Deuteronomy 18:10
in Deuteronomy 18Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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,
KJV
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,
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This verse in Deuteronomy 18
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThere shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,.... To Moloch, which was a sort of lustration by fire, two fires being made, and the child led by a priest between them, and which was an initiation of him into the religion of that deity, and devoting him to it; so Jarchi says, this is the service of Moloch, making piles of fire here and there (on this side and on that), and causing (the children) to pass between them both.
This site's exposition
thou shalt not learn to do
on Deuteronomy 18:9-11
Nine practices are named and the verb governing them is learn, so what is guarded against is transfer from the neighbours. Albert Barnes reads the list as an attempt to gather every known word for the practices in question, and notes that the necromancer is literally one who interrogates the dead. Leviticus 18:21, 19:31 and 20:27 had already forbidden most of these one at a time. 2 Kings 21:6 and 2 Chronicles 33:6 report Manasseh doing nearly the whole list in Jerusalem, which is this list read back as an indictment.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
An inchanter - Or, a conjecturer, that discovers hidden things by a superstitious use of words or ceremonies, by observation of water or smoke or any contingencies. A witch - One that is in covenant with the devil.
A promise is given them of the spirit of prophecy to continue among them, and to centre at last in Christ the great prophet,
One would wonder that such arts and works of darkness, so senseless and absurd, so impious and profane, could be found in a country where divine revelation shone so clearly; yet we find remains of them even where Christ's holy religion is known and professed; such are the powers and policies of the rulers of the darkness of this world.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
To pass through the fire - Probably in the way of consecration to Molech, or some other deity. It is not likely that their being burnt to death is here intended. See on Lev 18:21 (note). Divination - קסם קסמים kosem kesamim, one who endeavors to find out futurity by auguries, using lots, etc. Observer of times - מעונן meonen, one who pretends to foretell future events by present occurrences, and who predicts great political or physical changes from the aspects of the planets, eclipses, motion of the clouds, etc., etc. See on Gen 41:8 (note).
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations--(See on Le 18:21; In spite of this express command, the people of Canaan, especially the Philistines, were a constant snare and stumbling block to the Israelites, on account of their divinations and superstitious practices. CHRIST THE PROPHET IS TO BE HEARD.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
To pass through the fire - i. e., to Moloch; compare the Lev 20:2 note. That useth divination - Compare Num 23:23 note. Observer of times ... enchanter - Compare Lev 19:26 note. Witch - Rather “sorcerer,” compare the Exo 7:11 note.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִמָּצֵ֣א | yimatze' | he will be found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| בְךָ֔ | vekha | among <the> you | ||
| מַעֲבִ֥יר | maavir | [one who] makes pass | H5674 → | 556 times |
| בְּנֽוֹ־ | benov- | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וּבִתּ֖וֹ | uvito | and daughter his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| בָּאֵ֑שׁ | baesh | in the fire | H784 → | 378 times |
| קֹסֵ֣ם | kosem | [one who] divines | H7080 → | |
| קְסָמִ֔ים | kesamim | divinations | H7081 → | |
| מְעוֹנֵ֥ן | meonen | a soothsayer | H6049 → | |
| וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ | umenachesh | and an augurer | H5172 → | |
| וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃ | umekhashef | and a sorcerer | H3784 → |
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִמָּצֵ֣אhe will be found
yimatze'H4672 →455 times
בְךָ֔among <the> you
vekha
מַעֲבִ֥יר[one who] makes pass
maavirH5674 →556 times
בְּנֽוֹ־son his
benov-H1121 →4930 times
וּבִתּ֖וֹand daughter his
uvitoH1323 →588 times
בָּאֵ֑שׁin the fire
baeshH784 →378 times
קֹסֵ֣ם[one who] divines
kosemH7080 →
קְסָמִ֔יםdivinations
kesamimH7081 →
מְעוֹנֵ֥ןa soothsayer
meonenH6049 →
וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁand an augurer
umenacheshH5172 →
וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃and a sorcerer
umekhashefH3784 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 22:18You must not allow a sorceress to live.
it leads to
- Leviticus 20:27
A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 18:10–11
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
- 1 Samuel 28:3
Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.
- Leviticus 20:6
Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
- Leviticus 20:27
Through
Leviticus 19:26You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 18:10–14
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 17:17
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
- Deuteronomy 18:10–14
Through
Leviticus 19:31You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 8:19
When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
- 2 Chronicles 33:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
What the record shows
1 entry◈The guardrail — divination and star-reading condemnedcontested
Divination and star-reading for guidance or fate are explicitly condemned (Deuteronomy 18:9–14; the "astrologers, stargazers, monthly prognosticators" of Isaiah 47:13–14). These texts must stand wherever a gospel in the stars is discussed, so that it is never mistaken for a licence to astrologize.
The case against it
A guardrail. Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and Isaiah 47:13-14 condemn divination and star-reading for guidance and fate, and they must be displayed wherever a star-gospel is discussed so it is never mistaken for a licence to astrologize. The honest note beside them: these texts condemn a PRACTICE (consulting the heavens for fate) rather than the proposition that the heavens testify to God, so they do not by themselves refute the gospel-in-the-stars thesis - Faulkner's historical and etymological work does that.
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.