In an attempt to understand what the Bible is trying to communicate about Satan, we should keep in mind that Satan is not a proper name and really should be rendered as “the satan.” Satan is simply the un-translated Hebrew word for accuser. Thus in Zechariah 3:1 we are told that “the satan” stood up to “satan” Joshua (that is, the accuser stood up to accuse Joshua). The same is true for the Greek diabolos (devil)—it too means accuser. Though we are accustomed to treating “satan” as a proper name, this is a result of popular custom and not something found in the biblical text. What we should
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