GREEK · G21303
φαρμακία
pharmakia — witchcraft
witchcraft
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY
Witchcraft
Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term
How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.
HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H7081
קֶ֫סֶם
qe.sem — divination
1) divination, witchcraft 1a) of the nations, Balaam 1b) of false prophets 1c) in a good sense (king's lips as oracles)
7 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3784
כָּשַׁף
ka.shaph — to practice sorcery
1) (Piel) to practice witchcraft or sorcery, use witchcraft 1a) sorcerer, sorceress (participle)
6 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H3785
כֶּ֫שֶׁף
ke.sheph — sorcery
sorcery, witchcraft
5 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G5331
φαρμακεία
pharmakeia — sorcery
φαρμακία (Rec. -εία), -ας, ἡ (φαρμακεύω, to administer drugs) poët. and late prose form of φαρμακεία, [in LXX: Exo.7:11, 22 8:7, 18 (3, 14) (לָט, חַרְטֹם), Isa.47:9, 12 (כֶּשֶׁף) Wis.12:4 18:13 * ;] 1. generally, the use of medicine, drugs or spells (Xen.). 2. (a) poisoning (Plut., Polyb.); (b) sorcery, witchcraft: Gal.5:20 (see Lft., in l), Rev.9:21 (WH, txt., φαρμάκων) Rev.18:23 (cf. LXX, ll. with).† (AS)
2 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G9419
τέμνω
temnō — to prune
1. to cut, hew , (Homer), etc.; ὀδόντας οἵους τέμνειν teeth fit for cutting , (Xenophon Historicus) 2. to cut, wound, maim , (Iliad by Homer); πρὸς δέρην τ. to wound her in the neck, (Aeschulus Tragicus) 3. of a surgeon, to cut , (Iliad by Homer): absolute to use the knife , as opposite to cautery ( κάειν), (Aeschulus Tragicus), etc.:—;Pass. to be operated upon , (Plato Philosophus) 4. to cut up, cut to pieces , (Homer), etc.:—; to slaughter, sacrifice , (Iliad by Homer) 5. ὅρκια τάμνειν to sacrifice in attestation of an oath, and so to take solemn oaths , (Homer); θάνατόν νύ τοι ὅρκι᾽ ἔταμνον I made a truce which was death to thee, (Iliad by Homer):—;Mid., of two parties, ὅρκια τάμνεσθαι (Herdotus Historicus):—;cf. Lat. foedus ferire. 6. φάρμακον τέμνειν to cut or chop up a plant for purposes of medicine or witchcraft, (Aeschulus Tragicus), etc.; ἄκος τέμνειν to contrive a means or remedy, (Euripides) 7. to divide , of a river, μέσην τ. Λιβύην to cut it in twain, (Herdotus Historicus); δίχα τ. to cut in two, bisect , (Plato Philosophus) 8. to cut asunder, cut off, sever , κεφαλὴν ἀπὸ δειρῆς (Iliad by Homer), etc.; with double accusative, ἐρινεὸν τάμνε ὄρπηκας cut the branches off the fig-tree, (Iliad by Homer); and in Pass., τρίχας ἐτμήθην had them cut off , (Euripides) 9. to part off, mark off , τέμενος (Iliad by Homer) 10. to cut down, fell trees, (Iliad by Homer), etc.:—;Mid., δοῦρα τάμνεσθαι to fell oneself timber, (Odyssey by Homer) 11. λίθον τ. to hew stone, (Plato Philosophus): Mid., λίθους τάμνεσθαι to have them wrought or hewn , (Herdotus Historicus) 12. to cut down for purposes of destruction, (Euripides), etc.; τ. τὴν γῆν to ravage the country by felling the trees and cutting the corn , (Herdotus Historicus); with partitive genitive, τῆς γῆς τ. to waste part of it, (Thucydides) 13. to cut or hew into shape , δούρατα (Odyssey by Homer), etc. 14. to cut lengthwise, to plough , Solon. 15. τ. ὁδόν to cut or make a road, (Thucydides):—;Pass., τέτμηνται κέλευθοι (Pindar) 16. also to make one's way, advance , τ. ὁδόν (Euripides); τὴν μεσόγαιαν τ. τῆς ὁδοῦ to take the middle road, strike through the interior, (Herdotus Historicus); μέσον τέμνειν to hold a middle course, (Plato Philosophus) 17. of ships, to cut through the waves, plough the sea , (Odyssey by Homer):—;so of birds, to cleave the air, (Aristophanes Comicus) 18. to bring to a decision , Lat. decidere, (Pindar) (ML)
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →Historical dictionary entry
(1 Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Gal. 5:20). In the popular sense of the word no mention is made either of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture. The “witch of En-dor” (1 Sam. 28) was a necromancer, i.e., one who feigned to hold converse with the dead. The damsel with “a spirit of divination” (Acts 16:16) was possessed by an evil spirit, or, as the words are literally rendered, “having a spirit, a pithon.” The reference is to the heathen god Apollo, who was regarded as the god of prophecy.
Scripture references
Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.