Before being the “devil,” Satan was a function.

Figure: The modern Satan, a stress-tester

In the oldest texts of the Hebrew Bible, "ha-Satan" simply means "the adversary," "the opponent," or "the one who accuses." It is not a demonic being, but an actor in the service of God, tasked with questioning, testing, and exposing. In the Book of Job, it is he who questions the hero's fidelity: "Is Job loyal because he is righteous, or because he is favored?" God then gives him the right to test Job.

Satan, in his original form, is a revealer. He does not tempt to pervert, but to see what holds. He lays bare what is solid and what is not. Much like a building inspector would test the stability of a scaffolding by shaking its poles.