Does the Bible Ever Mention a Fly?

NIV Exodus 8:31
NKJV, HCSB NASB Isaiah 7:18

 

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.

 

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.

 

It is my understanding that "Beelzebub" means "Lord of the Flies."

 

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).

 

Caution long link follows: https://books.google.com/books?id=w...NyQIVReAmCh0fcw-O#v=onepage&q=z'bhubh&f=false

Definitions for the noun fly and the verb fly.

I wonder if z'bhubh is an onomatopoeia? Buzz buzz.

 

The evidence for "lord of the flies" is late and weak.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beelzebub