חַרְטֹם (char.tom)
char.tom
magician
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun chartom refers to a practitioner of occult arts, typically translated as magician or diviner. In the biblical narrative, these figures are not merely entertainers but authoritative experts in interpreting hidden knowledge through astrology, dream interpretation, or ritual magic. The term appears seven times across Scripture, most prominently in Genesis and Exodus, where it describes those who oppose God’s people with supernatural claims.
Its root likely relates to engraving or writing, suggesting a specialist who reads signs inscribed in the heavens or on tablets. In Egypt, chartomim served as high-ranking advisors to Pharaoh, claiming access to divine secrets that challenged Israel’s God. When Moses and Aaron perform miracles before Pharaoh, the Egyptian chartomim replicate some signs (Exodus 7:11), but ultimately fail when they cannot explain the plague of lice or protect their own lives from subsequent judgments.
The word carries a negative theological weight: these figures represent competing sources of authority that deny Yahweh’s sole sovereignty. Even in Daniel, where Jewish exiles encounter Babylonian chartomim, the text contrasts their failed interpretations with God’s clear revelation to Daniel. Translators usually render chartom as "magician" or "sorcerer," though the Hebrew concept encompasses a broader range of divinatory practices than modern English suggests.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chartom refers to those who claimed access to hidden knowledge through occult arts, often serving as high-ranking advisors in ancient courts like Egypt’s. These figures represented a competing source of authority, challenging Yahweh’s sole sovereignty by asserting that divine secrets could be manipulated or read through signs rather than received through faith.
When Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh, the magicians replicated some miracles but ultimately failed to explain the plague of lice or protect themselves from judgment. This pattern shows that human attempts to control or predict the future fall short when measured against God’s clear revelation. Even in exile, Daniel demonstrated that true wisdom comes from God alone, surpassing all earthly experts.
For your faith, this reminds us that we do not need to seek answers through fear or manipulation. God invites us to trust His word and timing, knowing that He alone holds the future and reveals what is hidden for our good.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] magicians of2×
- the/ soothsayer-priests1×
- the/ magicians1×
- the/ diviner priests1×
- on the/ magicians1×
- [the] diviner priests of1×
- <to> the/ soothsayer-priests1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י3×
- לַֽ/חַרְטֻמִּ֜ים1×
- הַֽ/חַרְטֻמִּ֗ים1×
- הַֽ/חַרְטֻמִּים֙1×
- הַֽ/חַרְטֻמִּ֔ים1×
- בַּֽ/חֲרְטֻמִּ֖ם1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 41:8
In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
This verse highlights the inability of Egypt’s magicians to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, setting the stage for Joseph’s God-given insight.
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Exodus 7:11
Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments.
Here the magicians replicate Moses and Aaron’s sign, showing their initial success but foreshadowing their ultimate failure against God’s power.
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Daniel 2:2
Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be called to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
The king summons these experts to interpret his dream, yet they cannot fulfill the request, contrasting with Daniel’s reliance on God.