μαντεύομαι (manteuomai)
manteuomai
to divine
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb manteuomai describes the act of divination or practicing soothsaying to gain hidden knowledge. In the New Testament, it appears only once, in Acts 16:16, where it identifies a slave girl possessed by a spirit of Python who followed Paul and his companions, shouting out predictions about their future. The term carries a strong connotation of fraud, suggesting that such practices rely on deception rather than genuine divine insight.
Etymologically, the word is linked to manteis, meaning a seer or diviner. Lexical sources distinguish it sharply from propheteuō, which denotes true prophecy inspired by God. While both involve speaking forth messages, manteuomai is reserved exclusively for false prophets and heathen arts of fortune-telling. This distinction highlights the biblical view that seeking knowledge through occult means is fundamentally opposed to trusting in God’s revelation.
The singular occurrence in Acts underscores the early church’s clear rejection of pagan spiritual practices. By labeling the girl’s ability with this specific term, the text separates her predictive speech from the legitimate prophetic gifts exercised by believers. The word serves as a linguistic boundary, marking divination as a counterfeit that stands in direct contrast to the truth of the Gospel.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word manteuomai appears only once in the New Testament, describing the act of seeking hidden knowledge through pagan means. In Acts 16:16, it identifies a slave girl whose predictions brought profit to her owners but relied on deception rather than divine truth. This single occurrence draws a sharp line between fortune-telling and genuine faith.
For your daily walk, this distinction offers clarity. True guidance comes from trusting God’s revealed word, not from trying to uncover secrets through occult practices. When you face uncertainty, the Bible invites you to rely on prayer and Scripture instead of seeking answers in methods that oppose God’s wisdom.
This boundary protects your heart from confusion. By rejecting deceptive sources, you open yourself to the honest, reliable guidance found in Christ. The text reminds us that God desires transparency and trust, not hidden tricks or false insights.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- by fortune-telling.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- μαντευομένη.1×
Key Verses
-
Acts 16:16
As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.
This verse uniquely uses manteuomai to label the girl’s spirit as one of divination, distinguishing her deceptive predictions from the true prophetic gifts of the apostles.