There is no “entity or being” in the Hebrew Bible "named" Satan.

There is no “entity or being” in the Hebrew Bible named “Satan”

The word “satan” is a Greek word that comes from the Aramaic that in turn comes from Hebrew, the meaning is adversary or opponent. It is a reference to mean someone that “resists” another or places himself “between” in order to prevent someone from doing something. This action can be for good or for bad. Angels (messengers) are sometimes “adversaries” (satans) when Yahweh (God) uses them for this purpose. See Zec 3:1. See Matt. 16:23 (where Peter became a satan (adversary) to Yahshua.

Among those books of the Hebrew Scriptures written before 300 BCE, the term “satan” (root word “STN“) appears often. The word is derived from the original Hebrew verb which means “to oppose.” The Septuagint, that translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek was widely used in the early Christian church. They translated “satan” also as “diabolo” from which we get our English term “devil” and “diabolic.” The literal Greek word diabolo means a “through-thrower” (dia=through, and bolo=to throw). Often times, the word satan and the word devil are now interchangeable.

There are also times when Yahweh (God) Himself becomes “an adversary” (an opponent), to prevent, or to cause something to occur or happen. Compare 1 Chr 1:1, with II Sam 24:1.

There is no Spirit being that can cause another to do wicked deeds. Spiritual messengers (angels) or spirit beings always do the exact will of the Father, their Almighty Creator Power and Life-Force Essence. Anyone however can be a “satan” since it is a position one takes against another. For example the wife can resist or oppose her husband in an action or by opinion, and she would then be “the satan” to him. A father preventing a child from an action, for the good of the child, or to aid in teaching a child right from wrong may become “the satan” from the view point of the child, especially if punishment is involved.

In biblical Hebrew, the definite article (the word “the”) is a single letter “H”(called hey). Hebrew prefixes (attach) the definite article to a noun (or participle) to make it a substantive, so that all languages that have definite articles, the noun is then made specific. However, Biblical Hebrew never puts the definite article (the word “the”) before a proper personal noun (a name). In this respect Hebrew is like English. I don’t call myself “the William” (I would call myself William). Hebrew simply does not put the article before proper names. As the well known biblical Hebrew reference grammar by Jouon-Muraoka notes: “No proper noun of person takes the article, not even when it has the form of an adjective or a participle.” ¹

The satan (the opponent or adversary) providing the adversarial action, can be for good as well as for bad. In that sense you could say that being an “adversary” it is part of our nature, but not always for “bad,” many times to “oppose” something can often be for good.

In the Hebrew Bible, on very few occasions we may see a reference to the word devil (Hebrew SD), sometimes translated “demon.” This is always used to describe man-made objects of worship (idols).

In summary, the word devil(s), satan, and demon(s), are all inventions of the Greek New Testament writers, all are Roman Church inventions, to capture the unlearned mind. They are never uncontrolled wicked entities or actual beings of any kind that have the attributes and power to challenge their own Creator.

1. Paul Jouon and Takamitsu Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2003; 2005), vol. 2:505; Par 137.b

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