Asmodeus (/ˌæzməˈdiːəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἀσμοδαῖος, Asmodaios) or Ashmedai (/ˈæʃmɪˌdaɪ/; Hebrew: אַשְמְדּאָי, romanized: ʾAšmədāy; Arabic: آشماداي; see below for other variations) is a king of demons in the legends of Solomon and the constructing of Solomon's Temple.[1]
His story features variously in Talmudic stories where he is the king of the shedim. The Quran refers to a "puppet" in the Story of Solomon in Surah Ṣād verses 30-40, which is according to the mufassirūn (authorized exegetes of the Quran) referring to the demon-king Asmodeus (Sakhr).[2]
In Christianity, Asmodeus is mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit. He is the primary antagonist and disrupts the marriages of Sarah.[1][3] Peter Binsfeld classifies Asmodeus as the "demon of lust".