Isaiah 8:19-20
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The verse highlights the absurdity of seeking guidance from the dead, a practice forbidden by God, by contrasting it with the living God. It questions why a people would turn to those who claim to commune with spirits of the deceased, rather than their own living God who can provide true insight.
And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah and his followers are being pressured by the people of Judah to consult mediums and spiritists for guidance, rather than relying on God. This temptation arises as the nation faces impending judgment and seeks assurance through forbidden occult practices. The prophet counters this by questioning the very premise: why would a people turn to the dead for wisdom concerning the living, when the living God is available?
Why would anyone turn to the dead for guidance about life? This verse highlights a profound spiritual misdirection.
The people of Isaiah's day were tempted to seek counsel from mediums and necromancers – those who claimed to commune with the departed. The prophet's question, 'Should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?' is a rhetorical masterpiece exposing the utter folly of this practice.
Seeking Guidance:
The description of mediums 'chirping and muttering' isn't just about spooky sounds; it reveals the deceptive nature of their craft.
The specific verbs used to describe the mediums – 'chirp' and 'mutter' – paint a vivid picture of their practices. These weren't clear, authoritative pronouncements but faint, eerie sounds, often imitating or suggesting the voices of the departed.
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The Illusion of Contact:
Understand the original words
ob / yidd'oni · Hebrew Noun
Individuals who claim to communicate with spirits, demonic entities, or the dead, strictly forbidden in Scripture as they represent an attempt to bypass God’s revealed truth.
shachar · Hebrew Noun
A state of spiritual darkness or hopelessness, lacking the light of God’s revelation and truth, resulting in confusion and divine judgment.
This verse directly confronts the temptation to seek guidance from forbidden sources like mediums and necromancers, a practice prevalent in ancient Israel during times of political turmoil and fear, particularly the anxieties stirred by the aggressive expansion of the Assyrian Empire.
Late 8th Century BC
Syro-Ephraimite War
The northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria (Aram-Damascus) formed an alliance to attack Judah, which had refused to join them against the rising Assyrian Empire. King Ahaz of Judah, instead of trusting God or Isaiah's prophecy, sought help from the Assyrian king.
c. 734-732 BC
Assyrian Intervention
King Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria responded to Ahaz's appeal, conquering parts of Israel, including Damascus, and deporting populations. This military action directly impacted the political landscape and created fear and uncertainty.
During Isaiah's Ministry (c. 740-701 BC)— this verse
Consulting Diviners and Sorcerers
In times of crisis and fear, many in Judah, like those in surrounding nations, turned to mediums, necromancers, and sorcerers for guidance, believing they could communicate with the dead and predict the future. This practice was forbidden by Mosaic Law.
After 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion under Sennacherib
King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. This later crisis, though after Isaiah's initial prophecy of the Syro-Ephraimite war, would have heightened the sense of desperation and the temptation to seek forbidden counsel.
This passage directly prohibits consulting mediums and fortune-tellers, reinforcing Isaiah's condemnation of such practices and highlighting the divine law against seeking knowledge from forbidden sources.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12This text explicitly lists the forbidden practices, including consulting those with familiar spirits and sorcerers, providing the legal and spiritual context for Isaiah's warning against seeking guidance from the dead.
1 Samuel 28:3-19The story of King Saul consulting the witch of Endor serves as a stark example of the futility and danger of seeking answers from the dead, demonstrating the negative consequences that Isaiah warned against.
Jeremiah 10:2-5This passage parallels Isaiah's message by contrasting the powerless nature of idols and their diviners with the supreme power of the true God, urging people to seek Him alone for guidance and protection.
Acts 16:16-18This New Testament account shows the demonic source of divination and sorcery, directly linking the practices Isaiah condemned to the work of evil spirits and further emphasizing the need to seek only God.
barnesIsaiah 8:19: "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?"
And when they shall say - When the people, instead of putting confidence in God, shall propose to apply to necromancers. In the time of Ahaz the people were, as they were often, much inclined to idolatry; 2 Kings 16:10 . In their troubles and embarrassments, instead of looking to Yahweh, they…
pooleIsaiah 8:19: "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?"
When they, the Israelites, to whom I and my children are signs and wonders, who are fallen from God, and his true religion and worship, into superstition and idolatry, and will endeavour to seduce you into the same impiety, shall say unto you, my children, whom the prophet here arms against t…
The verse highlights the absurdity of seeking guidance from the dead, a practice forbidden by God, by contrasting it with the living God. It questions why a people would turn to those who claim to commune with spirits of the deceased, rather than their own living God who can provide true insight.
Isaiah and his followers are being pressured by the people of Judah to consult mediums and spiritists for guidance, rather than relying on God. This temptation arises as the nation faces impending judgment and seeks assurance through forbidden occult practices. The prophet counters this by questioning the very premise: why would a people turn to the dead for wisdom concerning the living, when the living God is available?
Isaiah and his followers are being pressured by the people of Judah to consult mediums and spiritists for guidance, rather than relying on God. This temptation arises as the nation faces impending judgment and seeks assurance through forbidden occult practices. The prophet counters this by questioning the very premise: why would a people turn to the dead for wisdom concerning the living, when the living God is available?
"And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they…" — The verse highlights the absurdity of seeking guidance from the dead, a practice forbidden by God, by contrasting it with the living God. It questions why a people would turn to those who claim to co…
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Last reviewed October 2026
