Leviticus 19:31
29 You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.
30 You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
33 When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
- KJV
- Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
- WEB
- “‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
- ASV
- Turn ye not unto them that have familiar spirits, nor unto the wizards; seek them not out, to be defiled by them: I am Jehovah your God.
- DARBY
- Turn not unto necromancers and unto soothsayers; seek not after them to make yourselves unclean: I am Jehovah your God.
- BLB
- You⁺ shall not turn to the mediums and to the spiritists; you⁺ shall not seek after them to be defiled by them. I [am] YHWH your⁺ God.
- ÅB
- Dere skal ikke vende dere til dødningemanere og ikke ty til sannsigere, så dere gjør dere urene ved dem; jeg er Herren deres Gud.
- OTB
- Ikke vend dere til dem som hevder å kommunisere med ånder eller søk de som konsulterer de døde, for dere vil bli besmittet av dem. Jeg er Herren deres Gud.
- B1930
- I skal ikke vende eder til dødningemanere og ikke ty til sannsigere, så I gjør eder urene ved dem; jeg er Herren eders Gud.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Isaiah 8:19
When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Read in contextLeviticus 20:6–7
Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
Read in contextLeviticus 20:27
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.’”
Read in context2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 18:10–14
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
Read in context1 Chronicles 10:13
So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
Read in context2 Kings 21:6
He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Read in contextRevelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Read in context