Satan in the Old Testament
Satan went though quite an identity change in Biblical times. In Job and Zechariah the satan is a role God assigned to one of his angels. In Job that role is to test the faith of the Jews, in Zechariah the satan is like a prosecutor in a court of law. The satan actually means the adversary, and in fact in the Hebrew the word appears in several other verses, including these:
Part of the re-imagining of Satan involved re-interpreting the Old Testament, and in particular Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Both of these are the longing for a foreign king to be toppled.
We know it is about the King of Babylon, because it states that quite clearly.
The fall from heaven described is a fall in the status of the king. The prophet supposes that Nebuchadnezzar wants to elevate himself above God presumably because the king has exiled God's chosen people, and sacked God's great city. It is likely the king had also captured the Ark of the Covenant, which would have been considered capturing God himself, so no surprise this was understood as setting himself up above God.
Babylonia eventually fell decades after Nebuchadnezzar II had died; he was king of the empire right up to his death. There was no fall for him. Isaiah 14 represents what they hoped would happen, not what actually did.
1 Samuel 29:4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Make the man go back, that he may return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this [man] make himself acceptable to his lord? [Would it] not [be] with the heads of these men?
2 Samuel 19:22 David then said, "What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be an adversary to me? Should any man be put to death in Israel today? For do I not know that I am king over Israel today?"
1 Kings 5:4 "But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune.
Psalm 109:6 Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.The last is interesting as the KJV actually uses the word Satan. That is quite a difference!
Psalm 109:6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.In the times between the Old and New Testaments, the concept changed dramatically, probably due to the influence of Zoroastrianism, which posits two gods, Azura Mazda and Ahriman, representing good and evil. Thus, the New Testament texts see Satan as a fallen angel who stands opposed by God.
Part of the re-imagining of Satan involved re-interpreting the Old Testament, and in particular Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Both of these are the longing for a foreign king to be toppled.
Isaiah 14
Isaiah 14 was probably written early in the Babylonian captivity, and is about the then king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II, who had just destroyed Jerusalem.We know it is about the King of Babylon, because it states that quite clearly.
Isaiah 14:3 And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4 that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how [c]fury has ceased!
5 “The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers
6 Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which [d]subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7 “The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.
8 “Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
...
“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
...
The fall from heaven described is a fall in the status of the king. The prophet supposes that Nebuchadnezzar wants to elevate himself above God presumably because the king has exiled God's chosen people, and sacked God's great city. It is likely the king had also captured the Ark of the Covenant, which would have been considered capturing God himself, so no surprise this was understood as setting himself up above God.
Babylonia eventually fell decades after Nebuchadnezzar II had died; he was king of the empire right up to his death. There was no fall for him. Isaiah 14 represents what they hoped would happen, not what actually did.
Ezekiel 28
This was probably written when Tyre was beseiged by Babylon for some 13 years, and it must have looked like a sure thing that it would fall. The king here is Ithobaal III. Again, the text is quite clear this is about the king of Tyre.28 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God,However, as Ezekiel himself records, Babylon did not prevail (Ezekiel 29:18). There was no fall for the king. As with Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 represents what they hoped would happen, not what actually did.
“Because your heart is lifted up
And you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods
In the heart of the seas’;
Yet you are a man and not God,
Although you make your heart like the heart of God—
3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
There is no secret that is a match for you.
4 “By your wisdom and understanding
You have acquired riches for yourself
And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.
5 “By your great wisdom, by your trade
You have increased your riches
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches—
6 Therefore thus says the Lord God,
‘Because you have made your heart
Like the heart of God,
7 Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,
The most ruthless of the nations.
And they will draw their swords
Against the beauty of your wisdom
And defile your splendor.
8 ‘They will bring you down to the pit,
And you will die the death of those who are slain
In the heart of the seas.
9 ‘Will you still say, “I am a god,”
In the presence of your slayer,
Though you are a man and not God,
In the hands of those who wound you?
10 ‘You will die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of strangers,
For I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!”’”
Do they Parallel Satan?
Can we even think either of these actually parallels what supposedly happened to Satan? I think the answer is a resounding No!- Neither the king of Babylon or the King of Tyre was ever actually in heaven
- In both cases the fall was figurative, not literal; a drop in status, not moving from a high location to a low position
- In each case it did not actually happen, it was merely what they hoped would happen.
ETA (21/Oct/20): Just came across this web page that pretty much confirms all the above.
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