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==Etymology==

==Etymology==

"Devil" literally means "to throw across."  The connotation "to slander" is one inferred meaning in a moral sense, but the more obvious physical meaning is to create chaos.

"Devil" literally means "to throw across."  The connotation "to slander" is one inferred meaning in a linguistic sense, but the more obvious physical meaning is to create chaos. Linguists often prefer purely linguistic connotations rather than physical or scientific ones even where, as in the case of "devil", there is no real basis for preferring a linguistic rather than a physical meaning.

The concept underlying "devil" is traced by some to the early Hebrews during the Exodus from Egypt.<ref>The local religions they encountered when they entered into Canaan included tales of the demon spirits (''sa ir'' שעירים, "hairy ones" or "saytrs", Isaiah 13:21) of the desert, whose influence could be averted due to sacrifice.  Despite being told to ''"...put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD,"'' (Joshua 24:14) many had accepted this superstition and sacrificed goats on the Canaanite and other altars.  From this came the Herew word ''ha-satan'' שָׂטָן, the root word of "Satan".</ref>

The concept underlying "devil" is traced by some to the early Hebrews during the Exodus from Egypt.<ref>The local religions they encountered when they entered into Canaan included tales of the demon spirits (''sa ir'' שעירים, "hairy ones" or "saytrs", Isaiah 13:21) of the desert, whose influence could be averted due to sacrifice.  Despite being told to ''"...put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD,"'' (Joshua 24:14) many had accepted this superstition and sacrificed goats on the Canaanite and other altars.  From this came the Herew word ''ha-satan'' שָׂטָן, the root word of "Satan".</ref>