Aramaic Word Study – Air – Da’ad      Daleth Aleph Aleph Daleth 

Ephesians 2:2: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

Back in September of 1941 Moody Bible Institute in Chicago started broadcasting one of the first noncommercial Christian radio stations in the world. It immediately received criticism and pushback from fundamentalist Christians. They argued that this new radio station was of the devil for Ephesians 2:2 clearly said that the enemy was the prince of the power of the air and radio waves travel through the air, hence, Moody’s foray into radio was of the devil. There were Christians all over the world praying for the demise of Moody’s radio station and sermons of how deceitful the enemy was that such a Godly institution like Moody Bible Institute could have fallen to such activities of the devil. It is a strange way that is really that tactic of the enemy to confuse or fog your thinking so that you consider good evil and evil good, Isaiah 50:20-21.  

Well, with over 1,600 Christian radio stations today, not to mention television and the internet all broadcasting over the airwaves it seems no one is giving much thought to the prince of the power of the air. At least no one is really accusing Christian radio today of being of the devil. Strike one victory over this prince of the air. 

So, who or what is the price of the power of the air?  Well, generally commentators agree that this is not to be understood as the devil having power over the air, even by Divine permission. We need to look to ancient Jewish traditions and beliefs to maybe find some idea of what the Apostle Paul is alluding to in this verse.

There was the belief among first-century Jews that a body of devils or demons took up residence in the air or sky. These obnoxious and accusing spirits would fly about “in the air” and there was no place that they could not be found.  The air was full of a multitude of them. Plato even declared as much and that there was a prince who was at the head of these demons called Beelzebub: Matthew 12:24: “But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Beelzebub was believed to be the prince of the devils which means Lord of the flies. They used the picture of flies for the devils under this price were as numerous as the flies. 

The children mentioned in this verse appear to be a reference to children of unbelief just as there are children of faith and this Beelzebub operates through influencing these individuals of unbelief. In the Zohar, a mystical book studied by many orthodox Jews it is taught that this evil influence operates in the reprobate part of these children of disobedience and unbelief to blind the minds and hearts of the righteous and to cause them to become confused to the point where they think right is wrong and wrong is right with the intent to bring down the righteous and urge them to walk after this prince of the air, to imitate him and follow his lust. 

I would have to say that in watching the latest news these mystical Jews who teach about the existence and operation of the prince of the power of the air are singing to the choir. We are witnessing many mainline churches compromising with the world. I recently heard a preacher who happened to be a politician say that if Jesus were alive today he would approve of abortion. This did help to bring in votes so he could retain his political office.  There are churches that are now splitting over the LGBT demands acceptance into church membership and church offices. The prince and power of the air are delighting in all this division and that is exactly what his purpose is to divide and conquer by clouding the minds of the righteous into confusing right from wrong. 

Note that the word air in Aramaic is da‘ad from the root word ‘ad for a cloud or vapor with a definite article as the cloud. But this is a cloud that is a destroying cloud, like a storm cloud, tornado, or a cloud of a dust storm so common in the desert that brings destruction. 

You see the enemy is a counterfeiter. Just as God appeared to the Hebrews as a cloud leading them through the wilderness out of danger and to the promised land, the enemy is also portrayed as the prince of the cloud (air) that leads to destruction.  

Beware of what cloud you choose to follow. It may be a cloud that fogs your reasoning and causes you to think what is evil is really good. You can easily be clouded by the prince of the air. 

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