Editing Satan (section)

===Hebrew Bible===
[[File:Gustav Jaeger Bileam Engel.jpg|thumb|''Balaam and the Angel'' (1836) by [[Gustav Jäger (painter)|Gustav Jäger]]. The angel in this incident is referred to as a "satan".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=15–16}}]]
The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] term ''śāṭān'' ({{langx|he|שָׂטָן}}) is a generic noun meaning "accuser" or "adversary",{{sfn|Kelly|2006|p=16}}{{sfn|Campo|2009|p=603}} and  derived from a verb meaning primarily "to obstruct, oppose".<ref>ed. [[George Arthur Buttrick|Buttrick, George Arthur]]; ''The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, An illustrated Encyclopedia''</ref> In the earlier biblical books, e.g. {{Bibleverse|1 Samuel|29:4|HE}}, it refers to human adversaries, but in the later books, especially [[Book of Job|Job]] 1–2 and [[book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 3, to a supernatural entity.{{sfn|Campo|2009|page=603}} When used without the definite article (simply ''satan''), it can refer to any accuser,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=1–13, 28–29}} but when it is used with the definite article (''ha-satan''), it usually refers specifically to the heavenly accuser, literally, ''the'' satan.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=1–13, 28–29}}

The word with the [[definite article]] ''Ha-Satan'' ({{langx|he|הַשָּׂטָן}} ''hasSāṭān'') occurs 17 times in the [[Masoretic Text]], in two books of the Hebrew Bible: [[Book of Job|Job]] ch. 1–2 (14×) and [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] 3:1–2 (3×).<ref>Stephen M. Hooks – 2007 "As in Zechariah 3:1–2 the term here carries the definite article (has'satan="the satan") and functions not as a...the only place in the Hebrew Bible where the term "Satan" is unquestionably used as a proper name is [[Books of Chronicles|1 Chronicles]] 21:1."</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Coogan, Michael D.; ''A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context'', Oxford University Press, 2009</ref> It is translated in English bibles mostly as 'Satan'.

[[File:Blake Book of Job Linell set 6.jpg|thumb|''The Examination of [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]]'' ({{circa|1821}}) by [[William Blake]]]]
The word does not occur in the [[Book of Genesis]], which mentions only a [[Serpents in the Bible|talking serpent]] and does not identify the serpent with any supernatural entity.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=14}} The first occurrence of the word "satan" in the Hebrew Bible in reference to a supernatural figure comes from {{bibleverse|Numbers|22:22|HE}},{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=16}} which describes the [[Angel of the Lord|Angel of Yahweh]] confronting [[Balaam]] on his donkey:{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=15–16}} "Balaam's departure aroused the wrath of [[Elohim]], and the Angel of Yahweh stood in the road as a satan against him."{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=16}} In {{bibleverse|2 Samuel|24|HE}} Yahweh sends the "Angel of Yahweh" to inflict a plague against Israel for three days, [[Destroying angel (Bible)|killing 70,000 people]] as punishment for [[David]] having taken a census without his approval.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=20}} {{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|21:1|HE}} repeats this story, but replaces the "Angel of Yahweh" with an entity referred to as "a satan".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=20}}

Some passages may refer to the satan, without using the word itself.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=18–19}} {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|2:12|HE}} describes the [[Eli (biblical figure)#The sons of Eli|sons of Eli]] as "sons of [[Belial]]";{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} the name "Belial" may be a synonym for "satan",{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} although elsewhere in the Bible "belial" is a word meaning "worthlessness" and the phrase "sons of belial" translated as "worthless fellows".<ref>[https://mg.alhatorah.org/Dictionary/1100 Concordance: בְּלִיַּעַל  (שם עצם)]</ref> In {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|16:14–23|HE}} Yahweh sends a "troubling spirit" to torment King [[Saul]] as a mechanism to ingratiate David with the king.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=18}} In {{bibleverse|1 Kings|22:19–25|HE}} the prophet [[Micaiah]] describes to King [[Ahab]] a vision of Yahweh sitting on his throne surrounded by the [[Heavenly host|Host of Heaven]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} Yahweh asks the Host which of them will lead Ahab astray.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}} A "spirit", whose name is not specified, but who is analogous to the satan, volunteers to be "a Lying Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=19}}

====Book of Job====
The satan appears in the [[Book of Job]], a poetic dialogue set within a prose framework,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} which may have been written around the time of the [[Babylonian captivity]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} In the text, [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] is a righteous man favored by Yahweh.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} {{bibleverse|Job|1:6–8|HE}} describes the "[[sons of God]]" (''bənê hāʼĕlōhîm'') presenting themselves before Yahweh.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} Yahweh asks one of them, "the satan", where he has been, to which he replies that he has been roaming around the earth.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} Yahweh asks, "Have you considered My servant Job?"{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=21}} The satan replies by urging Yahweh to let him torture Job, promising that Job will abandon his faith at the first tribulation.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=21–22}} Yahweh consents: the satan destroys Job's servants and flocks, yet Job refuses to condemn Yahweh.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|pages=21–22}} The first scene repeats itself, with the satan presenting himself to Yahweh alongside the other "sons of God".{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=22}} Yahweh points out Job's continued faithfulness, to which the satan insists that more testing is necessary;{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=22}} Yahweh once again gives him permission to test Job.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=22}} In the end, Job remains faithful and righteous, and it is implied that the satan is shamed in his defeat.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Steinmann|first1=AE|title=The structure and message of the Book of Job|journal=Vetus Testamentum}}</ref>

====Book of Zechariah====
{{bibleverse|Zechariah|3:1–7|HE}} contains a description of a vision dated to the middle of February of 519 BC,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=23}} in which an angel shows [[Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)|Zechariah]] a scene of [[Joshua the High Priest]] dressed in filthy rags, representing the nation of Judah and its sins,{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}} on trial with Yahweh as the judge and the satan standing as the [[prosecutor]].{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}} Yahweh rebukes the satan{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}} and orders for Joshua to be given clean clothes, representing Yahweh's forgiveness of Judah's sins.{{sfn|Kelly|2006|page=24}}