Deuteronomy 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse isn't just listing forbidden practices; it's drawing a stark boundary around the way God's people are to seek knowledge and understanding. Instead of relying on mystical arts or predetermined fates like the surrounding nations, they are called to trust in God's direct communication and His established prophetic means.
As the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land, God warns them not to adopt the detestable practices of the nations already living there. This passage lists specific forbidden acts, including child sacrifice, sorcery, and various forms of divination, highlighting them as abominations that led to the destruction of the Canaanites. God wants His people to be set apart, relying on Him alone for guidance and protection, rather than turning to occult practices or pagan rituals.
This verse lays out a strict boundary for God's people. It explicitly forbids practices that were common in the ancient world but utterly detestable to God.
A Holy Distinction
Deuteronomy 18:10 starts with a stark warning: "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering." This immediately points to the horrific practice of child sacrifice, likely to the pagan god Moloch. This wasn't just a minor offense; it was a profound rejection of God's value for life and family, a direct violation of His commands.
The verse then broadens to include a whole category of forbidden practices: "anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer."
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These practices were rampant in the surrounding nations. God was establishing a clear identity for Israel: a people set apart, who would trust Him for guidance, protection, and knowledge, not the deceptive allure of the occult.
Why was God so adamant about forbidding these practices? It wasn't just about rules; it was about protecting His people from a spiritual danger that mimics truth but leads to destruction.
Seeking Truth in the Wrong Places
Calvin rightly points out that these forbidden arts stem from a natural human desire for knowledge and an awareness of our own ignorance. However, this good desire is corrupted by "foolish curiosity and unrestrained temerity."
God doesn't want His people to be ignorant. He wants to guide them! The prophets, like those He would raise up later (as mentioned in the next verses), were God's chosen method for communicating His will. But divination, fortune-telling, and sorcery represent a shortcut – a way to bypass God's ordained channels and seek answers from potentially demonic or unreliable sources.
These practices offer a deceptive promise of control and insight. They prey on our fears and our desire to know the future. But as the commentaries suggest, these are not genuine sources of truth. They are attempts to gain knowledge through illicit means, often involving "lying spirits" or illusions, leading people away from true reliance on God.
Understand the original words
qesem · Hebrew Noun
The act of attempting to obtain secret knowledge or divine guidance through supernatural or occult means, forbidden by God because it seeks knowledge apart from His revealed word and providence.
kashaph · Hebrew Verb/Noun
One who engages in occult arts, spells, or witchcraft to influence events or gain forbidden power, acting in direct rebellion against God's sovereign control.
chabar · Hebrew Noun
A person who practices magic, spells, or incantations to influence events or people; biblically forbidden as it seeks power outside of God’s authority.
yidde'oniy · Hebrew Noun
One who acts as a channel or intermediary for spirits; biblically prohibited because it involves seeking forbidden supernatural knowledge rather than relying on God.
doresh el-hametim · Hebrew Noun Phrase
A person who claims to communicate with the spirits of the dead, usually to obtain hidden knowledge or guidance; strictly forbidden in Scripture as a form of rebellion against God.
to'ebah · Hebrew Noun
That which is morally detestable, repugnant, or offensive in the sight of God, especially pertaining to practices that violate His holiness and exclusive claim on His people.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the Creator and Redeemer God, revealed to Israel; it signifies His eternal existence, faithfulness to His promises, and absolute sovereignty.
This passage directly prohibits sacrificing children to Molech, providing a foundational context for the prohibition in Deuteronomy against child sacrifice by fire.
2 Kings 17:17This verse describes the very abominations listed in Deuteronomy 18:10 as the reason for the northern kingdom of Israel's destruction, showing the severe consequences of these practices.
Isaiah 8:19This passage warns against seeking guidance from mediums and spiritists, directly paralleling the prohibition against divination and consulting the dead found in Deuteronomy.
1 Samuel 15:23This verse equates stubbornness and rebellion with the sin of divination, highlighting that these forbidden practices are seen as acts of defiance against God's authority.
Matthew 7:15Jesus warns against false prophets, which aligns with the spirit of Deuteronomy's prohibition against those who practice divination and sorcery, as these are deceptive practices leading people astray.
gillDeuteronomy 18:10: "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,"
There 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,…
pooleDeuteronomy 18:10: "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,"
To pass through the fire; either by a superstitious lustration or purgation, or by a cruel sacrificing of them. See Leviticus 18:21 2 Kings 17:31 23:10 2 Chronicles 28:3 Psalm 106:37 Jeremiah 7:31 19:5 Ezekiel 16:20,21 Eze 23:37-39 . That useth divination, i.e. foretelleth things secret or to…
This verse isn't just listing forbidden practices; it's drawing a stark boundary around the way God's people are to seek knowledge and understanding. Instead of relying on mystical arts or predetermined fates like the surrounding nations, they are called to trust in God's direct communication and His established prophetic means.
As the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land, God warns them not to adopt the detestable practices of the nations already living there. This passage lists specific forbidden acts, including child sacrifice, sorcery, and various forms of divination, highlighting them as abominations that led to the destruction of the Canaanites. God wants His people to be set apart, relying on Him alone for guidance and protection, rather than turning to occult practices or pagan rituals.
As the Israelites are about to enter the Promised Land, God warns them not to adopt the detestable practices of the nations already living there. This passage lists specific forbidden acts, including child sacrifice, sorcery, and various forms of divination, highlighting them as abominations that led to the destruction of the Canaanites. God wants His people to be set apart, relying on Him alone for guidance and protection, rather than turning to occult practices or pagan rituals.
"There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires…" — This verse isn't just listing forbidden practices; it's drawing a stark boundary around the way God's people are to seek knowledge and understanding. Instead of relying on mystical arts or predeter…
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