I. Name
The noun ʾăbaddôn is derived from the Heb. root אבד, which is common Semitic (cf. Ug. and Aram. ʾbd, Akk. abātu) and means ‘to destroy’. The Hebrew noun has the meaning ‘place of destruction’ which basically fits all occurrences in the Bible; only in the NT is Ἀβαδδών (Rev. 9.11) construed as a proper name.
II. Identity
Though the religions of the ancient Near East know a considerable number of deities and demons relating to the netherworld, there occurs no divine name of such a being which can be derived from the root ʿbd. In the OT ʾa…