Leviticus 20:6 Meaning: Why Consulting Mediums Is Spiritual Adultery

The Hebrew verb panah (turn) describes a deliberate motion of the heart. It is not an accidental glance but a conscious direction of trust and attention. The word for mediums, ov, meant a necromancer who evoked the dead. The term for wizards, yiddeoni, came from a root meaning to know, someone who claims secret knowledge. Then comes the word that hits hardest: zanah, translated here as play the prostitute. That verb is used throughout the Old Testament for Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, chasing other gods like a spouse chasing lovers. The act is not just foolish. It is relational betrayal. And God responds by setting His face, a phrase that in Hebrew means to direct one’s full presence and intention, against that person, cutting them off (karat) from the community that lived under His care.

Historic Christian reading of this verse has centered on the idea of covenant loyalty. Matthew Henry called consulting mediums a form of spiritual whoredom, a deliberate forsaking of God for rivals. The Geneva Bible notes saw it as turning from God to Satan’s instruments. Later commentators like Gill emphasized that the sin lies in attributing to created beings what belongs only to God. While some traditions see these prohibitions as part of Israel’s civil law no longer directly binding, nearly all agree that the principle behind them remains: God alone deserves our trust in matters of life and death, and any practice that transfers that trust to other powers is a form of unfaithfulness.

Some readers assume this verse is only about avoiding supernatural activities like séances. In fact, the heart of the warning is about who we turn to for direction. The word for turning implies a whole orientation of life. It could include the quiet ways we look for hidden knowledge through horoscopes, luck charms, or even the subtle habit of trusting our own anxious plans more than God’s guidance. The verse is not simply about ghosts; it is about where we place our ultimate dependence.

This week, you will face a moment of uncertainty. A decision about health, money, or a relationship will press on you. The instinct may be to frantically search for answers anywhere you can find them. Leviticus 20:6 invites you to notice which way you are turning. Ask yourself: am I looking for a sign, a quick fix, or a human source that promises control? Or am I willing to bring the question to God and wait? The verse is honest about what is at stake. Our turning is not neutral. It is an act of worship, for good or ill.