Satan
The adversary who opposes God and his people, tempting and accusing them; also called the devil.
At a glance
- Name
- Satan
- Also known as
- the devil
- Type
- Spiritual being
- Period
- Old and New Testament
- Appears in
- Job, Zechariah, the Gospels, the New Testament letters, and Revelation
- First appearance
- 1 Chronicles 21
- Known for
- The adversary who tempts and accuses
Who is Satan?
Satan, also called the devil, is presented in Scripture as the adversary of God and of God's people. The text most often shows him accusing, tempting, and opposing.
In the book of Job, Satan appears among the sons of God and challenges God about Job's faithfulness, then afflicts him with God's permission. In the Gospels, the devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness, and Jesus later speaks of having seen Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
The book of Revelation identifies the ancient serpent with the devil and Satan, and describes his defeat. The text presents him as a real and active opponent of God, without giving a single account of where he came from.
Satan in the Bible
Satan and Job
Satan challenges God about Job's faithfulness and is permitted to afflict him.
Read Job 1 →Satan incites David
Satan rises up against Israel and incites David to take a census.
Read 1 Chronicles 21 →The temptation of Jesus
The devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness, and Jesus refuses him.
Read Matthew 4 →Fallen like lightning
Jesus tells his disciples that he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Read Luke 10 →Cast down in Revelation
Revelation describes war in heaven and the ancient serpent, the devil and Satan, hurled down.
Read Revelation 12 →People connected with Satan
- incites David Satan incites David to take a census of Israel.
Not to be confused with
- The serpent in Genesis 3 Genesis 3 calls the tempter 'the serpent' and does not name him as Satan. Revelation later calls 'that ancient serpent' the devil and Satan (Revelation 12:9); that identification is made in Revelation, not in Genesis itself.
- Lucifer The name 'Lucifer' comes from a Latin rendering of 'day star' in Isaiah 14:12, a passage that mocks the king of Babylon. The BSB reads 'O day star, son of the dawn.' Reading it as the fall of Satan is a later interpretation, not stated in the text.
Key passages featuring Satan
These are key passages, not a complete list of every appearance.