Kisah Para Rasul 8:9-11

8:9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic ¹  and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 8:10 All the people, ²  from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” ³  8:11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.

Kisah Para Rasul 13:6

13:6 When they had crossed over ⁴  the whole island as far as Paphos, ⁵  they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁶ 

Kisah Para Rasul 13:8

13:8 But the magician Elymas ⁷  (for that is the way his name is translated) ⁸  opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul ⁹  away from the faith.

Keluaran 7:11

7:11 Then Pharaoh also summoned wise men and sorcerers, ¹⁰  and the magicians ¹¹  of Egypt by their secret arts ¹²  did the same thing.

Keluaran 7:22

7:22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same ¹³  by their secret arts, and so ¹⁴  Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ¹⁵  and he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron ¹⁶  – just as the Lord had predicted.

Ulangan 18:10-12

18:10 There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, ¹⁷  anyone who practices divination, ¹⁸  an omen reader, ¹⁹  a soothsayer, ²⁰  a sorcerer, ²¹  18:11 one who casts spells, ²²  one who conjures up spirits, ²³  a practitioner of the occult, ²⁴  or a necromancer. ²⁵  18:12 Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord and because of these detestable things ²⁶  the Lord your God is about to drive them out ²⁷  from before you.

Ulangan 18:1

Provision for Priests and Levites

18:1 The Levitical priests ²⁸  – indeed, the entire tribe of Levi – will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat the burnt offerings of the Lord and of his inheritance. ²⁹ 

1 Samuel 28:7-9

28:7 So Saul instructed his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, ³⁰  so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants replied to him, “There is a woman who is a medium in Endor.”

28:8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing and left, accompanied by two of his men. They came to the woman at night and said, “Use your ritual pit to conjure up for me the one I tell you.” ³¹ 

28:9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you are aware of what Saul has done; he has removed ³²  the mediums and magicians ³³  from the land! Why are you trapping me ³⁴  so you can put me to death?”

1 Samuel 28:1

The Witch of Endor

28:1 In those days the Philistines gathered their troops ³⁵  for war in order to fight Israel. Achish said to David, “You should fully understand that you and your men must go with me into the battle.” ³⁶ 

1 Samuel 10:13

10:13 When Saul ³⁷  had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

1 Samuel 10:2

10:2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on Benjamin’s border. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you have gone looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the donkeys but has become anxious about you two! ³⁸  He is asking, “What should I do about my son?”’

1 Samuel 1:6

1:6 Her rival wife used to upset her and make her worry, ³⁹  for the Lord had not enabled her to have children.

Yesaya 8:19

Darkness Turns to Light as an Ideal King Arrives

8:19 ⁴⁰ They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. ⁴¹  Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” ⁴² 

Yesaya 47:12-13

47:12 Persist ⁴³  in trusting ⁴⁴  your amulets

and your many incantations,

which you have faithfully recited ⁴⁵  since your youth!

Maybe you will be successful ⁴⁶  –

maybe you will scare away disaster. ⁴⁷ 

47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. ⁴⁸ 

Let them take their stand –

the ones who see omens in the sky,

who gaze at the stars,

who make monthly predictions –

let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! ⁴⁹ 

Daniel 2:2

2:2 The king issued an order ⁵⁰  to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men ⁵¹  in order to explain his dreams to him. ⁵²  So they came and awaited the king’s instructions. ⁵³ 

[8:9]  ¹ tn On the idiom προϋπῆρχεν μαγεύων (prouphrcen mageuwn) meaning “had been practicing magic” see BDAG 889 s.v. προϋπάρχω.

[8:10]  ² tn Grk “all of them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:10]  ³ tn Or “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” The translation “what is called the Great Power of God” is given by BDAG 263 s.v. δύναμις 5, but the repetition of the article before καλουμένη μεγάλη (kaloumenh megalh) suggests the translation “the power of God that is called ‘Great.’”

[13:6]  ⁴ tn Or “had passed through,” “had traveled through.”

[13:6]  ⁵ sn Paphos. A city on the southwestern coast of the island of Cyprus. It was the seat of the Roman proconsul.

[13:6]  ⁶ sn Named Bar-Jesus. “Jesus” is the Latin form of the name “Joshua.” The Aramaic “bar” means “son of,” so this man was surnamed “son of Joshua.” The scene depicts the conflict between Judaism and the emerging new faith at a cosmic level, much like the Simon Magus incident in Acts 8:9-24. Paul’s ministry looks like Philip’s and Peter’s here.

[13:8]  ⁷ tn On the debate over what the name “Elymas” means, see BDAG 320 s.v. ᾿Ελύμας. The magician’s behavior is more directly opposed to the faith than Simon Magus’ was.

[13:8]  ⁸ sn A parenthetical note by the author.

[13:8]  ⁹ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

[7:11]  ¹⁰ sn For information on this Egyptian material, see D. B. Redford, A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (VTSup), 203-4.

[7:11]  ¹¹ tn The חַרְטֻּמִּים (kharttummim) seem to have been the keepers of Egypt’s religious and magical texts, the sacred scribes.

[7:11]  ¹² tn The term בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶם (bÿlahatehem) means “by their secret arts”; it is from לוּט (lut, “to enwrap”). The Greek renders the word “by their magic”; Tg. Onq. uses “murmurings” and “whispers,” and other Jewish sources “dazzling display” or “demons” (see further B. Jacob, Exodus, 253-54). They may have done this by clever tricks, manipulation of the animals, or demonic power. Many have suggested that Aaron and the magicians were familiar with an old trick in which they could temporarily paralyze a serpent and then revive it. But here Aaron’s snake swallows up their snakes.

[7:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “thus, so.”

[7:22]  ¹⁴ tn The vav consecutive on the preterite introduces the outcome or result of the matter – Pharaoh was hardened.

[7:22]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh became hard.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.

[7:22]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to them”; the referents (Moses and Aaron) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “who passes his son or his daughter through the fire.” The expression “pass…through the fire” is probably a euphemism for human sacrifice (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT). See also Deut 12:31.

[18:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a diviner of divination” (קֹסֵם קְסָמִים, qosem qÿsamim). This was a means employed to determine the future or the outcome of events by observation of various omens and signs (cf. Num 22:7; 23:23; Josh 13:22; 1 Sam 6:2; 15:23; 28:8; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 3:945-51.

[18:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “one who causes to appear” (מְעוֹנֵן, mÿ’onen). Such a practitioner was thought to be able to conjure up spirits or apparitions (cf. Lev 19:26; Judg 9:37; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 2:6; 57:3; Jer 27:9; Mic 5:11).

[18:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “a seeker of omens” (מְנַחֵשׁ, mÿnakhesh). This is a subset of divination, one illustrated by the use of a “divining cup” in the story of Joseph (Gen 44:5).

[18:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “a doer of sorcery” (מְכַשֵּׁף, mikhashef). This has to do with magic or the casting of spells in order to manipulate the gods or the powers of nature (cf. Lev 19:26-31; 2 Kgs 17:15b-17; 21:1-7; Isa 57:3, 5; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 2:735-38.

[18:11]  ²² tn Heb “a binder of binding” (חֹבֵר חָבֶר, khover khaver). The connotation is that of immobilizing (“binding”) someone or something by the use of magical words (cf. Ps 58:6; Isa 47:9, 12).

[18:11]  ²³ tn Heb “asker of a [dead] spirit” (שֹׁאֵל אוֹב, sho’el ’ov). This is a form of necromancy (cf. Lev 19:31; 20:6; 1 Sam 28:8, 9; Isa 8:19; 19:3; 29:4).

[18:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “a knowing [or “familiar”] [spirit]” (יִדְּעֹנִי, yiddÿ’oniy), i.e., one who is expert in mantic arts (cf. Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; 1 Sam 28:3, 9; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 8:19; 19:3).

[18:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “a seeker of the dead.” This is much the same as “one who conjures up spirits” (cf. 1 Sam 28:6-7).

[18:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “these abhorrent things.” The repetition is emphatic. For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the same term used earlier in the verse has been translated “detestable” here.

[18:12]  ²⁷ tn The translation understands the Hebrew participial form as having an imminent future sense here.

[18:1]  ²⁸ tn The MT places the terms “priests” and “Levites” in apposition, thus creating an epexegetical construction in which the second term qualifies the first, i.e., “Levitical priests.” This is a way of asserting their legitimacy as true priests. The Syriac renders “to the priest and to the Levite,” making a distinction between the two, but one that is out of place here.

[18:1]  ²⁹ sn Of his inheritance. This is a figurative way of speaking of the produce of the land the Lord will give to his people. It is the Lord’s inheritance, but the Levites are allowed to eat it since they themselves have no inheritance among the other tribes of Israel.

[28:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “an owner of a ritual pit.” See the note at v. 3.

[28:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “Use divination for me with the ritual pit and bring up for me the one whom I say to you.”

[28:9]  ³² tn Heb “how he has cut off.”

[28:9]  ³³ tn See the note at v. 3.

[28:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “my life.”

[28:1]  ³⁵ tn Heb “their camps.”

[28:1]  ³⁶ tc The translation follows the LXX (εἰς πόλεμον, eis polemon) and a Qumran ms מלחמה במלחמה ([m]lkhmh) bammilkhamah (“in the battle”) rather than the MT’s בַמַּחֲנֶה (bammakhaneh, “in the camp”; cf. NASB). While the MT reading is not impossible here, and although admittedly it is the harder reading, the variant fits the context better. The MT can be explained as a scribal error caused in part by the earlier occurrence of “camp” in this verse.

[10:13]  ³⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:2]  ³⁸ sn In the Hebrew text the pronoun you is plural, suggesting that Saul’s father was concerned about his son and the servant who accompanied him.

[1:6]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and her rival wife grieved her, even [with] grief so as to worry her.”

[8:19]  ⁴⁰ tn It is uncertain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking in vv. 19-22. If the latter, then vv. 19-22 resume the speech recorded in vv. 12-15, after the prophet’s response in vv. 16-18.

[8:19]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “inquire of the ritual pits and of the magicians who chirp and mutter.” The Hebrew word אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a אוֹב-בַּעֲלַת (ba’alat-’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.

[8:19]  ⁴² tn Heb “Should a nation not inquire of its gods on behalf of the living, (by inquiring) of the dead?” These words appear to be a continuation of the quotation begun in the first part of the verse. אֱלֹהָיו (’elohayv) may be translated “its gods” or “its God.” Some take the second half of the verse as the prophet’s (or the Lord’s) rebuke of the people who advise seeking oracles at the ritual pits, but in this case the words “the dead on behalf of the living” are difficult to explain.

[47:12]  ⁴³ tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”

[47:12]  ⁴⁴ tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.

[47:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”

[47:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”

[47:12]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.

[47:13]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”

[47:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”

[2:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “said.” So also in v. 12.

[2:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” The term Chaldeans (Hebrew כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdim) is used in the book of Daniel both in an ethnic sense and, as here, to refer to a caste of Babylonian wise men and astrologers.

[2:2]  ⁵² tn Heb “to explain to the king his dreams.”

[2:2]  ⁵³ tn Heb “stood before the king.”