daimonion · demon

What it means

daimonion (δαιμόνιον) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “demon”.

Evil spirit.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. An evil spirit that oppresses people.
2. A god of the pagans.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Demon: an evil spirit that takes hold of a person and harms him; the Gospels speak of driving demons out. It is a diminutive of δαίμων. In the mouth of the Greeks of Athens it also means a deity.

• Driving out demons Mark 1:34Matthew 9:33Matthew 10:8
• Being possessed: “He has a demon” Matthew 11:18John 10:21
• Women set free from demons Luke 8:2
• The demons believe, and shudder James 2:19
• Sacrificing to demons; teachings of demons 1 Corinthians 10:201 Timothy 4:1Revelation 9:20

Historical and cultural background

Paul says that what the worshipers of idols sacrifice, “they sacrifice to demons and not to God” (1 Corinthians 10:20), in words from Deuteronomy 32:17.

How we translate it

“Demons” 43 times and “demon” 19, as this edition's glossary sets (daimonion = “demon”, with no deviations). In Acts 17:18 the Athenian philosophers use it in their own sense, “foreign deities”, and so it is translated. In 1 Corinthians 10:20 the note points to Deuteronomy 32:17, where the phrase comes from.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• demons ×43
• demon ×19
• deities ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×11
• Mark×13
• Luke×23
• John×6
• Acts×1
• 1 Corinthians×4
• 1 Timothy×1
• James×1
• Revelation×3

• Matthew 7:22

  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many miracles?’

• Matthew 9:33

  And when the demon had been driven out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Never has anything been seen like this in Israel!”

• Matthew 9:34

  But the Pharisees were saying, “By the ruler of the demons he drives out the demons.”

• Matthew 10:8

  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Freely you received; freely give.

• Matthew 11:18

  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

• Matthew 12:24

  But the Pharisees, hearing it, said, “This man does not drive out the demons except by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

• Matthew 12:27

  And if I drive out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

• Matthew 12:28

  But if by the Spirit of God I drive out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

• Matthew 17:18

  And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour.

• Mark 1:34

  And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, and he would not let the demons speak, because they knew him.

• Mark 1:39

  And he went proclaiming in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and driving out the demons.

• Mark 3:15

  and to have authority to drive out the demons.

• Mark 3:22

  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the ruler of the demons he drives out the demons.”

• Mark 6:13

  And they were driving out many demons, and anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them.

• Mark 7:26

  Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth; and she was asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

• Mark 7:29

  And he said to her, “Because of this word, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

• Mark 7:30

  And going away to her home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone out.

• Mark 9:38

  John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”

• Mark 16:9

  Longer ending: Now having risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

• Mark 16:17

  And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

• Luke 4:33

  And in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,

• Luke 4:35

  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the middle, it came out of him, doing him no harm.

• Luke 4:41

  And demons also were coming out from many, crying out and saying, “You are the Son of God!” And rebuking them, he would not let them speak, because they knew him to be the Messiah.

• Luke 7:33

  For John the Immerser has come not eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’

• Luke 8:2

  and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,

• Luke 8:27

  And when he stepped out onto the land, a certain man from the town who had demons met him; and for a long time he had not worn clothing, and he was not living in a house but in the tombs.

• Luke 8:29

  For he was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had seized him, and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and breaking the bonds he was driven by the demon into the deserted places.

• Luke 8:30

  And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him.

• Luke 8:33

  And coming out of the man, the demons entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

• Luke 8:35

  And they went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

• Luke 8:38

  But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging him to be with him; but he sent him away, saying,

• Luke 9:1

  And having called together the Twelve, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases.

• Luke 9:42

  And while he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him violently. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

• Luke 9:49

  And John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”

• Luke 10:17

  And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!”

• Luke 11:14

  And he was casting out a demon that was mute; and it happened, when the demon had gone out, that the mute man spoke; and the crowds marveled.

• Luke 11:15

  But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, he casts out the demons.”

• Luke 11:18

  And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul.

• Luke 11:19

  And if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

• Luke 11:20

  But if by the finger of God I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

And 23 more times.