I chose to answer because I was astonished to see that the rest of the respondents have neglected to speak about the most main and usual name of Lucifer in Greek.
It is true as the rest have written that directly this word is translated as Eosforos, “he that brings the light of dawn” (Eos was the personification of the dawn). But Eosforos in Greek means in the depth the Devil and thus this excactly word has to be analyzed as it is the main term corresponding to Lucifer.
The word Devil(English) is based on the Greek Diavolos. A known word in English that is derived from Diavolos is Diabolic.
Diavolos is a compound word from the words Dia and Volos.
Dia, means through, between, etc.
Volos in Greek comes from the verb Vallo meaning to put, to set, etc.
So Diavolos means : to put Ideas in the brain of someone. To explain this even better : lets say that you are studying hard for some serious tests tomorrow for your final exams. A friend is calling and asks you to go with him to see a movie. This action is a “Dia Bolic” action meaning that an other person puts ideas in your head so you have to decide while you want to accept it or not. So, every dilemma that it is set/put for an other person this action is called diabolic.
So, diabolic in its depth it is not something bad. We could say that the only bad thing with this term is a situation when a dilemma is given/sat/put to an other person to clarify it or to decide on it on how to solve it, this is what in Greek is called Diabolic.
So, Devil means in Greek someone that “bothers” you with a proposal to do something else than what you currently do by creating a dilemma and thus disturbing your inner balance or inner peace or inner will etc.
After some time past, this answer here is proven very popular. That is why I feel like adding some more information just to show gratitude to the readers.
Through reading Greek mythology the reader gets a very main message : The Greek Gods were never ever intervened in this that it is called in English destiny. They only helped through different ways that it can’t be considered as an intervention.
That is because the Gods knew that if they would start to intervene then they could bring havoc and chaos to the destiny of world its self as nothing could function right. All Greek words that exists into other languages are chosen by the languages as the Geek words mean something that is very special and difficult to know about as for example a this little detail of Diavolos.
Diavolos is the only one from higher powers(Daemons) that intervenes! ! ! That is the main purpose of this word in Greek to explain that Diavolos is different that the rest of the deities as he is the only one that likes to intervene.
Lucifer is not a Greek name. It is Latin. It means “Bearer of Light”. The Greek word that means exactly the same thing is Phosphoros (because Phosphoros or Phosphorus In English glows or burns in air). Phoros in Greek and Forus in Latin both mean to bear or carry. Christophoros means one who carries Christ. St Christopher is often shown carrying Christ on his shoulders. In Isaiah 14 the being who was formerly Lucifer (also called Son of the Morning Star), was cast down from Heaven for coveting the throne of God. After his removal from the Heavenly court he is called Satan- the one who opposes, the adversary. There is some thought that he was stripped of his angelic wings. As a Seraphim he would have been a fiery winged serpent (according to Hebrew mythology.) The Latin word Luc (as in Lucile and Lukas) is the root word for light.
My friend never try to be so sure when Greek language is involved!!!! My intention was never to answer all this about Lucifer and its origins but it is many that wonder. So, Lucy or Luci is a loan from the Greek word Lycos meaning wolf BUT AS ALL WORDS MEAN SOMETHING MORE THAN THEIR ORIGINAL MEANING Lycos Lucy or Luci in Latin means Light!!!!!! Especially the morning light exactly at the dawn!!!!
Now the second word Fero is loaned from the Greek fero that means in Greek to bring. So Lucifer or Lucyfer means the Light bringer because of the Greeks. Latin is a language that is heavily based on Greek. May be you dont know that but this is the reality.
Just a small addition/ correction to the meaning of lyci in ancient Greek. It means light, therefore the words lycοfos (the pale light), lycavges, Lycavettos, lykeion, lykeios Appolon, even lychnos (lamp). Symbolically it also means knowledge (light – enlightenment) and the wolf -lycos was believed to be the animal of initiation, the passage from darkness to the light – knowledge.
Lykos is the light…so the animals where named after the light of the dawn ….that the greek mythology says clearly that was to see for the first time on the top of the mountain LYKAION …. that brings the name of this light jsut to honor the TIME WHERE FOR THE FIRST TIME THERE WAS A LIGHT TO SEE SINCE THE PERIODS BEFORE WHERE QUITE DARK!!!!! THE GREEKS HAVE 200 HUNDRED WORDS FOR THE WORD LIGHT THAT IS TO SHOW THAT THE GREEKS DESCRIBES HOW THE LIGHJT PROGRESSED ON THIS PLANET FROM THE TIME OF CRONUS WHER EEVERYTHING WHERE DARK….
Chris I dont disagree with your comment. BUT this is a Hebrew perspective. The Greek is completely different as Lucifer half Greek Roman word get s an other being in Greek especially when translated to Greek. By the way Phosphorus is a Greek word( I mean not only the word fero…)
Lucifer is 100% Latin. You were correct to bring up Eosphoros because that is the Greek word in the Septuagint in Isaiah 14:12. In Hebrew Mythology this was the planet Venus in the sky (the Star That preceded the Dawn…The Morning Star). I understand you thinking this was a Hebrew perspective but the source for this idea is the Hebrew scripture and the Greek translation of those scriptures, the Septuagint, made between 250 BC and 200 BC (give or take, with revisions and additions as late as 150 BC). Phoros and Ferus are Greek and Latin homophones that both mean “To Bear, or Carry“. The word Lucifer didn’t actually show up until 250 AD when this was translated into Latin. Lucifer (Luciferus) is indeed the exact equivalent to Phosphoros, both meaning “Bearer of Light.” Because Tyndale used a lot of Latin names for translating the original Hebrew and Greek names from the Bible, he used Lucifer in his English translation (just as Jesus was used instead of Yehoshuah, Yeshua, or Iesous/Jesous which are the Hebrew and Greek equivalents of Jesus.). Just to mention, I read both Hebrew and Greek and am fairly well versed in both cultures. What is fascinating is that there was so much overlap between cultures and languages. The book “Israel and Hellas” by John P. Brown gives significant detail on this.
…The book “Israel and Hellas” by John P. Brown gives significant detail on this……. YES BUTR READ THE BOOK OF HENREW IS GREEK BY JOSEPH YEHUDA AND THEN YOU WILL DISCOVER A DIFFRENT PERSPECTIVE ON WHO COPIED FROM WHOM ….AND THE INTERACTION IS OCCURED AS IT FAVORS THE GREEKS
I personally have never seen the word Phosphorus to describe Lucifer in greek. you are correct that it means “bringer or bearer of light”, but perhaps due to its use as a chemical element i think the word Eosphoros is used instead. Eos actually means “dawn”, not light, that’s why he is associated with Venus, or Aphrodite in greek. perhaps another try from the church to associate the female sex with evil and the fall of the angels/ symbolically suggesting women are the fall of man as well?
…Eos actually means “dawn”, not light, …. IT IS AFORM OF LIGHT!!!!! the greeks have more than 200 hundred words that denotyes light as for example the word OLYMPUS is the XANHON light….. read ancinet greek dictionaries search…search and after that you will get the EPIPHANY.! LYCOS or LUCI in Latin with the word FERO becomes in Greek EOSFOROS by the 70 that translated the Bible. !!!!!!
Lucifer, as Chris said, is ALL Latin. From ‘lux, lucis’, light and ‘fero’ to carry. The Greek, as Chris also said as did you, is Phosphoros, from ‘phos, phot-’ ‘light’ and ‘phoros’ carrying.
My friend never try to be so sure when Greek language is involved!!!! My intention was never to answer all this about Lucifer and its origins but it is many that wonder. So, Lucy or Luci is a loan from the Greek word Lycos meaning wolf BUT AS ALL WORDS MEAN SOMETHING MORE THAN THEIR ORIGINAL MEANING Lycos Lucy or Luci in Latin means Light!!!!!! Especially the morning light exactly at the dawn!!!!
Now the second word Fero is loaned from the Greek fero that means in Greek to bring. So Lucifer or Lucyfer means the Light bringer because of the Greeks. Latin is a language that is heavily based on Greek. May be you dont know that but this is the reality.
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