חַרְטֹם
a horoscopist (as drawing magical lines or circles)
Definition
The Hebrew word חַרְטֹם (charṭôm) refers to a type of court official or advisor in ancient Egypt who practiced magical arts, divination, and occult interpretation. In the Joseph narrative (Genesis 41:8, 41:24), these 'magicians' are summoned by Pharaoh to interpret his troubling dreams, but they fail, setting the stage for Joseph's God-given interpretation. In the Exodus account (Exodus 7:11, 7:22, 8:7, 8:18-19, 9:11), they are repeatedly called upon to replicate or counter the plagues sent by God through Moses and Aaron, initially succeeding in minor feats but ultimately being overpowered, demonstrating the limits of their power against Yahweh.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in contexts involving the Egyptian royal court, appearing ten times in the Old Testament. It is found in Genesis 41 (twice) and in Exodus 7-9 (eight times). In every instance, חַרְטֹם refers to the official Egyptian practitioners of magic and divination who serve the Pharaoh. Their role is to interpret divine signs (dreams) or to contest divine power (the plagues), and their consistent failure highlights a key biblical theme.
Etymology
The noun חַרְטֹם (charṭôm) is likely derived from the root חרט (ḥrṭ), relating to engraving or stylus-writing (as in H2747, חֶרֶט, 'stylus' or 'pen'). This suggests the original practitioners may have been associated with scribal arts, specifically the drawing of magical lines, circles, or symbols for divination. The term was borrowed into Hebrew from Egyptian, reflecting a specific class of Egyptian priest-magicians.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it directly contrasts human, occult wisdom with the sovereign power and revelation of Yahweh. The חַרְטֹם represent the pinnacle of pagan religious and magical expertise, yet they are shown to be utterly limited. Their failure to interpret Pharaoh's dreams points to God as the only true source of wisdom (Genesis 41:8). Their inability to replicate or stop the later plagues (Exodus 8:18-19) demonstrates Yahweh's absolute supremacy over all alleged gods and powers of Egypt, a central theme in the Exodus narrative.
In its original setting, the חַרְטֹם were not mere street magicians but high-ranking members of the Egyptian priestly and scholarly class, advisors to Pharaoh. They were experts in rituals, dream interpretation, astrology, and magic, which were integral to Egyptian state religion and governance. The biblical portrayal accurately reflects their official court role while subverting it, showing their arts as ultimately powerless before the God of Israel.
אַשָּׁף (ʼashshaph, H825) — A Babylonian magician or enchanter, used in Daniel. חַכָּם (chakam, H2450) — A general term for a 'wise man' or sage, which can include these magicians in context (Genesis 41:8), but has a much broader, often positive, meaning.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →