Leviticus 20:27 · Bible study
Leviticus 20:27 Commentary: Death for Mediums and Wizards
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did God command the death penalty for mediums and wizards? A study of Leviticus 20:27 with commentary, context, and Christian application.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God commands the death penalty for mediums and wizards in Israel to maintain holiness and prevent defilement by pagan practices.
- Key words: 'ov ("necromancer," from a root meaning "bottle" or "ghost") and yidde'oni ("soothsayer," from "knowing one").
- Main debate: Whether the civil death penalty applies today or whether only the moral prohibition remains under the new covenant.
- Theological theme: God's exclusive claim on his people; any attempt to seek guidance from the dead is spiritual adultery.
- Best use: A clear warning against occult involvement and a call to trust God alone for guidance.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
“‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their blood shall be upon themselves.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
A man also or a 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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`And a man or woman--when there is in them a familiar spirit, or who are wizards--are certainly put to death; with stones they stone them; their blood is on them.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And if there be a man or a woman in whom is a spirit of Python or of divination, they shall certainly be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood is upon them.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
A man, or woman, in whom there is a pythonical or divining spirit, dying let them die. They shall stone them. Their blood be upon them.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y el hombre ó la mujer en quienes hubiere espíritu pithónico ó de adivinación, han de ser muertos: los apedrearán con piedras; su sangre sobre ellos.
E o homem ou a mulher em que houver espírito mediúnico ou de adivinhação, terão de ser mortos; os apedrejarão com pedras; seu próprio sangue será sobre eles.
Si un homme ou une femme ont en eux l’ esprit d’ un mort ou un esprit de divination, ils seront punis de mort; on les lapidera: leur sang retombera sur eux.
Wenn ein Mann oder Weib ein Wahrsager oder Zeichendeuter sein wird, die sollen des Todes sterben. Man soll sie steinigen; ihr Blut sei auf ihnen.
Als nu een man en vrouw in zich een waarzeggenden geest zal hebben, of een duivelskunstenaar zal zijn, zij zullen zekerlijk gedood worden; men zal hen met stenen stenigen; hun bloed is op hen.
Se un uomo o una donna ha uno spirito o indovina, dovranno esser messi a morte; saranno lapidati; il loro sangue ricadrà su loro”.
Mąż albo niewiasta, w których by był duch czarnoksięski albo wieszczy, śmiercią umrą: kamieniem ukamionują ich, krew ich będzie na nich.
Мужчина ли или женщина, если будут они вызывать мертвых или волхвовать, да будут преданы смерти: камнями должно побить их, кровь их на них.
「無論 男 女， 是 交鬼的 或 行巫術的，總要 治死他們。人必用石頭 把他們 打死，罪 要歸到他們身上。」
Any man or woman who makes use of spirits, or who is a wonder-worker, is to be put to death: they are to be stoned with stones: their blood will be on them.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 20:27
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse commands execution for anyone who practices mediumship or wizardry. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that here the focus is on the person inside whom the spirit works, whereas Leviticus 20:6 targets the person who consults a medium. John Gill observes that the practice was especially common among women, linking the verse to Exodus 22:18. Keil and Delitzsch state that because Israel was called to be a holy nation, every soothsayer was to be stoned to prevent defilement by idolatrous abominations. Matthew Henry adds that those who are in league with the devil have made a covenant with death. The death penalty thus marks the severity of seeking guidance from any source other than the living God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Theocratic civil law: The death penalty was part of Israel's civil code, specifically tied to the land of Canaan and the theocracy. It is not binding on other governments.
- Moral law upheld: The prohibition is moral and permanent, but the penalty was specific to the theocracy. Christians agree the sin remains serious but the civil penalty is not applied.
What is clear: The practice of consulting mediums and wizards is an abomination to God and forbidden for his people in both Testaments.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Occult practice is forbidden | All Christian traditions agree that consulting mediums and wizards is a sin and an abomination to God. | Traditions differ on whether the spirits contacted are actual dead persons, demons, or merely deceptive phenomena. Some hold that the prohibition is moral and permanent; others see it as part of the ceremonial law fulfilled in Christ. |
| The death penalty | Under the Old Covenant theocracy, God commanded execution for mediums and wizards. | Christians debate whether this civil penalty is required in any Christian state today. Some argue it belongs to the civil law of Israel and is not binding on modern governments; others (such as some Reformed theonomists) argue it should still be applied. Most Christians agree the church does not carry out capital punishment. |
| Application to the New Testament believer | The moral prohibition against sorcery and necromancy continues in the New Testament (Galatians 5:20; Revelation 21:8). | Christians disagree over the extent to which believers may engage with occult-themed entertainment, such as movies about ghosts or Ouija boards, without participating in the sin. Some see a clear boundary; others allow more cultural distance. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The surrounding context (Leviticus 20:23, 26) explains why God drove out the Canaanite nations: they committed these very abominations. Israel was to be separate and holy because Yahweh is holy. This verse appears after the chapter's general conclusion, which Matthew Henry says suggests it was omitted earlier and inserted for emphasis.
Two Hebrew terms define the practices. 'Ov (Strong's H0178) literally means "water skin bottle" but came to denote a necromancer or a ghost who conjures the dead. Yidde'oni (H3049) comes from the root "to know" and refers to a soothsayer or spiritist. Together they cover the range of occult consultation. Gill, quoting Aben Ezra, notes that women were especially involved, which may explain why the law names both genders.
"There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,"
— Deuteronomy 18:10 (WEB)
Cross-references show that Israel's kings later fought this practice. First Samuel 28:7 records that Saul had expelled mediums from the land, only to seek one at Endor in desperation. The woman there feared execution, revealing that the law was at least partially enforced. Deuteronomy 18:12 groups these practices with child sacrifice as abominations that led to the nations being driven out. Under the new covenant, Christians do not apply this death penalty civilly, but the moral prohibition remains. The New Testament lists sorcery as a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:20) and warns that practitioners will not inherit the kingdom (Revelation 21:8). The Old Testament severity underscores how seriously God takes our trust in him alone.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for Leviticus 20:27. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts and versions. The phrase "their blood shall be upon them" appears elsewhere in the chapter (verses 9-16) as a standard formula for capital punishment.
Reception History
In early Christianity, this verse was used to prohibit all forms of necromancy and divination. Early church canons required excommunication for Christians who consulted sorcerers. During the medieval period, Leviticus 20:27 was cited in legal codes that made witchcraft a capital crime in many Christian states. The Protestant Reformers, while affirming the moral prohibition, generally did not enforce the death penalty for mediumship in their jurisdictions. In modern times, Christians across traditions read this verse as a strong warning against occult practices while recognizing that Christ has fulfilled the law's penalty for those who repent. The verse continues to inform pastoral care for those leaving occult involvement.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The sin defined: Mediums and wizards seek guidance from the dead rather than the living God. This is spiritual adultery against the exclusive covenant.
- The penalty declared: Death by stoning. The ultimate price reflects the ultimate seriousness of shifting allegiance from God to spirits.
- The gospel hope: Where the law pronounces death, Christ offers life. Those who repent of occult involvement find forgiveness through his blood.
Five-point outline
- The practice: what mediums and wizards did in ancient Israel and the surrounding cultures.
- The penalty: death by stoning, a public act that purged evil from the community.
- The reason: God's holiness and his people's call to be set apart from the nations.
- The context: the Canaanite nations practiced these things and were driven out for them.
- The new covenant: the moral prohibition remains, but the civil penalty is not applied. The church warns, prays, and welcomes repentant sinners.
Illustration hooks
- A person checks their horoscope every morning before making decisions, giving subtle authority to the stars rather than to God's Word.
- A friend visits a psychic to contact a deceased loved one, finding comfort but also opening a door to spiritual deception.
- A teenager experiments with a Ouija board out of curiosity, not realizing the dangerous spiritual reality behind the game.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it okay to watch TV shows about mediums and ghost hunters? Where is the line between entertainment and participation?
- What if I or someone I know has been involved with psychics, tarot cards, or other occult practices? Can that be forgiven?
- Why does the Old Testament seem so harsh while the New Testament seems more lenient on this issue?
Leading a Discussion
Leviticus 20:27 confronts us with the seriousness of seeking guidance from the dead. For Israel, this sin carried the death penalty. Under the new covenant, the same prohibition stands, but Christ offers grace to all who repent. This study helps a group explore the biblical teaching on the occult and its application today.
Discussion questions
- What do the Hebrew terms 'ov and yidde'oni tell us about the nature of these practices? (Use the lexicon.)
- Why does the law treat this sin as a capital offense? What does that reveal about God's view of spiritual guidance?
- How does Leviticus 20:27 relate to the broader call to holiness in Leviticus 18-20?
- In what ways does modern culture normalize consulting the dead, fortune-telling, or seeking supernatural guidance apart from God? Give examples.
- First Samuel 28 records Saul consulting the medium at Endor. What does that story teach about the danger of turning to the occult in desperation?
- How does the gospel address someone who has been involved in occult practices? Consider the response of the Ephesian believers in Acts 19:18-19 (they burned their magic books). What does a repentant life look like?
- How can we guard our hearts and families against the subtle allure of occult entertainment while still loving those caught in deception?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 22:18 | “You shall not allow a sorceress to live. |
| Leviticus 19:31 | “‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am Yahweh your God. |
| Leviticus 20:6 | “‘The person that turns to those who are mediums and wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people. |
| Deuteronomy 18:10 | There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, |
| Deuteronomy 18:12 | For whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh. Because of these abominations, Yahweh your God drives them out from before you. |
| I Samuel 28:7 | Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor.” |
| I Samuel 28:9 | The woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke defines a familiar spirit as a demon conjured by magical rites to obey its summoner. From the abominations of Egypt and Canaan, he argues that without divine revelation and the gospel, all human nature would be equally vile and brutish, showing the absolute necessity of Scripture.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that this law is not a repeat of the earlier one. The focus here is on the person within whom an evil spirit is believed to work, not on the person who seeks help from such a medium, which is the subject of a different passage.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note underscores that the death penalty for divination or soothsaying is to be carried out by stoning, and it places the blood guilt squarely on the offenders themselves: their own sin brings the judgment upon them.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill observes that the law specifically mentions women because such occult practices were more frequent among them and because men tend to show leniency toward women, so the death penalty is made explicit. He notes that a wizard is someone who pretends to secret knowledge of lost items or future events in order to deceive and cheat people.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch emphasize that the death penalty for soothsayers stems from Israel's calling as a holy nation. Anyone with a pagan divining spirit, whether man or woman, was to be stoned to prevent the nation from being defiled by idolatrous practices.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Leviticus 20 is not merely a punishment appendix to chapter 18. Instead it proceeds from a new idea: the holy land itself must be kept holy. The land, sickened by abominations, would spue out Israel just as it spued out the Canaanites unless offenders were executed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry zeroes in on the death penalty for those consulting familiar spirits, calling it a covenant with death and an agreement with hell. He sees this law as a necessary protection: allowing such people to live would insult God and tempt the ignorant. The surrounding repetition of earlier commands, he notes, was needed for a forgetful people.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the death penalty for those with a familiar spirit as the just outcome of their own choice. In his view, making a league with the devil is the same as making a covenant with death, and the punishment simply matches the pact they have willingly made.