Leviticus 20:27
“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse is a stark reminder that Israel's covenant with God demanded exclusive loyalty, not just from them, but from the very beings within their community. It wasn't merely about avoiding foreign gods; it condemned any practice that invited spirits or sought forbidden knowledge, seeing it as a direct affront to God's authority and a corruption of His chosen people.
This verse concludes a series of laws in Leviticus 20 that reiterate and sometimes intensify previous commands, detailing capital offenses for the Israelites. It specifically addresses those who practice divination or consult with spirits, an act considered an abomination and a betrayal of their exclusive covenant with God. This prohibition is rooted in the broader command to remain holy and distinct from the pagan practices common in surrounding nations.
The verse speaks of mediums and necromancers, people who claimed to consult the dead or spirits. What were these practices really about, and why were they so dangerous to ancient Israel?
The terms 'medium' and 'necromancer' (often translated as having a 'familiar spirit') refer to individuals who claimed to channel or communicate with spirits, particularly the dead. These practices were viewed not as harmless entertainment or genuine spiritual exploration, but as a form of spiritual deception and rebellion against God.
Why the Severe Penalty?
The verse prescribes a severe punishment: death by stoning. Why such an extreme penalty, and what does the phrase 'their blood shall be upon them' signify?
The penalty for being a medium or necromancer in ancient Israel was death by stoning. This was a capital offense, reflecting the gravity with which these practices were viewed within the covenant community.
The Weight of Stoning
Understand the original words
ʾôḇ · Hebrew Noun
One who claims to act as an intermediary to communicate with the spirits of the dead, an act strictly forbidden by God as it usurps His authority and involves demonic deception.
yiddəʿōnî · Hebrew Noun
One who attempts to summon or consult the spirits of the dead (literally "a knower of spirits"). This practice is condemned because it relies on sources other than God for knowledge and guidance.
mût · Hebrew Verb
A severe judicial penalty of capital punishment prescribed for specific, grave violations of the Law, serving as a means of purging evil from the community and upholding God's holiness.
sāqal · Hebrew Verb
This passage, which predates Leviticus, also commands the death penalty for sorceresses, highlighting the ancient and consistent prohibition against witchcraft in Israelite law.
1 Samuel 15:23Saul's disobedience is likened to rebellion and witchcraft, showing how divination and consulting mediums were considered fundamentally opposed to God's authority.
Acts 16:16-18This New Testament account describes a woman with a spirit of divination whose livelihood was disrupted when Paul cast the spirit out, demonstrating the ongoing reality and spiritual danger of such practices.
Galatians 5:19-21The Apostle Paul lists 'sorcery' as a work of the flesh that excludes one from the Kingdom of God, reinforcing the spiritual gravity of practices associated with mediums and necromancy.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12This passage explicitly lists consulting mediums and necromancers among the detestable practices that the Lord abominates, further contextualizing the severity of the prohibition in Leviticus.
pulpitLeviticus 20:27: "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them."
Verse 27. - Those that deal in witchcraft are to be stoned.
gillLeviticus 20:27: "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them."
A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit,.... Or the spirit of Python or divination, see Leviticus 19:31 ; such as the damsel had in Acts 16:16 ; a woman is here particularly mentioned, though before included in the above law; because, as Aben Ezra says, such sort of practices were more frequently commi…
This verse is a stark reminder that Israel's covenant with God demanded exclusive loyalty, not just from them, but from the very beings within their community. It wasn't merely about avoiding foreign gods; it condemned any practice that invited spirits or sought forbidden knowledge, seeing it as a direct affront to God's authority and a corruption of His chosen people.
This verse concludes a series of laws in Leviticus 20 that reiterate and sometimes intensify previous commands, detailing capital offenses for the Israelites. It specifically addresses those who practice divination or consult with spirits, an act considered an abomination and a betrayal of their exclusive covenant with God. This prohibition is rooted in the broader command to remain holy and distinct from the pagan practices common in surrounding nations.
This verse concludes a series of laws in Leviticus 20 that reiterate and sometimes intensify previous commands, detailing capital offenses for the Israelites. It specifically addresses those who practice divination or consult with spirits, an act considered an abomination and a betrayal of their exclusive covenant with God. This prohibition is rooted in the broader command to remain holy and distinct from the pagan practices common in surrounding nations.
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A method of execution commanded in the Law where the community participates in the judgment, representing the collective responsibility of the people to remove the defilement caused by serious sin.
dām · Hebrew Noun
The life force of an individual. In this context, "their blood shall be upon them" signifies that the individuals themselves are responsible for their own death due to their chosen transgression, bearing the guilt of their sin.
"“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”" — This verse is a stark reminder that Israel's covenant with God demanded exclusive loyalty, not just from them, but from the very beings within their community. It wasn't merely about avoiding foreign…
