ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Deuteronomy 18.11-12
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Passage

Deuteronomy 18.11-12

Book: Deuteronomy · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

9. When thou art come into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10. There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

11. or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

  1. Thou shalt be perfect with Jehovah thy God. 14. For these nations, that thou shalt dispossess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, Jehovah thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, ASV)
WEB

9. When you have come into the land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations. 10. There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

11. or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12. For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you.

  1. You shall be perfect with Yahweh your God. 14. For these nations that you shall dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, Yahweh your God has not allowed you so to do. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, WEB)
KJV

9. When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

11. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

  1. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. perfect: or, upright, or, sincere 14. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. possess: or, inherit (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, KJV)
YLT

9. 'When thou art coming in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations: 10. there is not found in thee one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire, a user of divinations, an observer of clouds, and an enchanter, and a sorcerer,

11. and a charmer, and one asking at a familiar spirit, and a wizard, and one seeking unto the dead. 12. 'For the abomination of Jehovah [is] every one doing these, and because of these abominations is Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from thy presence.

  1. Perfect thou art with Jehovah thy God, 14. for these nations whom thou art possessing, unto observers of clouds, and unto diviners, do hearken; and thou, not so hath Jehovah thy God suffered thee. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Moses, giving Israel the law of Jehovah
  • Audience: Israel, the generation about to cross the Jordan into Canaan
  • Location: "beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab" (1:5)
  • Time period: On the book's own dating, the fortieth year after the Exodus (1:3), shortly before Moses' death (34:5). Many critical scholars connect the book's final form with the reform under King Josiah in the late seventh century BC (2 Kings 22-23)

Theological reading

"Or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah: and because of these abominations Jehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee." The verses finish the list that begins in 18:10, the practices of the nations Israel was about to displace.

The four terms in verse 11. Each names a way of getting hidden knowledge or power from somewhere other than God.

  • "Charmer" (Strong's H2266, H2267) is one who binds with spells.
  • "Consulter with a familiar spirit" (H7592, H178) is one who asks of an ob, a spirit of the dead or the medium who calls it up. Saul went to such a woman at En-dor (1 Samuel 28:7).
  • "Wizard" (H3049) is from the verb "to know," a "knowing one" who claims secret knowledge.
  • "Necromancer" is literally one who seeks (H1875) the dead (H4191).

Why it is an abomination. The ban is not because these practices are unreal. It is because they look for guidance where God has not sent it. The next verses give the alternative: the nations listen to diviners, "but as for thee, Jehovah thy God hath not suffered thee so to do," and God will raise up a prophet who speaks his words (18:14-18). Isaiah asks the same question: "should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?" (Isaiah 8:19, ASV). The standard was applied to Israel too. Saul "died ... for that he asked counsel of one that had a familiar spirit" (1 Chronicles 10:13, ASV), and Manasseh "dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards" (2 Kings 21:6, ASV).

Spirit guides and channelling. Much New Age practice treats contact with spirits, guides or the departed as a source of wisdom and comfort. Practitioners usually describe these beings as benevolent. The Bible does not deny that such contact can happen; it forbids seeking it, and warns that appearance is no guarantee: "even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14, ASV). The New Testament's instruction is to test: "believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1, ASV). See New Age Spirituality vs the Christian God, Occult contact and Spiritual Warfare.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.