Belial in a sentence

In Column 4, the first mention of Belial reads: “Belial shall be unleashed against Israel” (4Q266).

What agreement has Christ with Belial?

Belial and Moloch are also present.

Belial is characterized in a wild and uncontrollable fashion, making him seem more dangerous and unpredictable.

Belial’s “council is to condemn and convict,” so the Qumran feel strongly that their people are not only aware of his purpose, but also equipped to combat his influence (1Q33;13:11).

Belial’s presence is found throughout the War Scrolls, located in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and is established as the force occupying the opposite end of the spectrum of God.

Belial’s purpose is to undermine the teachings of God, and he achieves this by imparting his nets on humans, or the incentive to sin.

By addressing “Belial and all his guilty lot,” (4Q286:2) they make it clear that he is not only impious, but also guilty of sins.

By associating Belial with all sorts of misfortune and negative external influence, the Qumran people are henceforth allowed to be let off for the sins they commit.

Coupled in this plea for protection against foreign rule, in this case the Egyptians, is a plea for protection from “the spirit of Belial” (Jubilees 1:19).

Everyone, in one way or another, finds themselves straying from the path of righteousness and by pawning this transgression off on Belial, he becomes a scapegoat for all misguidance, no matter what the cause.

However the fact that Belial is the leader of hordes is a testament to how persuasive he can be.

If Belial was obviously an arbiter of wrongdoing and was blatantly in the wrong, he wouldn’t be able to amass an army.

In Col. I, verse 1, the very first line of the document, it is stated that “the first attack of the Sons of Light shall be undertaken against the forces of the Sons of Darkness, the army of Belial” (1Q33;1:1).

In Jubilees 1:20, Belial’s appearance continues to support the notion that sin is a direct product of his influence.

In many ways this text shows how these people thought Belial influenced sin through the way they address him and speak of him.

Later in Column 5, Belial is mentioned again as one of “the removers of bound who led Israel astray” (4Q266;5:20).

Moreover, Belial’s presence acts as a placeholder for all negative influences or those that would potentially interfere with God’s will and a pious existence.

The passage then goes to enumerate the “three nets” (4Q266;4:16) by which Belial captures his prey and forces them to sin.

These are both mechanisms by which Belial advances his evil agenda that the Qumran have exposed and are calling upon God to protect them from.