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Does the Bible Ever Mention a Fly?

Discussion in 'Bible Versions & Translations' started by InTheLight, Nov 3, 2015.

  1. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    Does the Bible ever mention the word "fly", as in the insect, housefly?

    Housefly.jpg

    If so, what is the word, Hebrew or Greek, used in the text?

    Is this word different from the word for "fly" (the verb)?
     
  2. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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  3. robycop3

    robycop3 Well-Known Member
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    Well, actually, Van, they're first mentioned in Ex. 8:31 in almost all English versions. While the Hebrew could also mean lice, I believe it means flies in this case, due to their rapid spread.
     
  4. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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    Yes, a swarm of flying bugs (flies, beetles, wasps or what have you) that either bite or sting seems to be in view. But apparently the possibles do not include bees. :)
     
  5. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    It is my understanding that "Beelzebub" means "Lord of the Flies."
     
  6. InTheLight

    InTheLight Well-Known Member
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    Interesting, I did not know that.

    Is the word for "fly" in the original language(s) the same word as the word for "fly", as in what a bird does through the air?
     
  7. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    No it is not. My Abbot-Smith Greek lexicon informs me that the possibilities are: from the Hebrew for "lord" and "dung," or from the Hebrew through the Vulgate of 2 Kings 1:2. But the usual interpretation is Ba'al Zevuv from the Hebrew, "Lord of the Flies" (Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary of the Bible, by Merril Tenney, p. 88).
     
  8. Rob_BW

    Rob_BW Well-Known Member
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    • Informative Informative x 1
  9. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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