The word “Satan” comes directly from Hebrew. However, it never appears by itself. The word is always prefixed to indicate it is a title — ha-satan, “the Satan”. The word is typically used to indicate a role, a position in a royal court. As we have taught in our community for several years, the role of the Satan is some ruler’s Black Hat, the Left-hand Man, the Accuser.
His job is to catch people who manifest disloyalty, to accuse them before the ruler, and he usually runs the jail, as well (Jailer). Yes, it’s easy for someone in that position to become corrupt. They could simply decide this or that fellow would make a good slave for his profit, so he could make up an accusation and provide fake evidence. Once in custody, the victim must serve a term of slavery from which the Jailer profits.
Among human rulers, it was common to give that role to the most powerful opposition figure. At other times, it was a position signifying demotion or punishment for offending the ruler. Some of these jailers were themselves required to live in their own jail.
This is the historic meaning of the Hebrew word ha-satan. It’s a specific role with certain powers and authority, making them accountable under the feudal system of government. I realize that in the English language, the word is used as a name, but that’s not how the Bible uses it. We need to get that part right.
We tend to use “the Devil” to indicate a specific person who started out as God’s Chief Bodyguard (cherub) and was demoted to the role of the Satan. He was put in a prison and became accountable for prisoners delivered into his domain. That would include the Watchers in permanent detention, the Nephilim who come and go, and every human born in mortal flesh except the Elect. God consigned them to confinement in the Devil’s hands. There’s nothing to prevent God having more than one Satan. Not every mention of a Satan points back to the Devil specifically, but points to a role, an office held by some elohim level creature.
Thus, for example, the Satan who shows up in Job may not have been the Devil. The identity of the Accuser doesn’t matter, only the nature of his mission. The prologue and epilogue are in drama format, meaning you cannot take the scene literally. The kind of conversation God has with His staff in Heaven would not be in any human tongue, and the scene as described only approximates the nature of the exchange. That’s how a Hebrew would read it. The whole point was the accusation and the results.
By the way, at no time did God explain to any human what was happening to Job. There is no answer to his questions. What mattered was his faithfulness, which God commended. Job’s buddies were condemned for trying to give a human explanation for something they could not comprehend in the first place. The explanation is that stuff happens in God’s courts and it affects us, but it seldom makes sense from what we can see down here. Get used to it.
When we see the title “Satan” in the Bible, focus on his role. Don’t get tangled up assuming it just has to be the Devil. The name “Lucifer” is also just a title or nickname, a mistaken translation of Scripture into Latin. Learn to recognize how the Hebrew language was written and how the Hebrews would read it, what they would make of it.
