Augury
What Is Augury?
Augury, in its broadest sense, is any attempt to discern hidden knowledge or predict the future by interpreting signs and omens. The word originally referred to divination from the flight and behavior of birds (from the Latin avis, "bird"), but it came to encompass a wide range of divinatory practices: reading patterns in lightning and thunder, examining animal entrails, interpreting the movements of animals, casting lots, and observing other natural phenomena for supernatural meaning.
In the ancient world, augury was not considered superstition but a serious, even official, practice. Roman augurs were government officials who guided state policy. Babylonian and Assyrian priests maintained elaborate systems for reading omens. Against this universal backdrop, the Bible's prohibition of augury stands out as one of the most distinctive features of Israelite religion.
The Biblical Prohibition
The Torah contains several explicit prohibitions against augury. Leviticus 19:26 commands, "You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes." Deuteronomy 18:10-14 provides the most comprehensive list of forbidden practices: "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a necromancer, or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord."
The Hebrew verb translated "practice augury" or "interpret omens" is closely associated with producing low sounds or murmurs, suggesting the incantations that accompanied divinatory rituals. The prohibition places augury alongside other occultic practices — sorcery, necromancy, and child sacrifice — as fundamentally incompatible with covenant faithfulness.
The reason given is both theological and practical: "Because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations that you are about to dispossess listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this" (Deuteronomy 18:12-14). God offered Israel something far better than omens — direct communication through His prophets (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).
Types of Divination in the Biblical World
Several specific forms of augury and divination appear in the biblical text, illustrating the range of practices that Israel was forbidden to adopt.
Belomancy (divination by arrows) is referenced in Ezekiel 21:21, where the king of Babylon stands at a crossroads and shakes arrows to determine which city to attack. Hosea 4:12 may allude to a similar practice: "My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles."
Hepatoscopy (examination of animal livers) was widely practiced in Mesopotamia, where thousands of clay liver models have been excavated. Ezekiel 21:21 describes the Babylonian king examining a liver as part of his divinatory process.
Hydromancy (divination by water) may be referenced in connection with Joseph's silver cup, which was said to be used for divining (Genesis 44:5, 15), though Joseph's actual source of knowledge was God Himself.
Teraphim (household idols used for divination) appear in several narratives. Rachel stole Laban's teraphim (Genesis 31:19). Micah maintained them in his private shrine (Judges 17:5; 18:14). Zechariah declared that "the teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies" (Zechariah 10:2).
Necromancy (consulting the dead) is dramatically illustrated by Saul's visit to the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28:3-25), an act of desperation that marked the final collapse of his relationship with God.
Kings Who Practiced Augury
The historical books record several Israelite and Judean kings who violated the prohibition against augury. Manasseh, Judah's most wicked king, is specifically condemned for practicing augury along with sorcery, necromancy, and child sacrifice (2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6). His reign represented the complete abandonment of covenant faithfulness.
The northern kingdom of Israel was collectively condemned for similar practices: "They used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 17:17). This indictment comes in the context of explaining why God allowed Assyria to destroy the northern kingdom — the adoption of pagan divinatory practices was among the reasons for national judgment.
Prophets versus Diviners
The Bible draws a sharp contrast between prophets and diviners. Prophets received direct revelation from God and spoke His words (Deuteronomy 18:18; Jeremiah 1:9; Amos 3:7). Diviners manipulated techniques and rituals to extract information from the spirit world. The prophets repeatedly attacked diviners as frauds: "The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds" (Jeremiah 14:14).
Balaam presents an interesting case. Though called to curse Israel by the Moabite king Balak, Balaam acknowledged that he could only speak what the Lord gave him (Numbers 22:38; 23:12). The text notes that on one occasion "he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness" (Numbers 24:1), implying that he had previously practiced augury but now submitted to direct divine revelation. Despite this, later biblical writers remembered Balaam negatively as one who practiced divination for profit (Joshua 13:22; 2 Peter 2:15-16).
Why the Prohibition Matters
The prohibition of augury is not arbitrary. It reflects the fundamental biblical conviction that the future belongs to God alone, and that He reveals what His people need to know through His word and His Spirit. Augury represents an attempt to gain control over the unknown through human technique — a form of spiritual self-reliance that undermines trust in God. As Isaiah declared, "When they say to you, 'Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,' should not a people inquire of their God?" (Isaiah 8:19).
Biblical Context
Augury is prohibited in Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:10-14, and condemned in the narratives of kings who practiced it (2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6; 2 Kings 17:17). Specific divinatory practices appear in the Balaam narrative (Numbers 24:1), Saul's visit to Endor (1 Samuel 28), and Ezekiel's description of Babylonian divination (Ezekiel 21:21). The prophets consistently opposed divination (Jeremiah 14:14; Zechariah 10:2; Isaiah 8:19). The teraphim appear in Genesis 31:19, Judges 17:5, and Hosea 3:4.
Theological Significance
The prohibition of augury reflects the exclusive sovereignty of Israel's God over the future. Unlike pagan gods who could supposedly be manipulated through ritual techniques, the God of the Bible reveals His will freely through prophets and His word. Augury represents human autonomy in the spiritual realm — an attempt to access knowledge outside of relationship with God. The Bible's consistent condemnation teaches that trust in God requires renouncing all alternative sources of spiritual guidance. This principle extends into the New Testament, where believers are called to walk by faith and to trust the Holy Spirit's guidance rather than seeking signs through human techniques.
Historical Background
Augury was pervasive in the ancient Near East. Mesopotamian archives contain thousands of omen texts covering celestial signs, animal behavior, birth anomalies, and liver models. The Babylonian system of extispicy (reading animal entrails) was highly developed, with standardized clay liver models used for training. Roman augurs held official state positions and their pronouncements could halt public business. Greek oracles at Delphi and Dodona combined inspiration and omen-reading. Archaeological discoveries at Hazor and Megiddo have uncovered clay liver models in Canaanite contexts, demonstrating that these practices were present in the land Israel was entering. The Bible's prohibition thus stood in direct opposition to the universal religious culture of the ancient world.