Enchantment
The Mosaic Prohibition
The law of Moses contains the Bible's most comprehensive prohibition against occult practices. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 lists nine forbidden activities: making children pass through fire, divination, fortune-telling, interpreting omens, sorcery, casting spells, consulting mediums, practicing necromancy, and inquiring of the dead. God declares that "whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 18:12). The prohibition was directly connected to Israel's entry into Canaan, where these practices were deeply embedded in the surrounding cultures. God warned his people not to adopt the spiritual practices of the nations they would displace (Deuteronomy 18:9).
Enchantment in the Surrounding Cultures
Occult arts were pervasive throughout the ancient Near East. Egypt was especially famous for its magicians and sorcerers. When Moses performed signs before Pharaoh, the Egyptian magicians replicated some of them through "their enchantments" (Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7), though they reached their limit when they could not produce gnats and admitted, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:18-19). Babylonian culture was saturated with divination, astrology, and spell-casting. Daniel lived among "the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the astrologers" of Nebuchadnezzar's court (Daniel 2:2; 5:11). Canaanite religion incorporated various forms of enchantment into its worship practices, making the prohibition especially urgent for Israel.
Types of Enchantment in Scripture
The Bible identifies several distinct forms of enchantment. Serpent charming involved whispering incantations to control snakes (Ecclesiastes 10:11; Psalm 58:4-5; Jeremiah 8:17). Divination sought to discover hidden knowledge or predict the future through various techniques; Balaam initially sought enchantments before prophesying concerning Israel (Numbers 24:1). Necromancy, the attempt to communicate with the dead, is dramatized in the account of Saul consulting the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28:7-20). Sorcery and spell-casting involved the use of potions, incantations, and rituals to manipulate spiritual forces. Isaiah mocks Babylon's trust in its sorceries and enchantments, challenging them to see if their spells can save them from judgment (Isaiah 47:9-12).
God's Power Versus Enchantment
A consistent biblical theme is the impotence of enchantment before the power of God. Balaam discovered that no enchantment could prevail against Israel when God had blessed them: "There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (Numbers 23:23). The Egyptian magicians were unable to match all of God's signs through Moses. Daniel's God-given wisdom surpassed that of all the enchanters and magicians in Babylon (Daniel 1:20). In the New Testament, the magician Elymas was struck blind when he opposed Paul's preaching (Acts 13:8-11), and the practitioners of magic arts in Ephesus burned their valuable scrolls after encountering the power of the gospel (Acts 19:18-19).
Enchantment in the New Testament
The New Testament continues the Old Testament's opposition to magic and enchantment. Simon the magician in Samaria amazed people with his sorcery, but when he saw the genuine power of the Holy Spirit, he sought to buy it (Acts 8:9-24). Paul encountered a slave girl in Philippi who had a spirit of divination, and he cast the spirit out in the name of Jesus (Acts 16:16-18). Paul lists sorcery among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:20), and Revelation warns that sorcerers will be excluded from the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:8; 22:15). The Bible's consistent message is that believers are to trust in God alone, not in hidden knowledge or supernatural manipulation.
Biblical Context
Enchantment and related practices are addressed across the Bible. The Pentateuch prohibits them comprehensively (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26, 31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14). The historical books record instances such as Saul's visit to the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28) and Manasseh's practice of sorcery (2 Kings 21:6). The prophets condemn enchantment in Israel and the nations (Isaiah 47:9-12; Jeremiah 27:9; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4). In the New Testament, encounters with sorcerers occur in Acts (8:9-24; 13:6-11; 16:16-18; 19:18-19), and sorcery is listed as a sin in Galatians 5:20 and Revelation 21:8.
Theological Significance
The Bible's prohibition of enchantment is grounded in the first commandment: the Lord alone is God, and he alone is to be trusted and worshipped. Enchantment represents an attempt to access supernatural power apart from God, whether by manipulating spiritual forces or by seeking hidden knowledge through forbidden means. Scripture presents this as a form of idolatry and rebellion. The contrast between the impotence of enchantment and the power of God demonstrates that the God of Israel is incomparably greater than any spiritual force that human beings might seek to harness.
Historical Background
Archaeological discoveries across the ancient Near East have revealed the extent of magical practices. Thousands of cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia contain incantations, omens, and ritual instructions for various forms of divination. Egyptian magical papyri preserve spells, potions, and invocations. Amulets and protective charms have been found throughout the Levant. The Greek Magical Papyri, dating from the second century BC to the fifth century AD, show the continuation of such practices in the Greco-Roman world. The burning of magical books in Ephesus (Acts 19:19), valued at fifty thousand pieces of silver, gives some indication of the economic scale of the magic industry in the first-century Roman world.