"a god, a superior power; in NT a malignant demon, evil angel, Mt. 8:31*"
Definition and meaning
a god, a superior power; in NT a malignant demon, evil angel, Mt. 8:31*
In the original Greek the word is written: δαίμων
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of daimon (G1142) across the King James Bible.
So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
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Common questions
Strong's G1142 (daimon) is a Greek word that means: a god, a superior power; in NT a malignant demon, evil angel, Mt. 8:31* It appears 5 times in the King James Bible.
The word daimon (G1142) appears 5 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G1142 is daimon, a Greek word defined as: a god, a superior power; in NT a malignant demon, evil angel, Mt. 8:31*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
daimon is a Greek word found in the New Testament.